I think Duffy
writes the poem
like this to show
her respect and
that she does
care and she does
this by taking the
time to get things
right.
Also it is a bit of a contrast
because it is a poem about
the destruction of war and
the photos he takes but she
wrights the poem neat and
with no errors even though
war is messy and
unpredictable.
stanzas
are equal
lengths
Its "in ordered
rows" like the
war
photographers
work
The first line of stanza 3 it says
"something is happening." This is
a turning point in the poem
(volta)
The focus changes to the personal cost
of war (specific deaths)
Contrasts
"his hands, which did not
tremble then"
Irony - He is calm when it
comes to war and horrors of
war but is frightened when he
comes home.
Emotive language
Duffy tries to
represent the
true horror of
conflict to make
the reader think
about the
subject.
"A hundred agonies in black
and white"
Emotive metaphor to describe the
photos. Having the pictures printed
seems to confirm the the suffering
Religious Imagery
The reference to
religion almost
makes it seem like
the photographer
is the priest and he
is conducting a
funeral when he
develops the
photos.
"as though this were a
church, and he a priest
preparing ... mass"
Anger
The poem ends with a
sens of anger at the
people who "do not
care" about the
suffering of others.