How Do the Authors Present Their Feelings on War in 'War Photograph' and 'War Photographer'
How do the writers present their feelings on war?
In the poems ‘war photographer’ and ‘war photograph’ the audience are presented with two poems which express the feelings of the authors towards war. I will be comparing these two poems to find the differences between the narrators feelings.
Kate Daniels poem is told through the voice of an American citizen looking in a magazine at a war photograph. Whereas, Carol Ann-Duffy’s poem is about a war photographer developing the photos, that he took previously, in a darkroom. In the poem ‘war photograph’, we get the impression that the poem is narrated by a woman. We see this because the narrator shows compassion and is more sympathetic. ‘We’re feeling sorry for her’. Women usually show more compassion and sympathy than men, and we know that the author is female, so it is more of a direct viewpoint. She is displaying her views and compassion through the character. However, in the poem ‘War photographer’, we know that a man is narrating it as it refers to a ‘he’; ‘In his dark room, he is finally alone’.
In ‘War photograph’ she feels detached from the child as she keeps referring to the distance between them, she feels helpless for the child. She is also appalled at the war as it is killing so many innocent people ‘being appalled at the war’. The war photographer is also appalled at the war, as he has to see the horrific sights everyday; ‘he remembers the cries of this man’s wife.’ He is scarred by the things he has seen. We are told ‘he is finally alone’ as if he has been running away from something and now he is happy to be away from the war. ‘Solutions stop in trays beneath his hands which did not tremble then, though seem to now’, this tells us that he did not have the full effect of his surroundings and the horror of it all, but now that he is alone and the photos are slowly developing, he can take it in, and really look at what was there and how terrible it was. This is different to war photograph, as in
In the poems ‘war photographer’ and ‘war photograph’ the audience are presented with two poems which express the feelings of the authors towards war. I will be comparing these two poems to find the differences between the narrators feelings.
Kate Daniels poem is told through the voice of an American citizen looking in a magazine at a war photograph. Whereas, Carol Ann-Duffy’s poem is about a war photographer developing the photos, that he took previously, in a darkroom. In the poem ‘war photograph’, we get the impression that the poem is narrated by a woman. We see this because the narrator shows compassion and is more sympathetic. ‘We’re feeling sorry for her’. Women usually show more compassion and sympathy than men, and we know that the author is female, so it is more of a direct viewpoint. She is displaying her views and compassion through the character. However, in the poem ‘War photographer’, we know that a man is narrating it as it refers to a ‘he’; ‘In his dark room, he is finally alone’.
In ‘War photograph’ she feels detached from the child as she keeps referring to the distance between them, she feels helpless for the child. She is also appalled at the war as it is killing so many innocent people ‘being appalled at the war’. The war photographer is also appalled at the war, as he has to see the horrific sights everyday; ‘he remembers the cries of this man’s wife.’ He is scarred by the things he has seen. We are told ‘he is finally alone’ as if he has been running away from something and now he is happy to be away from the war. ‘Solutions stop in trays beneath his hands which did not tremble then, though seem to now’, this tells us that he did not have the full effect of his surroundings and the horror of it all, but now that he is alone and the photos are slowly developing, he can take it in, and really look at what was there and how terrible it was. This is different to war photograph, as in