“Priest preparing to intone a mass”
By using the simile “as though...he a priest” the photographer is conveyed as almost giving each war victim a proper burial. The line also sets a sombre and respectful tone as though the reader were at a funeral. The religious allusion of “priest” and “mass” contrasts the violent and harsh scene of war and brings some type of peace to the image. This message of the photographer bringing peace to the war is important as it portrays his job as a respectful one which does not come to mind when considering the profession of a war photographer. To conclude the first stanza the poet uses another religious allusion:
“All flesh is grass”
The image put across here is that each life lost in the war is expendable and insignificant. It also shows how troops are often disregarded and simply used as a wall of people. Grass is very numerous and in the war each life is also. The theme of religion is predominant throughout the poem. The Photographer is repeatedly compared to a priest as they share many similarities both in their work and their isolation.
In the second stanza the photographer is making a comparison between the place he is from and the places he has been. He is trying to convince himself that his profession is moral and that what he is doing is morally correct:
“He has a job to do”
At a first glance the reader may think that the poem is a criticism of the photographer but this line shows that it is not. This monosyllabic sentence emphasises the photographer’s debate as to whether his job is justifiable. The word “has” shows that he feels that it is just like any other job and on the other hand he knows that he is not just doing it for money and that he must show the public the horrendous event that are happening in these war-ridden countries. This is notable as it conveys the daily debate that war-photographers face. The poet shows the debate that the photographers face daily. Duffy shows how the photographer is only affected by the tragic events he has seen after he returns home:
“Beneath his hands which did not tremble then”
When he is working he is constantly busy and distracted and it is only when he returns home that he realise how disturbing the scenes of war are. This gives us insight into his work and shows us how occupying it can be. This is relevant as it shows that even thought he sees such scenes of pain and suffering regularly he is still strongly affected by them. This is significant as it reminds us how traumatic these events can be.
In the third stanza the photographs are developing and we get an insight into the events depicted in the photos:
“A strangers features faintly start to twist before his eyes”
The word “strangers” shows the anonymity of the people depicted in the photographs. The fact that the people are not named makes the photos less personal and less harsh. The image starts to “Twist before his eyes” and literally the photos are developing but metaphorically he is remembering the scenes which he has captured. The violent memories are re-surfacing in his mind and this, again, refers to the fact that these scenes will be with him for the rest of his life and shows how he unable to forget the events. The next part of the stanza portrays the moral dilemma he faces:
“How he sought approval without words to do what someone must”
He feels bad about his profession but he realises that the public have to be aware of what is happening in other countries. The poet uses this line to show the photographer justifying to himself that his profession is ethical and he has the right to photograph these scenes. “Without words” shows how he is not able to communicate with these people verbally but he tries to gain their permission before taking the photos. This shows that he is not only doing it for the money but he has more personal view on the matter. This is important as it conveys that the general public’s view on the profession is not always correct and sometimes the photographers actually have a valid reason for taking up that profession.
In the final stanza the poet shows how ignorant and shallow the public in the developed world can be. Even though the poet thinks the war is of great importance it is only used for filling up space in the newspaper:
“Pick out five or six for Sunday’s supplement”
The editor only picks out “five or six” showing how many of the individual “hundred agonies” are discarded. There is a great contrast between the photographer’s views and the general public’s views here as it is clear that although the photographer thinks that the photos are all highly significant, only a few will actually be used. The war is one of the main events taking place in this world yet this article is only a “supplement”. This idea is further highlighted when the poet shows the newspaper readers reaction to the article:
“Prick with tears between bath and pre-lunch beers”
There is a contrast between the limited and shallow emotion of the readers and the cries and agony of the man’s wife. This shows that these photographs are actually very intrusive as they interfere in a very personal and emotional scene for the man’s wife whereas for the readers it is just an article in a newspaper. The phrase “between bath and pre-lunch beers” also emphasises that the people are just reading this article to pass time and have no real feeling or genuine sympathy towards these people. The people reading the paper simply gain a voyeuristic pleasure from seeing these articles and images; this reinforces the superficial thoughts of the public.
In my view Duffy is on the photographers’ side in the poem. While many people would think it inhumane to take pictures of suffering and death whilst not attempting to help the subjects, she portrays him as a man with feeling who has forced himself to do his job “impassively”. It is almost as it she accuses the general public of being inhumane in this poem. The message of peace among violence comes across strongly in this poem which in turn is what makes it so captivating and important in today's society.
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