Compare how the poets present inner conflict in ‘War Photographer’ and one other poem
In the poems ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Kamikaze’, an inner conflict is presented as the men struggle to
make the right decision and remember their role within war. However, by the end of “War Photographer”,
the inner conflict seems to have been defeated; in ‘Kamikaze’ it remains unbeaten.
In ‘War Photographer’, Duffy presents the photographer’s inner conflict as he attempts to block out his
emotions: “He has a job to do”. By using this short, monosyllabic statement to begin the second stanza,
the poet could be highlighting how the photographer is forced to put his emotions aside, just as a soldier
has to; Duffy was inspired by the indifference needed for such a role. Also, by distancing the voice from
the photographer, as shown by the third person pronoun “he”, Duffy could be illustrating how greatly the
photographer has to be distant from the situations he experienced; he appears to have succeeded in doing
this, and therefore seems to be able to overcome any inner conflict. However, by beginning the stanza
with almost a justification of his profession, the poet could be implying that the man is actually facing and
losing an inner conflict as he begins to doubt the morality of his role. Perhaps, now that he is physically
away from the combat, the photographer is unable to control his emotions and overcome his inner
conflict; this idea is further demonstrated through the verb “tremble”, with its connotations of fear, as it
clearly highlights the negative impact the violence has had on him, although the vagueness of the verbal
phrase "seem to” could be demonstrating that he is continuing to try to ignore his emotions and defeat his
inner conflict.
In ‘Kamikaze’, Garland presents the soldier's past inner conflict through his struggle to choose between
his family and his country: "his brothers… built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles”. Here, the use of family
imagery, demonstrated through the plural “brothers” and the noun “father” could be illustrating the soldier
reminiscing about his childhood and beginning to reconsider his actions; the use of the plural “cairns”
with its connotations of death, could indicate that this is because he feels suicide will cause his family to
grieve and be sorrowful. However, the adjective “pearl-grey” contrasts to this idea, as it has connotations
of wealth, which could be suggesting that although he will be missed, the soldier's death will actually
benefit his family and cause them to be grateful for it; this could be linking to how being a kamikaze pilot
was a huge honour, as if they completed their mission, their family would be rewarded and honoured,
which therefore presents the soldier's inner conflict as he struggles to choose the best option. In addition,
the fact that these “cairns” are simply made from “pebbles” emphasises this inner conflict as it could
imply that they are insecure and his death is only a possibility; the soldier has a choice whether to turn
back, although by placing this idea halfway through the poem, Garland could be inferring that he must be
quick to decide, as a kamikaze's journey was only meant to be one way and the soldier would only have
enough fuel to return if he turned back at this point.
Duffy presents the photographer's inner conflict as he tries to forget the suffering he experienced within
war: “A stranger’s features… twist”. Here, the use of the vivid visual imagery highlights the pain and
horrific events the man has witnessed in war; perhaps this is taken from a similar personal experience, as
Duffy is friends with war photographer Don McCullin and was inspired by him to write the poem.
Alternatively, the use of the noun "stranger” could be implying that the photographer is still trying to be
detached from the events and beat his inner conflict; it seems the person's name and story don't matter to
him, yet he is still clearly affected by their suffering. In addition, the verb "twist” and the noun “cries”,
