Exam (elaborations)
Grade 9 AQA GCSE English literature Poetry Anthology Power and conflict - Remains & War Photographer
This document is a Grade 9 AQA GCSE English literature Power and conflict essay for Remains & War Photographer
[Show more]
Content preview
TJNOTESTJNOTES
COMPARISON BETWEEN WAR PHOTOGRAPHER AND
REMAINS
TJNOTES
Both ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Remains’ explore the haunting power of memories. In the
second stanza of ‘War Photographer’, Duffy creates a vivid image of one of the
photographer’s memories by writing ‘running children in a nightmare heat’. Here, Duffy’s
words create graphic, powerful imagery of innocent children caught up in the middle of a
warzone, running in agony and terror away from a chemical weapon. This poetic image was
inspired by a real-life photograph captured by a war photographer in Vietnam. Through this
TJNOTES
evocative imagery, Duffy suggests that the photographer's mind cannot shake the
distressing memories of the terrible pain he witnessed while taking photos in warzones.
Similarly, Armitage makes clear the soldier cannot forget the memory of shooting the looter
through his use of the poem’s refrain: ‘probably armed, possibly not’. Armitage’s repetition
of these words emphasise that this particular ambiguous memory, of whether or not the
looter is armed, is haunting him. If the looter was not armed, the soldier would not have
TJNOTES
needed to kill him. Therefore, he is plagued by a feeling of potential guilt; ihe could have
killed an innocent person, who posed no threat to him. Armitage’s repetition of these words
throughout the poem also emphasise the power of this memory, as it keeps flooding back
into the soldier’s mind, even when he is home on leave. It is an unwelcome and persistent
reminder that is contributing to his post-traumatic symptoms. It is clear from both poems
that being involved in or an observer of war can deeply affect people, leaving them with a
lasting mental struggle.
TJNOTES
Both ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Remains’ explore the intensity of guilt. In the third stanza of
War Photographer, Duffy makes the photographer’s guilt evident by writing that he sees a
‘half-formed ghost’ when he develops one of the photographs. Duffy’s powerful metaphor
helps the reader to vividly imagine the photograph slowly developing in a chemical solution
in front of his eyes, while the word ‘ghost’ implies that the photographer is being
psychologically haunted by the memory of this man and the terrible cries of the man’s wife.
TJNOTES
Perhaps Duffy suggests that the photographer feels guilty because he was not able to do
more to help this man or his wife; all he could do was carry out his role by capturing the
moment with a photograph for the media. TSimilarly, in the closing lines of ‘Remains’,
Armitage makes the soldier’s guilt clear by writing ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’.
Armitage uses the blood as a symbol of the guilt that the soldier feels; the soldier feels he
has blood on his hands because he killed a person who could have been innocent. Armitage
TJNOTES
could have chosen to end the poem with this line because he wanted to demonstrate that
the soldier cannot remove the image of the looter’s blood from his mind, and that the guilt
he feels for killing the looter will stay with him, or metaphorically stain him, forever.
Both poems explore an inner conflict or struggle. In the final stanza of ‘War Photographer’,
Duffy conveys the struggle of the photographer, who feels infuriated that his readers are
not more emotionally moved by his pictures by writing ‘reader’s eyeballs prick with tears
TJNOTES
between the bath and pre lunch beers’. Duffy’s use of the word ‘prick’ to describe the
readers’ emotions indicates that they barely cry when they see the photographs, or that
their emotion is transient because they cannot empathise with the people in the
photographs as they are so far removed from conflict zones. Duffy’s use of the words ‘bath’
and ‘beers’ remind the reader that in England we have many everyday luxuries that people
in warzones don’t have. This makes it easy and almost inevitable for us to forget the terrible
TJNOTES
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller tjnotes. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.86. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
79835 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now