‘War Photographer’ VS ‘Remains’ Power and Conflict Anthology

Structural Analysis In ‘War Photographer’, there are 4 regular stanzas which could be said to represent the rule of the military. It could also be said that he is trying to restore order to his chaotic life. ‘War Photographer’ is like a stream of consciousness much like ‘Remains’. In ‘Remains’, the poem is written as a monologue, from the point of view of the speaker. The poem begins mid-sentence, which implies that it was a regular occurrence when he was a solider. The final stanza has two lines so that means it stands out, emphasising to the reader that he cannot get rid of the permanency of the killing. In ‘War Photographer’, there are rhyming couplets to depict the contrasting emotions that the speaker has. Rhyming couplets are used within sonnets, it could shows his love for his job. Both poems have enjambment. In ‘Remains’, it shows the fluidity of the conversation. While in ‘War Photographer’, the enjambment could shows the inevitability of conflict within our society. The idea that conflict and war is very difficult to end. Also, both poems have caesura. The caesura in ‘Remains’ reflects the regular speech tones of the speaker and also it could imply that he is struggling to composure himself and come to terms with the events. Once again in ‘War Photographer’, the speaker is struggling to composure himself due it to scarring emotional impacts of war. In ‘Remains’, there is a volta, ‘End of the story, expect not really.’ It shows that the story continues to haunt him and it is difficult to forget.

Language Analysis In ‘War Photographer’, there are many singular nouns used. For example, ‘his’ shows that the photographer is detached from war and the soldiers. While in ‘Remains’, at the beginning, there are a lot of collective nouns used, ‘we’ which suggest that it was a collective responsibility or a collective choice. Te fact that he is alone also could also his reclusiveness and isolation, still unravelling the horrors of war. ‘His blood shadow stays on the petrol’- this metaphoric line in ‘Remains’ shows the permanency of the killing. The noun, ‘shadow’ implies that it continuously haunts him. This can be also seen in ‘War Photographer’, ‘how the blood stained into foreign dust.’ The noun, ‘blood’ emphasise that his memory has been severely taunted by the dying soldiers which he saw at war. In ‘Remains’, colloquialism is used throughout the almost the entirety of the poem, ‘one of my mates’. This technique enlisted by the poet showcases the conversational tone of the poem and heighten the realism. The phrase, ‘tosses his guts back into his body’. The verb, ‘tosses’ implies the sense of carelessness towards the looter’s life. The mention of ‘sleep’ and ‘dream’ reveals to the audience that he is plagued with a devastating memory. The use of juxtaposed images, ‘sleep and he’s torn apart,’ exposes that he is disturbed by the memory. It has been ingrained in his mind. Additionally, it contrasts with the peaceful and idyllic purposes of dreaming and the soldier’s violent and destructive memory much haunts much like the British army invading these ‘sun-stunned’ lands. The phrase, ‘of children running in nightmare heat’, intensifies the vulnerability and danger of the victims of war. The phrase, ‘nightmare heat’ implies the geographical location that the war is taking place in; possibly in a war-torn environment like the Middle-east. In ‘Remains’ the soldier is living the nightmare, while in ‘War Photographer’, he watches it from a far distance. Both poems use sibilance. War Photographer- ‘Solutions slop in trays’. This is almost reflective of the depression of war. Remains- ‘sun-stunned, sand-smothered land’ is unrelenting and sinister. A tainted memory of war.

Context & Themes In ‘War Photographer’, it shows the desensitisation of war on the media, ‘The reader’s eyeballs prick/ with tears between and pre-lunch beers’. The verb, ‘prick’ enlisted by the poet is used to shows that the tears don’t fully emerge, which subsequently show peoples’ complacency about war. It is rhymed with ‘beers’ to undermine its seriousness. There is also conflict between the warzones and ‘Rural England’ to emphasise that people are out of touch with War. War Photographer in reality are very dangerous job as their role is to capture poignant and sombre images of war. It also explores the safety of backing home between the warzones. Contrastingly in ‘Remains’, the first part of the poem shows the soldiers on patrol while the other part of the poem shows the soldier dealing with his own internalised conflict and coming to terms with his role which ultimately could someone’s life. It explores the events in soldiers which can trigger PSTD. The soldiers is also conflicted with their own sense of morality and if what they did was wrong.