‘War Photographer’ By Carol Ann Duffy

Why should we study war poetry? It draws on other important subjects: History, Modern studies and PSE The choices we make are based on what we learn, and learning through others experiences of war may educate a new generation about the brutal realities of war. It is important to study and evaluate different modes of writing so that you can discuss issues with a more informed voice.

You are going to be shown a number of pictures taken from various war zones. For each photograph, please answer the four questions in front of you.

Inmates in Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany, where over 33,000 people were killed. This photograph was taken five days after the camp was liberated.

The picture shows Kim, the little naked girl; her skin was burned so badly. Behind Kim, you see all the South Vietnamese armies running with her, together. And next to Kim, her older brother and one young brother looking back towards the black smoke, and another two members of her family. The photographer remembers that she looked so bad he thought that she would die. He had been outside the village that morning and took a lot of pictures. He was almost leaving the village when he saw two aeroplanes. The first dropped four bombs and the second aeroplane dropped another four napalm bombs.

A child barely alive, a vulture so eager for food. This photograph taken in 1994 is symbolic of Sudan's famine and won its photographer, Kevin Carter, fame. Carter would take great risks to acquire such photographs. He committed suicide at age 33.

At the time 'War Photographer' was written, Duffy was friendly with Don McCullin, a well-respected photographer who specialised in war photography. She said that what interested her in writing the poem was the photographer and the difficult decisions he or she might have to make while taking pictures in a war zone.

Look at the text highlighted. What does McCullin mean by each statement? “I’m not a person who wants to go stealing images of other peoples grief, and things like that. I don’t sleep well… I wake up and think about things like this. I can still remember the day I saw a man shot in cold blood in front of me. And sometimes, it’s not always convenient but these memories come back at the most terrible times. Sometimes at night, sometimes even on a beautiful sunny day when I’m sitting in my garden, or walking through some woodland. And you know, photography has been very very generous to me, but at the same time it’s damaged me, really.” Don McCullin