War Photographer By Carol Ann Duffy

The children above are running from their village, which has just been hit by a napalm bomb. The child in the centre of the photo is a nine-year old girl called Kim. Having torn off her burning clothes she was screaming 'nong qua, nong qua' ['too hot, too hot'] as she ran towards the photographer. The boy to the left is her older brother, who survived the attack but lost an eye. Kim spent fourteen months recovering from the burns to her skin.

Injured Iraqi civilians plead for help by a roadside.

An injured protester in Cairo's Tahrir Square An injured protester in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Violence broke out as groups clashed with protesters, while the Egyptian military stood idly by.

Photographers crowd around two men lying unconscious in a street in Nepal. They were taking part in a protest to restore democracy to Nepal, during which the police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

A Georgian civilian cradles his dying brother in his arms during the current conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Group Discussion 1 - Questions How do the pictures make you feel? How do you think they made the photographer feel? Why did the photographer take the pictures? What would you have done if you were the photographer? Explain your answer. How would you have felt about having your picture taken if you were the person in the photograph?

Group Discussion 2 - Question In each stanza of the poem, describe in your own words what is happening. What ideas in the poem do you feel you don’t fully understand?

“War Photographer” – Word Bank “All flesh is grass” - A quotation taken from a psalm. The full quotation reads as follows: “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass.  The grass withereth, and the flower falleth:  But the word of the Lord abideth for ever.” Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. - Three areas in which there have been wars or terrorist activity in the last few decades. Darkroom - A room in which photographs are processed, either in complete darkness or with extremely dim (often red) light. Dispel - To drive away. Editor - The person who is responsible for selecting the photographs and articles which will be included in a newspaper. Impassively - Without emotion Intone - To recite in a singing tone. Mass - A religious ritual often observed at weddings, christenings, funerals, etc., particularly by Catholic Christians. Rural - Country Solutions - Either a) answers or b) a liquid in which something has been dissolved. Sought - Looked for Spools - Rolls of photographic film. Sunday’s supplement -The supplement of a newspaper is an extra magazine or publication which is included with the newspaper itself.

Carol Ann Duffy Born in 1955 Scottish, currently living in Manchester. Writes poetry, drama and children’s literature – best known for her poetry.