1. War Photographer and Poppies

2. Date: 18th January 2019 Title: War poems
Name the poem that the quote comes from:
‘With an unswerving line, I fixed my view’ – The Prelude
‘he lugged a rifle’ – Bayonet Charge
‘The sun shines through their borderlines’ - Tissue
‘he’s here in my head when I close my eyes’ - Remains
‘will’t please you sit and look at her’ – My Last Duchess

3. War Photographer What is the purpose of a War Photographer?
“In his dark room he is finally alone…
What is the purpose of a War Photographer?
How do these images make you feel?
…with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”

4. The developing process
Developing photos takes a great deal of time.
What are the repercussions of this?

5. What is the effect of these words on the reader?
The poem
In his dark room he is finally alone
with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.
The only light is red and softly glows,
as though this were a church and he
a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.
He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays
beneath his hands, which did not tremble then
though seem to now. Rural England. Home again
to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel,
to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet
of running children in a nightmare heat.
Imagery: Highlight 3 words or phrases that have connotations of:
Suffering
Religion
Photography
Annotations:
What is the effect of these words on the reader?
How might it be intended to make you feel about the photographer and the work that he is doing?
Something is happening. A stranger’s features
faintly start to twist before his eyes,
a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries
of this man’s wife, how he sought approval
without words to do what someone must
and how the blood stained into foreign dust.
A hundred agonies in black and white
from which his editor will pick out five or six
for Sunday’s supplement. The reader’s eyeballs prick
with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.
From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where
he earns his living and they do not care.

6. The poem
In his dark room he is finally alone
with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.
The only light is red and softly glows,
as though this were a church and he
a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass.
He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays
beneath his hands, which did not tremble then
though seem to now. Rural England. Home again
to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel,
to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet
of running children in a nightmare heat.
Structure:
Find examples of caesura throughout the poem. How and when are they used?
Find example of enjambment throughout the poem. How and when is it used?
How does the narrative develop as the speaker moves through the poem? What do we begin to learn about the speaker from stanza to stanza?
Something is happening. A stranger’s features
faintly start to twist before his eyes,
a half-formed ghost. He remembers the cries
of this man’s wife, how he sought approval
without words to do what someone must
and how the blood stained into foreign dust.
A hundred agonies in black and white
from which his editor will pick out five or six
for Sunday’s supplement. The reader’s eyeballs prick
with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.
From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where
he earns his living and they do not care.

7. What would you say we learn about conflict from this poem?
In what way is the speaker indirectly impacted by conflict?
What examples of external and internal conflicts does the speaker face?
Why might this poem be slightly unusual for a war poem?

8. War Photographer: his indirect action means he has had experiences that give him a different perspective on those who are impacted by war.
Compare the ways the poets present the effect of conflict in War Photographer and one other poem of your choice from Power and Conflict

9. What are you aiming for? Paper 2 Section B – Conflict Poetry AO1 -12
21-25 marks
AO1
AO2
AO3
Clearly thought through line of argument
Words and phrases from the poems embedded into interpretations
Writer’s methods have been identified and terminology has been used to support interpretation
Effects on the reader are integrated
Ideas and perspectives of the reader, the writer and the speaker have been considered and linked to the task focus
Paper 2 Section B – Conflict Poetry
AO1 -12
AO2 -12
AO3 - 6
16-20 marks
AO1
AO2
AO3
A comparison has been made between the poems
Appropriate quotations have been used to justify the comparison
Writer’s methods have been identified and explored
There is an understanding of the effects on the reader without going into depth
Ideas and perspectives of the reader, the writer and the speaker have been considered

10. What is the narrative of the poem?
What impression do you get about the way that the speaker is feeling?
Why do you think the writer wanted to show things from this perspective?

11. Imagery: Highlight/underline any language associated with:
Loss
Memory
Innocence
Annotate with effects created for the reader

12. Poppies: she is also indirectly effected because of the loss of her son. Internally conflicted by allowing him to grow up.
War Photographer: his indirect action means he has had experiences that give him a different perspective on those who are impacted by war.
Compare the ways the poets present the effect of conflict in War Photographer and one other poem of your choice from Power and Conflict

13. Notes from the exam board
Simplicity
Structure of the response is not examined
Embedding comparison can be just as effective as providing references back
Focusing on the question is the most important thing to do
If you don’t fully understand an technique, don’t talk about it
There is no hierarchy of methods
Keep it relevant

14. Possible approaches.
You have to compare the poems, but choose a style that makes more sense to you
Option 1: Overview and focus on writer’s craft
Introduction  Address the theme of the question and present a couple of ways in which the poems are linked to that theme.
Paragraph 1  Discuss the imagery that is presented in Poem A and how this is similar or contrasting in Poem B and how effective you think this is at revealing the theme of the poem
Paragraph 2  Discuss the imagery/structure of the poems again. Same as above.
Paragraph 3  Discuss the imagery/structure of the poems again. Same as above.
Option 2: Overview and exploration of each poem
Introduction  Give an overview of the two poems reference to the theme and possible intention for this.
Paragraph 1  Focus on Poem A. Discuss a pattern that you discovered in the poem that links to the theme.
Paragraph 2  Discuss a pattern that you noticed in Poem B and suggest how it’s effect is similar or different to Poem A.
Paragraph 3  Discuss another pattern from Poem A.
Paragraph 4  Discuss another pattern from Poem B.

15. Use your annotations to help you fill in this planning grid
Similarities
Differences
Point
Evidence and inference WP
Poppies

16. Compare the ways the poets present the effect of conflict in War Photographer and one other poem of your choice from Power and Conflict
I want to see how well you sustain your ideas, so I am expecting and introductory sentence or two and 2 paragraphs.
AO1
Show your understanding of the question.
Use appropriate evidence to support your interpretations.
AO2
Select relevant detail of the text.
Using those details to provide a clear analysis that justifies your interpretation.
Identify and interpret the language features.
AO3
Linked references to the potential social or political statements being made in the poem.
How are you making sure that you are completing the challenges that you set yourself?