War Photographer Essay Example for Free

War Photographer Essay The poet creates a gloomy and depressing mood, which is evident through the language used throughout the poem, and the vivid imagery that the poet creates in our minds. These aspects help to express the theme of the poem, which is the cruelty of war and human suffering. Firstly, the poet uses language to bring out the overall glum mood of the poem. In the first stanza, cumulative listing is used with the line â€Å"Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. † This overwhelms the reader with the immense number of places where war is common, bringing about a sense of gloominess and wide spread depression. Furthermore, by using the phrase â€Å"Something is happening†, the poet captivates our interest by creating a mood of suspense, such that the readers will predict that something bad is imminent, contributing to the depressing mood of the poem. The phrase â€Å"hands which did not tremble then though seem to now† depicts that the dark scene of war was able to inflict fear into the heart of a strong hearted man, showing the cruelty of war and what it can cause. Therefore, the language used in this poem helps to bring out the glum mood of the poem, mainly by captivating the readers and forcing them into thinking that something bad is going to happen next. Secondly, the poet uses vivid imagery to create a depressing and dark mood throughout the poem. In the first stanza, the phrase â€Å"darkroom he is finally alone† paints a picture depicting the depressing feel of war, when the world is dark and devoid of happiness, and the photographer being â€Å"finally† alone tells us that he himself is glad to be away from the suffering in war, which brings out the gloomy mood of the poem. The â€Å"red† light symbolize the blood shed during war, and the phrase â€Å"all flesh is grass† tells us that with all the explosions and firing going on during the war, the flesh of dead soldiers has become as common a sight to see as the grass growing around us. In the second stanza, the phrase â€Å"fields which don’t explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat† explicitly describes a scene of war, with landmines exploding, and that this has become such a common sight to see for the photographer that he is glad to be away from all the depression. The sight of running children accidently running into a minefield and blowing up shows us the nightmare that war causes, and causes the reader to be worried for the children, for their next step might be their last. In the beginning of the third stanza, â€Å"faintly start†¦ half- formed ghost† immediately brings out a dark mood as ghosts are associated with souls who have unfinished business after their untimely death. The â€Å"cries of this man’s wife† shows us the sorrow in her heart brought about by her husband’s death, which is affirmed by â€Å"blood stained into foreign dust†, depicting that the soldier had died fighting. The fact that the photographer thought of his work as â€Å"what someone must [do]† tells us that he does not enjoy what he is doing, but thinks of it as a necessity, thus exemplifying the gloomy mood of the poem as readers will pity him for what he has to do, despite not wanting to. The phrase â€Å"hundred agonies in black-and-white† refers to the hundreds of soldiers who have died during the war, bring about a sense of sorrow and depression, and the image of the many lives lost during war further contributes to the depressing feel of the poem, brought about by immense human suffering. Therefore, by using vivid imagery, the poet is able to make the readers envision the scene of war, and in the process create a depressing and gloomy mood. In conclusion, through the use of language and vivid imagery, the poet creates a gloomy and depressing mood throughout the poem to bring about the sorrow of human suffering and clearly indicate the cruelty of war and the drastic effects it has on many.