War Photographer

How does the author create the mood of the poem? Show how the words of the poem have helped create this mood. 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 “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 “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 “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 “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 “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 “red” light symbolize the blood shed during war, and the phrase “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