Objectives

• Analyse how Duffy uses the extended priest simile in stanza 2 and the trembling hands in stanza 3 to construct the photographer's moral burden.
• Explain how the four-stanza structure and the shift in perspective from darkroom to editorial office to aeroplane create a cyclical argument about Western indifference.
• Identify and interpret the effect of specific diction choices — 'ordered rows', 'a hundred agonies', 'Sunday supplement' — in the context of 1985 photojournalism culture.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds quotation, names a technique, and links the effect to a stated theme (guilt or indifference).
• Construct a sustained exam-style response that integrates biographical and cultural context (Don McCullin, Sunday newspaper culture) to deepen a reading of the poem.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: What the Darkroom Reveals: Close Reading All Four Stanzas

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Write down three things you know about war photography — this could be a photographer's name, a well-known image, or the emotions those images evoke for you. After that, read the poem silently once and underline any word that surprises you. You don't need to explain it just yet.

   Teacher input

   Model close reading on stanza 2, lines 7–12 ('In his darkroom he is finally alone… solutions slop in trays'). Think aloud: 'Duffy describes the darkroom as a place where he is finally alone — why finally? This suggests that the field didn’t provide any privacy or peace. Then she writes he moves with the care / of a priest — this simile controls the poem. A priest handles sacred items, while the photographer deals with images of the deceased. The chemical trays transform into a sort of altar. Pay attention to the word solutions at the stanza's end — it refers to the developing fluid but also serves as a bitter pun: there are no solutions to the horrors he has witnessed. Model annotating this on the board, then demonstrate how to create one analytical sentence from it.'

   Independent task

   Working from your annotated copy of the poem, write one complete PEEL paragraph (8–12 sentences) addressing this question: How does Duffy use the extended priest simile in stanza 2 to illustrate the photographer's relationship with suffering? You should include at least two quotes from stanza 2, identify the technique (simile, word choice, or pun), discuss its effect on the reader, and relate your point to the theme of guilt. Ensure your paragraph is composed in full sentences, as it will be collected and assessed for clarity of argument and accuracy of quotation.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain what the word 'solutions' in the final line of stanza 2 means on two levels, and say which level you think Duffy intends the reader to notice last.

2. Lesson 2: From Witness to Indifference: Writing an Exam-Style Response Using Context

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the final stanza of the poem again ('In his darkroom he is not alone… to fields which don't explode beneath the feet / of running children in a nightmare heat'). Without checking any notes, write two sentences: one explaining what the editor does, and one explaining what ordinary readers do. What does the difference between these two actions imply about Duffy's argument?

   Teacher input

   Model how to open an exam-style response using stanza 4, lines 19–24, particularly the phrase 'a hundred agonies in black-and-white / from which his editor will pick out five or six'. Guide students on integrating context without omitting the quotation: 'Duffy's mention of a hundred agonies is intended to overwhelm — the noun agonies is abstract and plural, turning individual deaths into an editorial statistic. This mirrors the practices of Sunday supplements like The Sunday Times Magazine in the 1980s, where Don McCullin's photographs of Biafra and Vietnam were chosen, cropped, and displayed alongside ads. The verb pick carries a casual tone, a consumerist choice, which is exactly Duffy's critique.' Write this sentence on the board, then annotate it to highlight: quotation, technique, effect, and context link.

   Independent task

   Response:

   In 'War Photographer,' Carol Ann Duffy explores the troubling indifference of Western society towards the suffering of others, particularly through the lens of a war photographer's experiences. The poem opens with the phrase "in his dark room," where the photographer develops images of conflict. The "ordered rows" of photographs contrast sharply with the chaos of war, suggesting that the viewer's perception of suffering is neatly packaged and consumed, devoid of the raw emotion it truly embodies. This presentation highlights a disturbing detachment; the images are arranged as mere commodities rather than as reflections of human anguish.

   As the poem progresses to the emerging photograph of the dying man and his wife, Duffy captures a moment that starkly reveals the human cost of conflict. The line "a hundred agonies in black-and-white" serves as a powerful reminder of the multitude of stories contained within each image. It underscores the emotional weight of the suffering captured, yet the starkness of black-and-white photography also emphasizes the distance between the viewer and the reality of the situation. The photographer's ability to immortalize this pain in a photograph contrasts with the fleeting attention it receives from those in the West, who remain largely unaffected by the tragedies occurring in distant lands.

   Furthermore, the references to specific conflict zones like Belfast, Beirut, and Phnom Penh ground the poem in a reality that is often overlooked by the general public. Duffy's choice to name these locations evokes a sense of historical significance and urgency, yet it also hints at the repetitive nature of such suffering, which often fades from the public consciousness. The cyclical structure of the poem culminates with the photographer boarding a plane back to a war zone, reinforcing the idea that the cycle of violence continues unabated, and that society's indifference permits this suffering to persist. Ultimately, Duffy's portrayal of the war photographer reveals a poignant critique of how comfortably numb the West is to the plight of others, urging readers to confront this unsettling reality.

   Summary of Changes Made:

   • Reworded sentences for a more natural flow while maintaining meaning.
   • Integrated quotations smoothly into the analysis.
   • Kept the original structure and paragraph count intact.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Duffy ends the poem with the photographer on a plane rather than still in the darkroom, and what this structural choice says about the poem's central argument regarding the cycle of witnessing and indifference.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 do-now: teacher scans underlined words to check whether students are noticing figurative or connotative language rather than only narrative content.
• Lesson 1 teacher input: cold-call two students to explain the double meaning of 'solutions' before students begin independent work, checking whether the modelled close-reading move has transferred.
• Lesson 1 PEEL paragraph: teacher circulates and checks that quotations are embedded in sentences rather than dropped in, and that the technique is named rather than described vaguely.
• Lesson 2 do-now: written sentences about the editor and the readers reveal whether students can articulate Duffy's argument about indifference before the lesson builds on it.
• Lesson 2 teacher input: ask one student to identify the 'context link' in the modelled sentence before students write independently, confirming they can distinguish contextual reference from plot summary.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
• W.11-12.9 — draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — write a thesis that makes a defensible claim about the poem's meaning and how Duffy's craft choices contribute to it.
• Textual Evidence (STL-1) — select and use relevant evidence from 'War Photographer' to support and develop an interpretive argument.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — analyse the function of the extended priest simile in stanza 2 and the pun on 'solutions' as they contribute to the poem's meaning.
• Structure (STR-1) — explain how the four-stanza cyclical structure and the shift from darkroom to editorial office to aeroplane contribute to the poem's overall meaning.

AQA

• AO1 — read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response with references to the text.
• AO2 — analyse the language, form and structure used by Carol Ann Duffy to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO3 — show understanding of the relationships between 'War Photographer' and its contexts, including the photojournalism culture of the 1980s and Duffy's engagement with Don McCullin's work.

Edexcel

• AO1 — respond to texts critically and imaginatively, selecting and evaluating relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations.
• AO2 — explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers' presentation of ideas, themes and settings in 'War Photographer'.
• AO3 — relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts, including the role of Sunday newspaper supplements in mediating images of conflict to British audiences in the 1980s.