Analysing the poem 'War Photographer'

English

Understanding the poem 'War Photographer'

Understanding ideas of dehumanisation and apathy in Ghose’s ‘Decomposition’

Analysing ideas of dehumanisation and apathy in Ghose’s ‘Decomposition’

Comparing ideas of art in Duffy's 'War Photographer' and Ghose's 'Decomposition'

Understanding ideas of belonging in McKay’s ‘I Shall Return’

Analysing ideas of belonging and heritage in McKay’s ‘I shall return’

Understanding ideas of belonging in Wordsworth's 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'

Analysing ideas of belonging in Wordsworth's 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'

Comparing belonging in 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' and 'I Shall Return'

Planning an extended written response on the Eduqas 2025 poetry anthology

Writing an extended written response on the Eduqas 2025 poetry anthology

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry' continued, pupils used a range of reading skills to aid the supported decoding of challenging poems. In 'Unseen Poetry', pupils use these reading skills to decode texts with independence. 

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of power and conflict. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In this unit, pupis read and analyse four poems from the Eduqas poetry anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. At the end of the unit, pupils analyse themes from across the anthology and practise crafting a sophisticated comparative essay.

Poetry anthology: continued study

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Which emotion is *not* explored in Duffy's 'War Photographer'?

Which word best suggests the way in which the horrors of war haunt the photographer in Duffy's 'War Photographer'?

In 'War Photographer', which technique is used to show the separation of the photographer's hometown with the war zones?

there are two of equal length and two that subvert this pattern

What is true of the stanzas in 'War Photographer'?

The structure of the poem 'War Photographer' can be described as...

to show the stagnant indifference of citizens away from war zones

Why might Duffy have chosen a predictable structure for the poem 'War Photographer'?

Who may Duffy have based her poem 'War Photographer' on?

Which war might the poem 'War Photographer' be based on?

In Duffy's 'War Photographer', the reference to pain that is "ordinary", suggests the relative {{ }} of the photographer's home country compared to the war zones he photographs.

Why might the war photographer in Duffy's 'War Photographer' see his job as a sacred duty?

being indifferent to suffering in war zones

What does Duffy accuse the reader/citizens of in the final stanza of the poem 'War Photographer'?

What tone does there seem to be in the final stanza of Duffy's 'War photographer'?

Analysing the poem 'War Photographer'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance