Understanding the poem ‘War Photographer’ by Carole Satyamurti
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Satyamurti presents the horror of war from different perspectives.
Key learning points
- Satyamurti is a sociologist with an interest in the stories people tell about themselves.
- The poem was published in the 1980s, against a backdrop of conflicts: the Falklands War and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
- The poem addresses the contrast between the atrocities of war and those safe at home.
- The ‘story’ behind many images of conflict published by the media can often be misunderstood.
- A war photographer's job is one with moral implications: they raise awareness of conflict but are powerless to help.
Keywords
Ekphrastic - a poem that describes or responds to an image or sculpture.
Semantic field - a group of words related by meaning, often within a specific context or topic.
Sociologist - studies human society, behavior, and institutions, analysing patterns, structures, and relationships.
Moral implications - judgements regarding right and wrong actions, often influencing behaviour and decision-making.
Desensitised - reduced sensitivity or emotional response, often due to repeated exposure to stimuli.
Common misconception
The woman in the poem didn't love her baby because she abandoned them when the bomb went off.
It's difficult to hold someone to account for their actions in a traumatic event like this. Furthermore, the description of the "burden" the woman abandons could also be interpreted as an emotional burden that the shock causes her to leave behind.
Teacher tip
The poem deals with big moral issues of truth, accountability, trauma and responsibility. Encourage your class to debate these issues before and after reading the text together. You may wish to print out the four Oak opinions from leaning cycle 2 and encourage students to debate these ideas.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of ‘War Photographer’ by Carole Satyamurti. This can be found in the Edexcel Poetry Anthology (we will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'A struggle between opposing desires, beliefs, or emotions within oneself.' Which type of conflict is being described here?
Q2.What is imagery?
Q3.Match each of these poetic terms to the correct definition.
a group of lines forming a unit in a poem, sharing common patterns
arrangement of elements within a poem, including stanzas and rhythm
overall pattern of a type of poem, including rhyme and poetic devices
Q4.Starting with the first, put these periods of conflict into chronological order.
Q5.What are 'morals'?
Q6.What does the word 'absurd' mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is an ekphrastic poem?
Q2.As well as a poet, Carole Satyamurti was also a sociologist who was particularly interested in...
Q3.Which of these feelings might a war photographer experience when they think about their job?
Q4.Why might a war photographer become desensitised to the suffering people experience in warzones?
Q5.Complete the missing phrase in this sentence: 'The words "frame", "subject", "picture" and "caption" are all from the of photography in Satyamurti's 'War Photographer'.'
Q6.Which of these quotations from 'War Photographer' suggests that the "girl['s]" story (when she runs from the bomb) has been misunderstood when reported in the media?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding the poem ‘War Photographer’ by Carole Satyamurti, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding the poem ‘War Photographer’ by Carole Satyamurti, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the 'Conflict' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.