The theme of war is used to explore how innocence can be lost. “War Photographer” is about a photographer who uses the suffering of refugees for the “Sunday supplement.” The photographer feels guilty about his "work" and still hears the "screams" of a man's wife, indicating that these memories are haunting him and causing him to lose his innocence because of what he witnessed. Duffy uses images like “blood stained in foreign dust” which has many uses; The “blood” symbolizes the pain and sorrow of the refugees, and how it was “stained” on the land and on the people themselves. Additionally, the word "stained" implies that the photographer has been permanently affected, causing him to lose his innocence, like the veterans of "Mental Cases". “Mental Cases” is about the effects of war on the mental state of soldiers. The poem paints a picture of horror and pity for the veterans. The soldiers are described as "baring their teeth staring", suggesting animalistic qualities by baring their teeth defensively. The “countless murders they witnessed” is an alliteration to emphasize the massacres. This refers to the literal genocide that occurred before the soldiers' eyes. This evokes a lasting mental effect, as the images would haunt them forever. “Once observed” implies that before the war they were ordinary people, and that after witnessing the war it turned them into “mental cases”. This implies that veterans have lost their innocence to the war due to their work, a prevalent theme in "War Photographer". Owen describes the soldiers as “shadows of purgatory”; The word purgatory has biblical connotations, where it designates a place or state of suffering. This implies that the soldiers are trapped in their suffering and...... middle of paper ...... the child and the other mothers in the refugee camp. This shows the love the mother has for her almost dying child and it also implies that she is not ready to let the child lose his innocence by being taken away by death. Similarly in Ballad of Birmingham, Randall depicts a mother-child relationship. The child and mother's use of dialogue and colloquial language in their communication shows the deep affection they have for each other. The repetition of “No, baby, no” reflects the mother's desperation for her child to be safe. Both mothers lose their innocent child due to the difficulties they face. “Pieces of Glass and Brick” implies that not only has the bond between mother and daughter been broken, but also the daughter's innocence. The "glass" conveys a fragile image for the girl, which shows how innocence can be lost so easily and so quickly..