The Man He Killed

Question 1

What is Thomas hardy communicating about conflict?

Answer 1

You’re killing people because you’re told to by officers
Better ways to resolve conflict
People you’re killing just like you; in same situation
Leads to regret/emotional impact - not worth it

Question 2

What is the structure in The Man He Killed?

Answer 2

3rd line longer than rest of stanza - makes 4th line short & reflective

Regular metre - gives conversational tone & delay realisation that it’s dark poem

Iambic tetrameter (3rd line) & iambic trimeters (1st, 2nd, 4th line) - gentle, jogging rhythm that suits voice of speaker

Question 3

What are the techniques used in The Man He Killed?

Answer 3

Simple language - fits working class character of speaker & creates questioning message for war

Repetition & parallel sentence structures - emphasises pairings of speaker and man he killed

Internal rhyme - creates impression speaker trying to convince himself he did right thing

First person - vocabulary suggests he is Dorset man

Question 4

What is the rhythm & rhyme used in The Man He Killed?

Answer 4

Dashes - reads up rhythm & reflects gradual realisation that ‘enemy’ soldier has more in common than originally thought

Simple rhyme scheme - like nursery rhyme in simplicity, providing ironic contrast to dark nature of subject

Question 5

What is the imagery used in The Man He Killed?

Answer 5

First person - vocabulary suggests he is local Dorset man

Question 6

What is the vocabulary used in The Man He Killed?

Answer 6

“Nipperkin” - dialect increases sense of speaker being common man & connection to text for reader

“Face to face” - emphasises pairings of speaker & man he killed

“Foe” - reasons for killing man was weak describes him as “foe” to convince himself otherwise

“Just so” & “because” - adds to internal rhyme & creates impression speaker is trying t convince himself it’s right thing