The Man He Killed Flashcards
Who wrote The Man He Killed?
Thomas Hardy
When was The Man He Killed wrote?
1902
What is the meaning of the poem?
Soldier realising him and the man he killed could have been friends if their circumstances weren’t on the battle field
Also soldier questioning their similarities and if the man joined the army for work like him
What attitudes are in the poem?
Guilt- not immediately obvious until tone shifts for speaker questioning if killing the man was the right thing to do
Irony- soldier acknowledging sense of irony with situation, killing a man he could have been friends with
Tragedy- showing similarities between speaker + man he killed (Hardy making point about tragedy of war)
What language is shown?
Colloquial lang- informal lang + slang used to show speakers an ordinary wc man- contrasts w/ themes of death + war
Unemotional lang- Hardy describing the man very simply + to the point- contrasting meaning of the poem + helping to highlight impersonal nature of war
Hesitant lang- repetition + caesura used to show speaker questioning why he shot the man, contrasting last stanza where exclamation “yes” suggests him coming to a conclusion
What form is shown?
Dramatic Monologue
Rhyme scheme- makes poem controversial, contrasting w/ poems dark subjects
Longer 3rd line of each stanza (feature of short metre)- used in hymns
What structure is shown?
Cyclical structure- reflects speakers thought process when replaying back memories of war
“bar” in last stanza linking to “ancient inn” in first stanza- suggests speakers war trauma + PTSD is ongoing
What is the context on the poem?
Written at the end of the Second Boer War (1899-1902)
Hardy against war - British invading territories of Dutch (what is now South Africa)
