the man he killed Flashcards
who was thomas hardy?
victorian poet, realism and romanticism, highly critical, victorian society, openly against the second boer war, britain was fighting, time poem was written
how does this poem lin to conflict?
conflict in war time
The reality of conflict
memories of conflict
what are the two themes thomas hardy explores?
the futility (pointless) of war
strong anti-war message
colloquialisms - slang
what are the two themes thomas hardy explores?
dehumanisation
fourth stanza suggests that the men are working class
more in common with eachother
how is the poem structured?
dramatic monologue
friendly idea of two men drinking together in an Inn, to brutally killing each other on a battlefield
slow realisation - stanza 3/4
internal conflict
what quote could you use to show this?
“Yes; quaint and curious war is! You shoot a fellow down”
‘Quaint’ and ‘curious’ are not two words used to describe war, but they do allude to the unusual experience of being violent towards someone he does not know
“quaint” (adjective - unusual or old-fashioned) the implication seems to be that war is like an outdated, irrelevant tradition.
has a disbelieving tone - exclamation mark
what are the terms used to describe how punctuation is used in the poems?
Enjambment/ Caesura
Enjambment and caesura are used to affect the rhythm and pace of the poem, and to emphasise meanings.
At the end of stanza 4 in order to slow the pace of the poem, and leave the reader paused on the idea of there being little reason for the two men to kill one another both are used
what quote could i use to show this?
“Was out of work — had sold his traps — No other reason why.”
dashes - casura - stutter effect
why is repetition and fillers used in the poem?
Words are repeated, and fillers are inserted, to show the speaker struggling to think about why he had to kill the man.
In stanza 3, ‘because’ is repeated over a line break, buying the speaker thinking time.
‘although’ and ‘perhaps’ show his hesitancy – he is clearly unsure about why he must kill.
Why does Hardy use colloquialism? what quotes show this?
Enables the reader to view the speaker and his foe as ordinary men.
‘Wet/ Right many a nipperkin’, implying that in a different situation they may well drink together - ‘Nipperkin’ was a term most used in the West Country.
Stanza 4, where the speaker suggests that the man he killed may have, like he, ‘sold his traps’ (his belongings).
These colloquialisms helps to contextualise the speaker and foe as common men, and emphasises Hardy’s message to his reader’s.
Much of the poem uses simple and matter of fact language - why?
This reflects the speaker’s background and character: a working class, ‘everyday’ man.
It is important that these common features of the speaker and the man he killed are understood by the reader, in order to get across the message that regular people are being placed into these horrific situations.
Simple language is perhaps most evident in the short description of the killing – no emotive language is used or details given as the man has to do in his role.
what quote shows this?
“I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place.”
