The Man He Killed Flashcards
Who was Thomas Hardy?
Victorian poet
Realism and romanticism
Highly critical of Victorian society
Hardy was against the Second Boer War
How does this poem link Conflict in wartime
to conflict?
Conflict in wartime
Reality of conflict
Memories of conflict
What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?
Theme 1-The futility of war
shows the stupidity of war
men are killed
Theme 2- dehumanisation
their identity has been removed.
fourth stanza suggests that the men are working class; they have more in common
How is the poem structured?
dramatic monologue
Friendly idea of men drinking together in an Inn, to killing each other on a battlefield.
shows realisation(marked by caesura)
What quote could you use to show this?
“Yes; quaint and curious war is! You shoot a fellow down”
Hardy expected the humans to have come up with a better, more humane and rational way to resolve disputes.-disbelieving tone
What are the terms used to describe how punctuation is used in the poems?
Enjambment and caesura are used to affect the rhythm and pace of the poem, and to emphasise meanings.
What quote could I use to show this?
“Was out of work — had sold his traps — No other reason why.”
caesura stuttering effect end stopping
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
Why does Hardy use colloquialism ? what quotes show this?
Enables the reader to view the speaker and his foe as ordinary men.These colloquialisms helps to contextualise the speaker and foe as common men.‘Nipperkin’ was a term most used in the West Country
Much of the poem uses simple and matter of fact language - why?
reflects the speaker’s background and character: a working class, ‘everyday’ man.
Simple language is evident in the short description of the killing – no emotive language is used.
What quote shows this?
“I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place.”
