the man he killed Flashcards
Who was Thomas Hardy?
Victorian poet
Realism and romanticism
Highly critical
Openly against the second boer war
How does this poem link to conflict?
Conflict in wartime
Reality of conflict
Memories of conflict
What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?
Theme 1- strong anti-war message
What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?
Theme 2- dehumanization
How is the poem structured?
Dramatic Monologue
Friendly idea of two men drinking together, to brutally killing each other on a battlefield
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
What are the terms used to describe how punctuation is used in the poems?
Enjambment/ Caesura
-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. endstopping
Why is repetition and fillers used in the poem?
To show the speaker struggling to think about why he had to kill the man
Why does Hardy use colloqualism ? what quotes show this?
Enables the reader to view the speaker and his foe as ordinary men.
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.
What quote shows this?
“I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place.”
-Internal rhyme
