The Man He Killed Flashcards
Title analysis
‘The Man’ creates a sense of anonymity
Neither the speaker or the man are named giving the sense that anyone could be in this position
The anonymity also makes the speaker and the man interchangeable
“‘Had he and I but met”
The direct dialogue used makes the poem seem like a story of conflict being recounted
1st person perspective gives an individual, personal insight into war rather than grouping all the men together
The separation of pronoun ‘he’ and ‘I’ demonstrates how the men had to meet as enemies on the battlefield
‘But ranged as infantry
Conjunction, the speaker regretfully acknowledges that the hypothetical events in the previous stanza that never happened
The circumstances of being in opposing armies sets them up against each other as enemies
When grouped together as an army, they aren’t viewed as individuals. The enemy is merely a nameless, faceless group that must be engaged and defeated
“‘I shot him dead because - Because he was my foe,”
The repetition and caesura highlights how the speaker is struggling to come up with a justifiable reason for killing the man. It seems that he has never stopped to consider it before
The repetition again shows how the speaker is trying (in vain) to validate his actions. It seems the speaker is trying to convince himself, rather than any listener
“Off-hand like - just as I -“
The speaker imagines that the dead man was actually like him and casually joined the army. The speaker seems to reject a higher/greater calling of patriotism
The speaker begins to focus on the similarities between him and the dead man. He begins to acknowledge that they weren’t as difficult as they initially imagined
Frequent caesura continues to slow the pace of the poem, showing how the speaker is taking time to create an imagined identity for this man. Also, it highlights the ordinary reasons the speaker had for enlisting. The slow pace also creates a contemplative tone as the speaker explores the possible similarities between him and the man he killed. The slow pace also reflects the slow, gradual realisation that he had much in common with the enemy soldier
“‘Yes; quaint and curious war is!”
Caesura slows the pace of the poem, showing how the speaker is steadying themselves emotionally to reflect on his feelings of war
The speaker gives expression to the futility and pointlessness of war
