the man he killed poem Flashcards
who was thomas hardy?
(1840-1928) Victorian poet
Realism +romanticism
critical of Victorian society
Hardy was openly against the Second Boer War was at the time the poem was written.
how does this poem link to conflict
coflic in war time
reality of conflic
memories of conflic
What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?
The Futility of War
The poem has a strong anti-war message
The speaker knows that he is the man’s ‘foe’ but he cannot fathom why.
This demonstrates the stupidity of war in which men kill because they are told to
‘Everyday’ ideas and colloquialisms (inn, nipperkin) show that this it is ordinary people who are affected.
What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?
Dehumanisation
Neither the speaker nor the man that he killed are given a name – their identity has been removed.
The fourth stanza suggests that the men are working class; they have more in common with each other than with those who command them.
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 throughout stanza 3 and 4 -the man killed was in fact not an enemy.
Stanza 5 - futility of war and its effect on those doing the fighting
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“quaint” (adjective - unusual or old-fashioned) the implication seems to be that war is like an outdated, irrelevant tradition.
in 1902, when the poem was written, Hardy expected the human race to have come up with a better, more humane, and more rational way to resolve disputes.
Hardy concludes his poem in an incredulous /disbelieving tone, questioning why a more modern solution has not yet been found.
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 shows this?
“I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place.
