The Man He Killed
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"The Man He Killed" is a poem written by
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
. Written in 1902, it was first published in Harper's Weekly, Nov. 8 1902. The first book publication was in his ''Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses'' (London: Macmillan, 1909).


Overview

"The Man He Killed" dramatizes a battle scene between two men. He deals with an internal struggle as his thoughts are regretful before he even shoots. The narrator muses that, in a different context, he would have befriended the combatant. Nevertheless, he kills the man and attempts to reassure himself by explaining the reasons for shooting him. In the end, he has no real justifiable reason and wonders at how "quaint and curious war is" to make one kill a man as easily as becoming friends at an
inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
.


Analysis


Poetic structure

The poem is made up of short lines using a simple rhyme scheme and everyday language. These format choices make the poem almost like a
nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...
in its simplicity, providing an ironic contrast to its unpleasant subject. The heavy irony of terms compared to the events narrated in the poem contrast in purposeful ways that emphasize the senselessness of how war seems. The poem's form is a dramatic
monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...
in the voice of a returned soldier. There are five stanzas with four lines, following a regular metre and an ABAB rhyme scheme in each stanza. The first, second and last line of each verse is about six syllables long. and the third line is a little longer with eight syllables. This gives the poem a sort of conversational tone, setting up the scene and portraying the dark themes of the poem. The rhyme allows the description to have a surreal quality and brings forth a dreamlike state of the soldier's mind. When the speakers start to think in the next stanza, the meter stays regular but the feeling changes dramatically with the repetition of words, the awkward pauses within the lines, the internal rhyme and the way when it ends with the word ''although''. The soldier is confused and repeating the word at the end leaving the soldier in pieces.


Critical interpretation

The poem was written at the time of the second
Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
(1899-1902). The poem considers the irrational situation of war, and diminishing patriotic motives of the soldiers that meet one another on the battlefield. By giving his readers the perspective of an ordinary man’s life and experience, Hardy asked broader questions about the purpose of war in general. Hardy's own class origins were visible in this poem; where his own parents were from the middle and lower class, so that even as a rich and successful novelist, he could put himself in the perspective of ordinary people. Such as where the man in poem ponders about the motives of war. Also during this time Hardy and his wife, Emma, did not approve of the South African War like many other liberals- it gave Hardy doubts about the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. To him, it seemed like the Boers were only defending their homes and land against the English. Overall, it made him question the purpose of killing others for the sake of war. Hardy's poem reintroduces many war themes and has many similarities with other poems he has written. He reintroduces war scenarios such as the feeling of guilt and being immobilized by a feeling. He also describes and observes characters in close detail, which is consistent with many of his previous poems. This somber poem expresses the internal battles that soldiers face, particularly the regret he faces on a battle field. "The Man He Killed" has been interpreted and interchanged with the title "The Many He Killed" as the author attempts to make a point that this scenario happens frequently with soldiers. Soldiers progressively begin to have a harder time summoning the it-could-have-been-me scenarios of fate that have traditionally provided a warrior's haunted but honorable bottom-line consolation. Hardy argues this and emphasizes the fact that things could have been different in multiple ways throughout the poem. "The Man He Killed" was one of several Hardy poems about war inspired by the Boer War and
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Others include "After the War", "The Eye of Waterloo", and "Drummer Hodge". His book ''Moments of Vision'' includes an entire section labeled "Poems of War and Patriotism".Patil, Mallikarjun. ''Thomas Hardy, The Poet: A Critical Study''. New Delhi, India: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1997: 89.


In popular culture

The poem was recited extemporaneously by ex-U.S. Representative James Symington during an on-camera interview in the final episode of
Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...
's 1990
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
miniseries, '' The Civil War''.


References


External links


Thomas Hardy: The Man He Killed
at GCSE Bitesize, BBC
"The Man He Killed"
at Representative Poetry Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Man he killed, The Poetry by Thomas Hardy 1902 poems