An Authoritarian Military

The Man He Killed

Thesis: Through his redundancy and repetition in speech and contrasting ideals, Thomas Hardy’s honest writing style pinpoints his true sentiment towards war as a useless and undefined act of selfishness and authority. 

-          Redundant Speech and Repetition

·         “Had he and I but met / By some old ancient inn” (The Man He Killed 1-2). The redundant use of the words “old” and “ancient” call attention to the idea that two opposing soldiers becoming friends is a long and forgotten possibility that is not heard of today.

·         “I shot him dead because - / Because he was my foe” (9-10). Although this line shares different interpretations, the repeated word “because” provides a justification almost for the killing of another man. Even when war is considered wrong, the idea that a foe killing a foe is deemed to be right, an idea Hardy later implicitly criticizes in his poem.

-          Contrasting Ideals

·         Consider the following quotations:

§  “Just so: my foe of course he was; / That’s clear enough…” (11-12).

§  “He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps, / Off-hand-like – just as I - / Was out of work…” (13-15).

These two examples show contrast in the tone of Hardy’s poem. He provides justification for killing his foe, but later mentions the possibility that his foe could easily be his friend, as they share a lot in common. This contrasting ideal goes well with the purpose of the poem, to differentiate between a wrong war and a right one, if such a war exists.

-          Honest Writing Style

·         “Yes; quaint and curious war is!” (17). This is almost a sarcastic statement by Hardy, as his earlier stanzas depicted confusion and misunderstanding of what war and its putrid impact on society really is. This is, indeed, an honest writing style where Hardy explicitly displays his skepticism towards war.

·         “You shoot a fellow down / You’d treat, if met where any bar is, / Or help to half a crown” (18-20). The ensuing lines are reminiscent of those in the first stanza where Hardy discusses an old ancient inn. Hardy honestly and accurately defines his thoughts about war by providing a legitimate reason to be scared of its inevitable outcome: a friend that could have been gained along the way was lost to the menacing greed of authority.