The Man He Killed

Poem Review # 118915

Literature > Poetry

The Man He Killed

This poem review is a summary and analysis of Thomas Hardy's poem, "The Man He Killed"

810 words () | 0 sources | MLA | 2010 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the thought and meaning behind war based on Thomas Hardy's poem "The Man He Killed". The essay analyzes each stanza in the poem and summarizes the poem's. The paper also discusses how the language and words propound the messages and themes inherent in the poem.

From the Paper:

"Structurally, "The Man He Killed" is written in five stanzas, each with four lines. The meter is trimeter for the first, second, and fourth lines of each stanza, whereas the third line of each stanza is written in tetrameter, giving these lines more importance. The only exception to this is line 17. It is the first line of the final stanza and is written in tetrameter. This clearly gives this line the most emphasis, and in this line the speaker makes up his mind. I feel his outlook is completely incorrect, and that he doesn't even entirely understand what he is saying, but he does make a decision. The poem has an ABAB CDCD rhyme scheme, and is told in a very common, colloquial, and aged voice."