Hardy’s “The Man He Killed” p. 637, strikes a chord with me. I find human life to be of infinite value and struggle with any intentional cessation of it. I felt bitterness and regret in the speaker’s tone (whether or not those emotions are there or I am just interposing my personal beliefs I don’t know). Hardy is definitely presenting a moral dilemma however, the irony of the speaker having killed someone that he could have called a friend if not under warfare conditions.
This irony is very valid and vivid, especially in the world’s current state of affairs. I know we all have different opinions and feelings about war, so this would be an interesting poem for us to discuss. A sub-issue that would be worth discussing is that of people enlisting in warfare professions because they have no other means to get income, as again this theme resonates today’s economy:
“Was out of work – had sold his traps –
No other reason why.”
There is a website that supports this movement towards warfare employment due to economic hardship theory or statement: http://azstarnet.com/news/national/article_a8fbca8a-02df-5685-884a-20a57b1e9db3.html
This poem has so much ethic and personal believes content, and it makes it a fertile ground for interpretation and discussion. Maybe this is the main reason I like it and want to share it with others.
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