Thomas Hardy's "The Man He Killed is essentially a poem stating the absurdity of killing a man one has never met in the name of war. The poem expresses regret for the death of a 'foe' who might have possibly joined the army as a means of income, just as the speaker himself had. Central to the poem is the idea that war brings out the worst in us. It mixes us up, turns us against each other and into monsters. Although the poem's tone is negative, there remains a glimmer of hope in Hardy's words. The fact that the speaker expresses regret for his actions and an awareness that his 'enemy' is a man just like him, suggest that despite all our cruelty there remains an inner compassion and rationality. It is this quiet sensibility that may give us hope for a better future.Thomas Hardy's "The Man He Killed is essentially a poem stating the absurdity of killing a man one has never met in the name of war. The poem expresses regret for the death of a 'foe' who might have possibly joined the......

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Title: Macbether
Approximate Word Count: 870
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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