Rewant Mehra

Section – B (Ist Year)

Roll No. 73/16

Critical Analysis of “The Man he killed”

Thomas Hardy’s anti-war poem “The Man he killed” was written in the year 1902 during
the Second Boer War. It focuses on the senselessness and futility of war, where a man has killed
another quite simply because they were fighting on opposing sides of the war.
The idea that war is nonsensical when seen at the level of ordinary human beings who are
obliged to carry our orders is evident throughout the poem. Written in the first person from the
standpoint of one of the soldiers, who is reflecting on the idea that ‘the man he killed’ probably
had a lot in common with him. The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue in the voice of
an ordinary soldier.
The first stanza expresses the idea that the two men who fought would have enjoyed a
few drinks together, had they in other circumstances met each other somewhere else. Yet it
becomes clear in the second stanza that they in fact met as foot soldiers on opposing sides in the
battle and being confronted with each other, one had to die. Repeating the word ‘because’, he is
trying to justify his deeds that he had to kill the other soldier since he was his enemy. The stanza,
however, ends with the word ‘although’ telling us the writer is not at ease with the idea that he
has killed his enemy who could have become his friend. The narrator reflects on the fact that the
soldier he killed probably decided to join the army because he had no work and had sold his
belongings. The narrator understands this, having found himself with no alternative but to join
the army. In the fourth stanza, the use of the word ‘perhaps’ creates a vivid picture of the speaker
thinking and imagining without having a clear point of view.
The final stanza explains the main theme of the poem that war is a strange phenomenon
because a soldier finds himself forced to kill a man that he would otherwise have bought a drink
for or lent money to, had they met in the times of peace. The last stanza brings out the fact that
violence in any form can never be justified.
The five stanzas with four lines each follow a uniform rhyme scheme – ABAB. The first,
second and the fourth line of stanza have six syllables each while the third line of each Para is
slightly longer than the rest.
The language of the poem is unsophisticated, understandable and relatable having written
in first person and gives a strong anti-war message through the character of the speaker.
Critical Analysis of “The Peasant’s Bread”

The short story ‘The Peasant’s Bread’ was written by Leo Tolstoy in the year 1886. He is
regarded as the one of the greatest authors of all time. This story is a perfect specimen of
Tolstoy’s oeuvre with the relevance crossing the limits of time.
‘The Peasant’s Bread’ is a decent short story about ‘Greed being the root of all evil.’ In
this story he shows that the vice of drinking brings out the worst qualities in a human being.
This story is about an Imp who is working for the Devil and attempts to deceive a peasant
and cause him to sin. In the beginning of the story, the Imp takes the last piece of bread which
the peasant has kept for his lunch. When the peasant is not upset by this, the Imp told the Devil
about its failure. The Devil angrily ordered the Imp to make things right. He hurried back to the
earth and thought of a good plan. The Imp by changing himself into a working man cunningly,
advises the peasant to grow a surplus amount of corn over the period of two years. Then the Imp
demonstrated the peasant how to utilize the excess corn by converting it into vodka. He began to
invite his friends over and they all became heavily intoxicated. The man who did not grudge for
his only crust of bread, scolds his wife for spilling a glass of useless wine. After drinking
everyone acted as cunning as a fox, vicious as a wolf and filthy as a pig. The Imp clarified the
situation that the blood of the beasts is always in a man and by giving him the drink, the beasts of
their heart showed themselves and they started quarrelling with one another.
By using similes like “They are like fierce wolves” and “they will be like swine”, Leo
Tolstoy reveals the evil that can be brought by alcohol. The metaphor “he will always be a wild
animal” makes a comparison of the men to the animals when they are drinking.
The imagery “the blood of the fox, the wolf and the pig in him all showed itself” shows
that the things we hide inside abruptly exit us and cause excess chaos. Leo Tolstoy wanted to
show the immoral effects of alcohol on humans through the effective use of similes, metaphors
and imagery. The Devil and the Imp signifies all forms of temptation that our frail humanity still
combats with.
The language of the story is simple and lucid so that every man can relate to it. It is a
story with a deeper meaning. Through this story, the author wants to present the true nature of
man. When a man does not have anything, he is satisfied with what he has. But when, he has
something in excess, he finds different ways of getting pleasure out of it.
The moral of the story can be justified from the quote of Mr. Abraham Lincoln, “Nearly
all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”