The Man He Killed

• “By some old ancient inn/ we should have sat us down to wet/ right many a nipperkin”.
• “Staring face to face, /I shot at him as he at me/ And killed him in his place.”
• “I shot him dead because – /because he was my foe, /just so: my foe of course he was”
• “He thought he’d ‘list perhaps, /off-hand like – just as I – /was out of work – had sold his traps – no other reason why”.
• “Yes; quaint and curious war is! /You shoot a fellow down/ you’d treat if met where any bar is”
• • Hardy challenged many social norms/ideals in Victorian Britain
  • Hardy wrote many anti-war poems in response to Boer War (1899-1902)
  • Boer War took place in South Africa – between British Empire & those that didn’t want to be ruled by Britain
  • It was brutal - 60 000 people died & 25 000 Afrikaners were imprisoned
  • Many British people celebrated power of British Empire – but many disliked colonial attitudes that came with it --> Hardy was one of these critics