The Man He Killed vs What Were They Like?

Cruelty/ Irony - The Man He Killed

Iambic Tetrameter → playful, childish tone, cruel game

“Yes; quaint and curious war is!”

“Staring face to face”

Cruelty/ Irony - What Were They Like?

“Were they inclined to quiet laughter? … laughter is bitter to the burned mouth”

“A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy”

“There are no more buds”

Bluntness - The Man He Killed

“I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place”

“That’s clear enough”

“Because he was my foe”

Bluntness - What Were They Like?

“Their children were killed”

“All the bones were charred”

“there was time only to scream”

Doubt - The Man He Killed

“I shot him because - Because, he was my foe”

“Off-hand like - just as I - Was out of work - has sold his traps -“

“That’s clear enough; although”

Doubt - What Were They Like?

“.” → most lines end with ., with little enjambment

“Perhaps,”

“It is not remembered”

“A dream ago, perhaps”