In “The Man He Killed,” Thomas Hardy uses the possibility that two men could be friends or have some sort of relationship to show how war makes no sense. One of the men shoots the other all because they had enlisted on different sides in a war. That man realizes the possible similarities between them and comes to the author’s conclusion about war. Imagery brings out the unjustified hatred each man showed towards each …showed first 75 words of 2009 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2009 total…a nightmare. Repetition and rhythm are used to emphasize the horror of the Second Coming, “Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming!” (line 9-10). The cacophony itself enhances the meaning of the words, to give them a more evil sound, “The twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle” (line 19-20). Once again sound is used to enhance the feelings associated to the lines in the poems.