The problem is that no one can really justify war. War is a means to an end but not a solution. Wars have happened since the beginning of time (dating back to biblical times). They will always occur.

I don¡¦t think it is possible to justify war. For centuries man has entered into war for one reason or another (following their leader) sending young men who aren¡¦t really prepared for their upcoming fate into the battlefield. Only one thing is on their mind- Destroy the enemy. How can we really justify killing another? Is it for the right reasons? Should we kill someone we don¡¦t know because someone else told is to? All are good questions that we ignore when going into war.

The poem begins with the speaker saying, ¡§Had he and I but met/ By some old ancient inn¡¨ (1-2). This statement informs the reader that the action or

In the second stanza the speaker transports the reader away from the imaginary world presented in the first stanza, to the reality of what has truly taken place between the two men. The speaker presents to the reader the truth of the meeting between the two men as he states, ¡§But ranged as infantry, / and staring face to face,¡¨ (5-6). These two men did not meet in a pleasant friendly way, but on a battlefield on opposite sides. The result of the meeting is revealed as the speaker says, ¡§I shot at him as he at me, / And killed him in his place¡¨ (7-8). This statement is blunt and to the point. Lost is the previous feeling of comfort and ease, but instead is replaced by a feeling that is as surprising, jarring and sudden as a gunshot. These two men on opposing sides of a battle shoot at each other until one is dead, and the other is left to live his life in reflection of his actions.

event that the poem is based on has already occurred, and that the speaker is pondering over what has happened. He, the speaker, is placing himself and the man whose life he took in a calm and cozy place in his imagination, away from the harsh reality of a battlefield. He goes on to say that if he and this man had happened to meet in this imaginary calm and civilized e

Some topics in this essay:
Iraq Innocent, Thomas Hardy¡¦s, justify war, answer question, war justify, speaker¡¦s word, ¡§i shot, lines speaker,