The Man He Killed

1. Half-a-crown ~ A British coin, equivalent to two and a half shillings (30 pennies), or one-eighth of a pound.
2. The speaker uses the word because twice as a way to justify his actions. The speaker had to kill the man because they were enemies of war. He indubitably feels regret for his actions. He killed a man, that had they met under any other circumstances, would still be alive and possible friends with the speaker. The fact that he isn't comfortable taking another man's life may mean that this was his first kill and he is an inexperienced soldier. He reiterates himself and restated his reasons for killing the man solely for himself. He wants to make everything okay for his own peace of mind. The use of although symbolizes the second thoughts that the speaker is having about murdering the other soldier.
3. The elevated thought in The Man He Killed is that when people are at war; it is their obligation as a soldier to fight for their country, and most of the time this involves killing other people. It is their job as a soldier to listen to their commanders and not ask stop to think, 'What if this person and i could have been friends?'. Hardy's poem is about a man who kills an enemy soldier and wonders if they had met under a different situation, if they would be friends