In “War” by Jack London and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy, authors explore the negative impact of war and its dehumanizing nature. Although one is a short story and the other a poem, both connect to each other with a common anti-war message through a demoralizing tone. Through literature, London and Hardy force readers to consider how demoralizing and dehumanizing war truly is and the harsh consequences of battle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay London's short story "War" focuses more on the irony and cruel aspects of war to create a general anti-war cry. An example of this is that during an exploration mission, our protagonist goes through some common war struggles. The author uses harsh and almost lonely diction such as “loneliness,” “companionship,” and “death” to create a depressing atmosphere for his war story. As such, this language creates a lonely and harsh atmosphere with the use of almost depressing diction. A second example of this in War is During an unfortunate encounter with the enemy, our protagonist is shot and experiences the worst of war. To make clear how horrible war can be, London uses irony to explain how war can make any mercy deadly. “They laughed at the unexpected eruption of apples and clapped their hands in applause at the red-bearded man's long shot.” This phrase is ironic because the very man our protagonist let live killed him. This use of irony created a demoralizing mood and contributed to the author's message that war is reckless, merciless, and violent. Overall, Jack London's War shows the perspective of a dead man as he fights against a harsh war. Using literary techniques, the author illustrates the lifestyle of the war forces on the soldiers. Furthermore, another phenomenal piece of literature, The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy, highlights the mental trauma that soldiers face during war. The poem demonstrates this well, after what could be the first killing of a soldier, we see him reflect on whether he should have done it or not. “I shot him because he was my enemy, that's right: my enemy. Of course it was!”. This quote has a much deeper meaning than it seems. It delves into the mindset of a soldier after killing a man, as he tries to justify his actions because he had to or because the man was his "enemy." This is similar to War in that both pieces explore the mindset of a soldier, and not just the physical aspects of war itself. Another extraordinary example of the consideration that the soldier goes through is in another example of regret in the line: “Had he and I if we had met in some old inn, we should have sat down to wet a lot of water lilies!”. This quote explores the possibility that perhaps the two men could have been friends if the circumstances had been different Similarly, in War, we see our protagonist scouting when he spots an enemy soldier, instead of shooting him, he takes pity on him and lets him live, just to be killed by him later. This could also suggest that the protagonist of The Man He Killed may have been right to do so, as the man he killed could have come back to kill him. Just like War, The Man He Killed explores mental trauma and the regret that war causes in its soldiers. Keep in mind: this is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers overall, reading and understanding both texts.