In “War” by Jack London and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy, the authors explore the negative impact of war and its dehumanizing nature. Although one is a short story and the other a poem, the two connect to each other through a common anti-war message in a demoralizing tone. Through literature, London and Hardy force readers to consider how demoralizing and dehumanizing war is, as well as its harsh consequences. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essay London's short story "War" focuses more on the irony and cruel aspects of war to create a general cry anti-war. An example of this is that during a reconnaissance mission, our protagonist goes through common war struggles. The author uses harsh and almost solitary terms such as “loneliness,” “company,” and “murder” in order to give a depressing mood to his war story. As such, this language creates a lonely and sour mood with the use of almost depressing diction. A second example of this in War is During an unfortunate encounter with the enemy, our protagonist gets shot and experiences the worst of war. To explain how horrible war can be, London uses irony to explain how war can make any pity deadly. “They laughed at the unexpected eruption of the apples and clapped their hands for the long shot of the man with the red beard.” This sentence 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 a dead man's point of view as he fights a difficult war. Using literary techniques, the author illustrates the lifestyle that war imposes on soldiers. Additionally, another phenomenal literary work, The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy, highlights the mental trauma that soldiers face during war. The poem demonstrates this well after what may be the first killing of a soldier, we see him wondering whether he should have done it or not. “I shot him because he was my enemy, just like that: my enemy. Of course he was! This quote has a much deeper meaning than it seems. It explores a soldier's state of mind after killing a man, as he attempts to excuse his actions because he had to or because the man was his "enemy". This is similar to War in that both plays explore the mindset of a soldier, not just the physical aspects of war itself. Another astonishing example of the consideration the soldier undergoes is in another example of regret in the sentence: "Had he and I, but we met in an old old inn, we should have sat down to wet many a nipperkin!" This quote explores the possibility that the two men could have been friends if circumstances were different. Similarly, in War we see our protagonist on reconnaissance when he spots an enemy soldier. Instead of shooting him, he takes pity and lets him live, only to be killed by him later. This may also suggest that our protagonist in The Man He Killed may have been right to do so, as the man he killed could have come back to kill him. Much like War, The Man He Killed explores the mental trauma and regret that war takes on its soldiers. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a.