The Man He Killed

In “The Man He Killed” the speaker is talking about war and the feelings of the kill or be killed mentality. I have thought many times what it must be like to be in the midst of war and battle, what would I do, think, feel, say? I think that the lines where it says “Had he and I but met, By some old ancient inn, We should have sat us down to wet, Right many a nipperkin!” (1-4) tells a whole story in itself. Many of the people who are in battle do what they are trained to do and don’t view the others as a person, but the enemy. If these two gentlemen had met at a bar they may have shared a drink together and got to know one another is a huge turning point in thought. It is so true, if the people who are in war against each other met under different circumstances could they be friends? It is possible, of course, anything is possible, but this poem shows us that the speaker realizes that he has to kill or be killed, but he could have been friends with that man. I was left with a profound sadness after reading this wondering if other people of war think along these lines and what must they feel like?