Thomas Hardy is one of the most influential figures of English literature. Both a novelist and a poet, he created work that is highly concerned with the Victorian era criticism and deals with themes of social and psychological struggle.
“Channel Firing” is a poem Hardy wrote before the First World War. It is told from the perspective of the dead in the graveyard who got disturbed by the shooting and chaos of the living getting ready for war. They thought it was Judgement day, but God reassures them that it is the usual behavior of the living world. They proceed to have a cynical conversation, making fun of the living eager for blood and destruction and solemnly thinking of their choices while they were alive, even one of the priests telling that it would have been better if he stuck to pipe and drinking instead of preaching.
The poem is a clear criticism of the events that happened during the time of its publishing. It criticizes war and humanity’s need for destruction and killings under the disguise of protecting what is dear to them.
