Thomas Hardy's Quote Analysis

Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward through every fiber of his body and limbs….They seemed like streams of pulsating fire heating him to an intolerable temperature. As to his head, he was conscious of nothing but a feeling of fullness--of congestion. These sensations were unaccompanied by thought. The intellectual part of his nature was already effaced; he had power only to feel, and feeling was torment.

“Keen, poignant agonies” – The words keen and poignant are associated with knives and pointy objects. So I can determine from this that the character of this story is being hurt somehow. And these agonies are shooting through his whole body.

“Pulsating Fire” The words pulsating fire strikes me as something that is hurting this man and is causing him extreme pain and suffering that feels like fire at an intolerable temperature.

“Intolerable” – Means that this person cant stand this feeling of pain that is flowing throughout his body.

"Effaced"- Means that this man’s intellectual part of his nature has been destroyed that it no longer exists and that he now only has the power to feel, and him feeling right now is causing him torment. The man can also no longer think he can only feel the pain that is being inflicted upon him.

"Feeling was torment": Showing that the man can feel but it was torment for him because feeling was causing him unimaginable pain.

This quotation is saying that war is full of pain and suffering. The quotation shows that war is full of pain and suffering by choosing words like intolerable and agonies.The quote is also saying that war causes so much pain for a man and that is becoming intolerable and too painful for him to bear. It also shows that a person is causing the pain but the pain is just too unbearable and painful that it feels that he is being consumed by fiber. Also he is in so much pain that he cannot think or feel about anything else but the pain that is being inflicted upon him. This quote is saying that war causes pain and suffering on a man and that he cannot bear it.