Dehumanization in War

A major theme of “Drummer Hodge” is the depersonalizing nature of warfare, in which innocents like Hodge are stripped of their human dignity in death. The most notable victim of this dehumanization is the titular Drummer Hodge. The site of Hodge’s burial is devoid of any individuality or recognition of his inner life. His body is treated as a disposable object, “[thrown]” into the ground “Uncoffined–just as found” (1-2). Rather than, for example, having a personalized gravestone, what marks Hodge’s grave is generic elements of the South African battleground, “a kobje-crest / That breaks the veldt around; / And foreign constellations west / Each night above his mound” (3-6). Associated with these natural markers is a sense of randomness and lack of intentionality – they become Hodge’s gravestone not because they were made specifically for him to honor his life and death, but because...