Qui est Tommy ?

“Tommy » est un poème de R. Kipling (1890) qui parle de façon bienveillante du soldat anglais du rang. Il est écrit du point de vue de ce dernier et interpelle l’opinion sur le regard contrasté qu’elle pose sur lui selon qu’on est en temps de paix ou de guerre.

"O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,

The narrator is a British soldier named Tommy Atkins.In the poem, the soldier talks about the respectful way he is treated by others when he is needed to fight a war and presents it as a bitter contrast against the poor treatment he receives when he is not.