nipperkin

http://www.allwords.com/word-nipperkin.html

This word made me understand the poem differently. Originally, I thought there was a grudge between the two men and that the only desire of the murderer was to kill. When I learned that nipperkin means a measure of alcohol, I realized that the killer feels regret and that he isn't such a bad person. He was saying that the two of them should have just gotten drunk. It shows that the killer wasn't all evil, and also that he knows himself it wasn't right to kill the man. It also show the type of man he is-- to suggest that all problems could have just gone away if they had just gotten drunk. To say that alcohol could have fixed everything shows that he is irresponsible and not someone who thinks before he does things.