American Snipe Book Report

“The American Sniper” by Chris Kyle is an account of the deadliest American sniper ever, called “the devil” by the enemies he hunted and “the legend” by his Navy SEAL brothers. From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle's kills (the previous American record was 109). Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Kyle presents the gripping and unforgettable accounts of

There are two types of people that fight in wars; those who consider their patriotic duty an honor and those who entered the war by force. In 1990, twenty years after returning from the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien published The Things They Carried, a disturbing and remorseful collection of short stories that gives detailed, yet fictional, accounts of the horrific events that occurred during the war. Later in 2012, after his tour of duty, Chris Kyle released American Sniper, a humble and passionate memoir that describes what Kyle had to face during his tour. While The Things They Carried utilizes symbolism and similes to inform the reader about the horrors of war, American Sniper uses flashbacks and imagery to demonstrate that some people “come alive” during the war.

American Sniper is a film that revolves around the life of a Navy SEAL sniper named Chris Kyle. Chris grew up in an old fashioned southern family and grew up trying to start his career as a cowboy. After 9/11 that was the last straw for him, so he decided to become a Navy SEAL. During his training he meets a girl at a bar, at the time it didn’t seem too serious to either of them until they end up getting married. Soon after the wedding Chris was to leave on his first tour to Afghanistan. Slowly, Chris started to become a “legend” on the battlefield; all of the foot soldiers wanted him as their sniper because of how good he was at

Chris Kyle is a 38 year-old, combat veteran, who served 10 years in the United States Navy. Chris is a Caucasian male, who presents with a moderate religious background. He ‘s currently married to his wife Taya, and has one son. Chris was born in Texas, in where he was raised by both of his parents along with his younger brother. His childhood can be described as a loving, nurturing environment with a secure attachment but also with a strict disciplinary component, in where early on Chris was taught the concept of being a Sheepdog, amongst sheep. This concept can be viewed as a precursor to the role he has adopted along his experience in the military. Chris’s highest level of education comes through a high school diploma, but is supplemented by the training and grooming he received as a special forces operator. Through this training, he was usually required to be in top physical shape and work with a good sense of executive functioning.

They are woven tightly and interlocked throughout the fibers of the story. The author appears to be making a continued point that war affects soldiers in uncomplimentary ways. If you pick up any war story and it does not question the issue of morality to some extent, it is “fake news.” In war book after war book, and story after story the theme of questionable morals is woven tightly throughout them. Many times the reader must “read between the lines,” but it is there. The question of morality is seen again with the analysis of a contemporary novel, American Sniper, its author, Chris Kyle does not beat around the bush. His writing style is simplistic and blunt, similar to O'Brien's style in The Things They Carried. Kyle has one hundred and sixty documented kills during his four tours of duty in Iraq while a member of SEAL Team 3. In this book, Kyle carries all the emotional baggage that the soldiers in the story, The Things They Carried did, and then some. In fact, the Iraqis placed an $80,000 bounty on his head because he was that deadly. Chris Kyle had PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) a term now used to define the toll the emotional, and psychological baggage takes on a soldier. (Kyle) It is a contemporary term and was not “coined” during the Vietnam War. This literary work mirrors the themes seen throughout, The Things They Carried. From the beginning the

American Sniper is a biographical war drama film directed by Clint Eastwood about the life of Chris Kyle. From a young age, Kyle was taught that as a sheepdog, it was his duty and honor to protect the sheep from the wolves—a biblical reference to David’s account of when he defended his flock of sheep against fierce animals in 1 Samuel 17:34-36 (Cummings and Cummings). Upon being deeply moved after seeing the news coverage of the U.S. Embassy bombings in 1998, Kyle left his life as a rodeo cowboy and enlisted in the United States Navy. After breezing through training, Kyle decided to further his quest for self-actualization and become a Navy SEAL sniper. Little did he know that turmoil and strife that would emanate in Iraq. After contemplating on whether or not to kill a mother and her son, Kyle replaced both their lives with a bullet. Unbeknownst to his comrades, these would be the first two confirmed kills of one hundred and sixty. Yet, adjusting back to life stateside was a war in and of itself. Ultimately, however, Kyle has been best remembered for seemingly arising as a present day Davidic symbol by becoming the most successful sniper in U.S. history (IMDB). Yet, through further examination of the lives of both Kyle and David, the methods of war both used, and the approach each took to conducting himself, it is apparent that Kyle failed to live up the claims of a present-day Davidic symbol.

However, before this great accomplishment, O’Neill was awarded the Silver Star for his action in Afghanistan when he and three other men were ambushed by an entire enemy fleet; killing off each one without suffering one American casualty. O’Neill brought his family to the ceremony for which he was rewarded for his selfless acheivement, “I flew my family down for my Silver Star ceremony. I figured it was as big a deal as my SEAL graduation, and they ought to be part of it” (O’Neill 241). The bravery that O’Neill demonstrated, was nothing less than heroic. O’Neill being able to describe the events as if reader were there, captivates their attention and being engulfed in anticipation to what comes next. However, O’Neill had not yet had his biggest accomplishment. In the next two years, O’Neill was promoted from SEAL Team Two to SEAL Team Six, the deadliest regime in United States Armed Forces. It was not long after being promoted, that United States Government had found location on Bin Laden, which they have not been able to do since the attacks on 9/11. Therefore, with this new acquired information, President Obama gave orders to the team that their next mission would be an assassination attempt on the world’s most wanted terrorist. However, it was not that easy; a long complex plan had to be thought out since Bin Laden's militia surrounded the building of which he was located in. Each man on that team had to have the mentality that he probably will not return from this mission alive, including O’Neill for it was the most dangerous orders that team had ever received. Regardless of what may or may not happen, each man of that team suited up with only one intention, to bring down Osama Bin Laden. There were two helicopters that

Liam O’Flaherty’s realistic fiction story, “The Sniper,” takes place in Dublin, Ireland during a civil war. In the story, a Republican Sniper is stuck on a roof with enemy snipers surrounding him. He shoots two enemies down before he is shot in the arm causing his rifle to brake. Now he must find a way to make a hard shot in order to kill the enemy with just a revolver and a hurt arm. By using word choice and sensory details O’Flaherty demonstrates the theme that actions have serious repercussions.

During the times of war, lines are blurred and deaths arise where guilt has no room to wrap itself around a soldier’s head as they choose between killing and being killed. Under the summer evening and heavy artillery fire of Dublin, Ireland, a republican sniper lays waiting, in a fanatical haze, behind the parapet of a building’s roof. He decides to light a cigarette, despite the risk of exposure, and encounters an enemy sniper opposite the street from his position. Promptly after, an enemy vehicle approaches, met by an informant, who divulged the sniper’s location. Having to execute the informant and a soldier exposed in the open turret, the marksman seeks upon the rival sniper, killing him by a ruse of playing dead along with an arm shot and feebly. Following a moment of hysteria, he evades the bullets of a machine gun, throwing himself aside the corpse only to find it to be his brother. In “The Sniper”, Liam O’Flaherty suggests the

War is truly violent and awful job, especially for a sniper. Shooter is about a Marine scout sniper named Jack Coughlin that plays a small role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His new style of urban sniping makes it much easier for his fellow Marines. He takes out threats before they can even come close to his men. He is at the front of the action as the ¾ battalion moves from town to town on a campaign to Baghdad. In this journal, I will visualize a sandstorm, clarifying Jack meeting the person he shot, that lived, and connecting Jack meeting his enemy and a football game.

Throughout the events of this autobiography, it is clear that Chris attains many traits that resemble that of my own. One way that I feel connected to Chris is that we both aspire to be as great as one can possibly be at something. In Chris’s life, he wanted to become the greatest sniper in American history. Although Chris does not claim to be the greatest sniper in American history, he is awarded with the most kills in American military history. I believe in a similar way, I spend countless hours a week training to become the best hockey player I can be. Whether it is shooting pucks, or running to increase stamina, or stretching to reduce injury, we both have a similar mindset. Although hockey and war are two drastic differences we both aspire to become great. Another similarity between Chris and I is that we are both very investigative. Chris observes details very closely and pays attention to change. An example of Chris being very investigative or analytical is when he saw a tarp on a rooftop move while on over watch. It was an unusually calm day, and there was no wind or breeze the entire day. So when

and backgrounds, while at the same time completely demonizing the people of the country the Americans were invading. The film very carefully uses propaganda is a very sneaky way, for example in the film it suggests that the reason Chris Kyle decided to go to the Iraq war was because of 9/11. It shows Kyle reacting to what happened on that day then a shot of him in Iraq. When, in fact, this is

In the book American Sniper by Chris Kyle the main Idea or the theme another thing is to find out a contrast and contradiction moment. A contrast that was found in the book is when Chris Kyle had to shoot the Iraqi woman that had a chinese grenade. His chief told him to take that shot and he hesitated. The Chief told him again to take the shot he then put his finger on the trigger and pulled it killing her. In the book it says that “It was my duty to shoot and I don't regret it”. This showing that it was hard it was for him to take the shot but he had to do it for his marine friends and so nobody gets hurt. One other quote from the text that was found is “Savage, Despicable evil. That’s what we're fighting”. This means that he is understanding

Having to imagine what it would feel like being on the other end of the phone line while my spouse is mid battle, hearing only gunshots and explosions while calling their name with no response, was heart wrenching and riveting. It created such an awful feeling in the gut that resonated through much of the movie. The longing for the American warrior and the Legend, Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) to come home to his wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and leave the war behind. This movie portrayed the transformation of Kyle’s character slowly, but in a seemingly accurate way. Bradley Cooper nailed his role as Kyle, which gave the movie so much more meaning and emotion. This movie really showed the emotional aspects of war and for that was a different

I’ve participated in this kind of thing as well growing up. We’d do it during family reunions, but the “snipe” was always a little toy of some kind. The older kids had to search for the “snipe” at night though with the adults hiding in the trees, trying to scare them as they passed.