Analysis Of Liam O 'Flaherty's The Sniper'

What of revenge? Is it appropriate? If yes, is it only appropriate in some cases? These four literature selections could help one find their answer. “The Sniper” is a short story written by Liam O’Flaherty about the civil war in Ireland and the revenge incorporated in it. “The Cask of Amontillado” was written by Edgar Allen Poe, who tells the story of a man consumed by revenge. “A Eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.” describes the want and need for forgiveness and is given by Robert F. Kennedy. “Of Revenge” is an essay telling of the glory of remission and forgiveness from Sir Francis Bacon. It is not appropriate to take revenge because there are better consequences with forgiveness and revenge does damage to others and yourself.

War can destroy a man both in body and mind for the rest of his life. In “The Sniper,” Liam O’Flaherty suggests the horror of war not only by presenting its physical dangers, but also by showing its psychological effects. We are left to wonder which has the longer lasting effect—the visible physical scars or the ones on the inside?

War is something that can change the very principles of a person, it can change a person and leave multiple effects that can last for their entire life. The sniper is fighting in a civil war where friends and family can turn into enemies at a moment's notice. The fight is between the Republicans and the Free Staters, the protagonist is a sniper for the Republicans. Throughout the story, we go into the state of mind of the main character and learn some ramifications that he gained in the war. The text, “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty shows us the physical and psychological results of war, that happens to people.

An author’s main goal is to have the reader intrigued by the text with suspenseful and/or dramatic scenes happening throughout the story. The authors of all three stories (“The Sniper”, “Ambush”, and “The Trip”) all portray this expectation flawlessly. Even though the stories have a great chronological order with amazing characters, they also share similar themes and subjects. The following reasons explain why.

When someone first enlists in the war, they are fresh,new, and ready to fight for their country. As the years go by, war breaks the soldiers down and turns them into rugged, motionless men. The generals mold them into killers with no feelings and only designed to kill without content. This is true in The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty. The theme of war brings out the worst in people turning them into monsters is developed through three types of conflict: man vs man, man vs himself, man vs circumstances.

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.

The main character in The Sniper was in a fire fight. He shot and killed 3 people. After the fire fight he started to dwell on what he did .In the story it said, “The lust of battle dies in him. He became bitten by remorse.” As a result, “he looked at the smoking revolver in his hand, and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet. The revolver went off… The bullet whizzed past the sniper’s head.” Because of him dwelling, he almost killed himself.

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

In the story The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty is about a Republican sniper watching over Dublin, Ireland. The story is set in the Irish Civil War. The author uses mood and foreshadowing to show and tell that war tears families apart.

To begin when I was in 7th grade, there was a solo for the violas in a concert, and there was only 4 of us. We all had to play out, so that the whole Auditorium would hear us. That showed that when I played out it should I was brave. So me being brave nothing compares to these 2 characters in these 2 stories, were brave. The characters Conner and the sniper showed that they were brave with their actions because Conner put himself in danger while he was getting shot at, and the sniper while he was pinned down.

Based on character analysis, “The Sniper” and the “Horseman in the Sky” both clearly reveal a true question of humanity but do so in different ways. Carter Druse, a young wealthy Virginian, and a Republican sniper whose name remains yet unknown, have various similarities and differences in their ways of handling their conflicts. Similarly, both young snipers willing choose to fight in their own civil wars. Carter fighting in the American Civil War, and the sniper fighting in the Irish Republican Civil War. Along with both being snipers, the two are also faced with the same horrifying conflict… killing a family member. Carter Druse, fighting for the Union, is ultimately faced with an unimaginable decision to kill his father, a Confederate soldier.

Through literature, Liam O’Flaherty, the author of the short story The Sniper, clearly illustrates how horrific and destructive war really is. He illustrates the appalling agony of the Irish civil war through a dramatic story of two brothers against each other in the war. Through the the author's writing, readers can conclude that the theme of The Sniper is that war destroys families. O’Flaherty sets emphasis on this theme by using many strong literary devices. The literary devices used that apply the most emphasis on the theme are situational irony, setting, and the author's use of direct characterization .

"The Sniper" places a strong emphasis on the evils of war, and yet paints a vivid image of mankind's qualities and their society. Employing the technique of describing one particular sniper to symbolise a general subject, readers are able to gain a deep insight into the evils of war. In this story, the assembly of setting, contrasting characters and themes of fanaticism and division of loyalties are vital to conveying the horror of war. On the other hand, "The Sniper" also discusses the power of war, depicting it as the decider of life and death for men. Its force is further emphasised when neighbours are turned into enemies under war's influence.

The characteristics of the characters in a story are something that makes them who they are and what you start to learn about them. In The Sniper by Liam O’Flaherty, the protagonist shoots and kills the antagonist. The two characters in the story are, the protagonist which was the narrator (main sniper) and the antagonist (enemy sniper). The protagonist saves the lives of others because of his his intelligence, his determination, and his risk-taking.

In “The Sniper,” Liam O’ Flaherty creates a tone of foreshadowing by using situational irony to explore the cost of revenge. The tone of foreshadowing , is used by Liam using a lot of suspense in his words, explanations, and quotations. One of the first quotations with foreshadowing is “He paused for a moment, considering whether he showed risk of smoke.” The sniper was sitting on a rooftop near O ‘Connell Bridge, with a Republican sniper laying near by. The sniper was eating and drinking and was unsure of lighting a cigarette with a flash that could ruin his cover. The quote is put out in a foreshadowing way that makes someone think about what will happen if the sniper lights his cigarette and blows his cover. It is very suspenseful. A second