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How Does Liam O Flaherty Use Situational Irony In The Sniper

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“The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty takes place in Dublin, Ireland during the Irish Civil War. Ireland wanted to become a republic state, free from the British control. This city is described in a way that gives off distressing, suspenseful and bleak illustration because it is showing that war is an awful thing. Liam O'Flaherty uses his story "The Sniper" to advocate the readers that war is an evil delusion that can break families apart. This is intensified throughout this story by the radiant management of the plot structure used in this story. In “The Sniper”, Liam O’Flaherty uses situational irony and external conflict to display that war has a negative influence on people.

In “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, it displays how the extermination …show more content…

Liam O’Flaherty displays the destruction of war by using situational irony because he precisely sets up the atmosphere of the story. One quote that supports this description is, “Dublin lay enveloped in darkness, but in the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of Liffey.” This quote specifically displays that the author thoroughly creates the atmosphere of the story because the word "darkness" immediately creates a sense of insecurity and create questions in the readers' minds. This is how the quote demonstrates how Liam creates a melodramatic scene. The sentence of this quote, "The dim light of the moon shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light”, convey a feeling of loneliness and depression because as war parts its way in Ireland, they feel hopeless because of the dark times Ireland is facing. Another quote from this passage is "Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically like dogs barking on lone farm." With this quote, the author analyzes Dublin as a treacherous and insecure city full of perpetual violence with the accompaniments of machine guns and rifles.

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