¨The Sniper¨ by Liam O'Flaherty is about a dark night in Dublin that was quiet, although they were in the middle of war, the sniper decided to light a cigarette causing a spark that was noticed by the enemies. He gets shot at and acts dead to trick the enemy, which works! He sits up and shoots his enemy, later seeing it was his brother. Through the plot of the story, readers believe it is about sacrificing things for your beliefs.
In the beginning, the sniper is sitting on a rooftop contemplating lighting a cigarette. The text says, “Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match. There was a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head.”(page 225) This quote is needed to understand the story because it shows when the fight starts. These two sentences show how brave the sniper is when he is putting his life at risk for what he believes in.
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After shooting the enemy, “The sniper looked at his enemy falling. The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse” (227) this quote is important because it explains how this is difficult for the sniper and how he is already hurt by what he did. This connects to the theme statement because it shows how the sniper sacrificed his happiness to win the war.
At the end of the story, the sniper is curious about who he shot. The story says, “He decided to risk going over to have a look at him.” … “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face” (228) this quote adds an upsetting end to the story when the sniper realizes he shot his own brother. This is a very important part of the story because it shows that the sniper gets mentally hurt even more. It connects with the theme statement because it shows how he sacrificed his own brother to win a
The Sniper realized that he needed to do something about the person who shot him, if not then the enemy could have come over to finish the job. The Sniper knew that to keep himself safe or feel safe/ win the war, he fired his gun, even though his arm was gone and hurting. This points out that everything takes a little amount of
But the sniper is much different. He is very arrogant, as he is eating a sandwich and risks a smoke ‘because he can.’ Even after he is shot, he still retains a sense of arrogance and entitlement. Also, he risks crossing the street to see who the enemy sniper was that he killed, even though it is extremely dangerous. His arrogance is portrayed in the passage, “The revolver went off with a concussion, and the bullet whizzed past the sniper’s
In The Sniper when the sniper is looking for the enemy and spots him he is trying
Death is one of the most common factors of war; it is either kill or be killed. No matter what side is chosen that side is what is fought for, and it is what you give your life for. The Sniper tells a story on war, that no matter whom you are up against, the war itself kills those you love.
The Sniper: The Patriotic Peril War is a trying time for many people, but for the Sniper, it is an opportunity. The Sniper is the main character of Liam O’Flaherty’s story “The Sniper.” The Sniper is thinking ahead, is familiar with death, and does not allow his emotions to get in the way. All of these attributes are the ingredients for a perfect murder. Firstly, the Sniper can think ahead, allowing him to quickly change plans if something goes amiss.
The author uses irony in this plot twist to show the cruelty of war. In “The Sniper”, the cruelty of war is displayed, by not only the killing of the sniper’s own kind, but the difficulties he has to face, just to survive. An example of this, is the sniper having to kill a seemingly innocent woman, just so he can survive for the day. This story provides for a greater meaning of war, than just what is
At the beginning of the story, the sniper was so excited, he couldn't eat. It was night in Dublin while he was just waiting. The author states,¨His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death.¨(page 58) This statement infers that the man has killed many people and has no remorse.
The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse" (O'Flaherty, 3). The Sniper starts to realize what he's done and feels extremely guilty. He realizes what he's done but doesn't realize who he's killed," the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face" (O'Flaherty, 3). Suddenly, the Sniper killed his own brother.
Liam O'Flaherty uses similes to enhance the story “The Sniper” by creating mental images and connecting the reader’s experiences to quotes in the story. In the beginning of the story, a civil war between the Free Staters and the Republicans is taking place. A Republican sniper is resting on a roof at night time, and looks over the streets of Dublin.
Promptly after the sniper kills his enemy the narrator says, “The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse” (O’Flaherty para. 22). This sentence uses imagery to show that after the heat of battle left, the sniper feels terrible for killing the enemy sniper. Later on in the story the sniper is struck with a sudden curiosity to see his enemy’s face.
He told me that it was a good kill, that I was a soldier and this was a war, that I should shape up and stop staring and ask myself what the dead man would 've done if things were reversed” (O 'Brien 127). Response: This idea is really significant, because it represents the plain truth of the war: You either kill or get killed. You don 't really have any other choice. Yet, you cannot just kill and move on.
The story doesn't take sides or glorify one faction over the other. Instead, it portrays war as a pointless and destructive force that tears families and communities apart. This theme is reinforced by the fact that the sniper's own brother is fighting on the opposing side, highlighting the senselessness of the conflict and the tragedy of brother fighting against brother. A third theme in "The Sniper" is the futility of revenge.
Without craft moves made by the author, the story wouldn’t even be a legitimate story, just some thoughts put together. Two out of the many very important craft moves in The Sniper are the setting/time period and the point of view. The setting and time period is very crucial to The Sniper. The book takes place in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, during the Irish Civil War. In the beginning of the story, the author paints a very clear picture of the setting, allowing you to vividly imagine the conditions that they are in during the short story.
He thought he was triumphant when he killed the sniper he realized he didn’t win because he killed his brother. He also displays the theme when he shoots the lady. He tore the family that she belonged to apart, it may have helped him in the war, but overall it only made things
“His hand trembles with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired” (208). This quote is showing the nerves and anxiety the sniper had received from out tricking his own brother. The last example in “The Man He Killed” the war had