“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.” John Fitzgerald wrote this quote to the UN General Assembly on September 25, 1961. In other words, Fitzgerald is saying that we must stop war because war is tearing mankind apart. This quote sums up what Liam O’Flaherty’s short story, “The Sniper” and Thomas Hardy’s poem, “The Man He Killed” were trying to convey - that war is a terrible thing. The short story and poem are very similar, but also different in the literary devices plot, irony, and theme.
In these two works, there are many similarities and differences in the literary device, plot. A similar plot from both works is, the protagonist is a soldier who had to kill. One example from “The Sniper” showing this similarity
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These two works are similar through irony because, in both works, if not for war, the protagonist would have been friends with their “enemy”. One quote from “The Sniper” showing this similarity is, “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face,” (O’Flaherty, 208). If it weren’t for the war, the sniper’s brother would still be alive, and they would still be close to each other-they wouldn’t have been enemies. The protagonist in “The Man He Killed” also thinks that without the war, the enemy could be his friend. “He thought he’d ‘list perhaps / Offhand like - just as I - / Was out of work - had sold his traps - / No other reason why,” (Hardy, Lines 13-16). In this quote, Hardy is explaining that the enemy joined the war for the same reasons as the protagonist, and that the enemy could have been a potential friend if not for the war. However, through the literary device, irony, there are also differences between these two works. In O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper”, he uses situational irony when the protagonist ends up killing his brother. “Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired.... Then when the smoke cleared he peered across and uttered a cry of joy…. The sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face,” (O’Flaherty, 208). These quotes show how the sniper was excited to …show more content…
They are similar in that, both works have a theme that war tears people apart. An example from “The Sniper” showing this theme is, “He wondered did he know him. Perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army,” (O’Flaherty, 208). This quote explains that the sniper thinks that the man he shot could have been someone who he used to work with. If it weren’t for the war, none of the people he works with would have been split up among the war. “The Man He Killed”, shares the same theme, that war tears people apart. “I shot him dead because - / Because he was my foe, / Just so: my foe of course he was,” (Hardy, Lines 9-11). In this quote, the protagonist is only shooting his enemy because he is his enemy, even though he could have been a potential friend, he still has to kill his enemy. There is also many differences between the two works based on the literary device, theme. In “The Sniper”, the war not only tore apart people in general, but it tore apart families. “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face,” (O’Flaherty, 208). The war is the reason that the sniper shot his brother, if not for war, the family would be united. In contrast, in “The Man He Killed”, war tore apart the relationship between potential friends. “Just so: my foe of course he was; /
War is seen as a universal concept that often causes discomfort and conflict in relation to civilians. As they are a worrying universal event that has occurred for many decades now, they posed questions to society about human's nature and civilization. Questions such as is humanity sane or insane? and do humans have an obsession with destruction vs creation. These questions are posed from the two anti-war texts; Dr Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick and Slaughterhouse Five written by Kurt Vonnegut.
The similarities are prolific in their presence in certain parts of the novel, the very context of both stories shows similarities, both are dealing with an oppressed factor that is set free by an outsider who teaches and challenges the system in which the oppressed are caught.
The underlying themes of the stories are l valid contrasts between the works. In some portions the themes are of the same facets, such as how in both books two men have a direct conflict between
time of their works, they both had many similarities in the theme of their stories and their goals of writing the stories.
Liam O’Flaherty’s realistic fiction story, “The Sniper,” takes place in Dublin, Ireland, where there is a civil war waging between Republicans and Free Staters. The Republican sniper, who is the main character in the story, is fighting in the civil war for the Republican organization. There are numerous amounts of people who are attempting to assassinate the sniper because of his organization, and his enemies are located all around him waiting patiently until they gain their chance. The Republican sniper, however, leaps before he looks most times, thus leading to severe consequences throughout the story. By using description and suspense, O’Flaherty creates the lesson that actions, without thought, will lead to consequences.
These two films come from entirely different genres, have entirely different plots, and are even based in entirely different galaxies, but the share the theme of the hero’s journey. This concept can be equally applied to nearly every book, movie, and other such works, as long as you dig under the surface and find the meaning beneath. The elements of the hero’s journey are found in both films, and with a critical eye, can be found all around us. This is the classic story of the hero; in every shape and form an author can apply it too.
Comparing The Sniper and Ambush There are many similarities and differences between the two short stories The Sniper and Ambush. Both short stories have very interesting settings that take place in different places. Ambush and The Sniper also have very similar characters but with very different outlooks and feelings. The two short stories have very intriguing but very similar themes. The settings in the short stories The Sniper and Ambush are very different but have a few similarities.
...ainting symbolize the need for patriotism and unity in a country during war on and off the battlefront. These two prominent texts support each other’s points of fighting for human’s unalienable rights and liberties through writing and visualization. The connection between the to conclude that war may not be just but it is the act of physical force or even any action that can bring together a country and achieve the liberties they deserve. This is a message that can apply to any human today, when someone infringes on another’s liberties then they need to stand up and fight back in order to stop the other from doing it again.
The basic ideas of the two novels are also similar. They have to do with rebellion against the so-called perfect new world and the sanctuary
This essay showed the similarity and difference of the endings in these two masterpieces, and how they shared morals.
In both books they share some traits, even though they may not look anything alike they are. both of these novels are dystopian novels and many characters share similarity’s.
... almost nothing alike from a superficial aspect. The stories have different historical contexts and they simply don’t have much in common to the average audience. It is easy to contrast the stories, but deep within certain elements, the stories can be linked in several ways.
...ce, although both writings are interesting in their own ways, the most interesting aspect of both writings together is that they both have a similar plot and theme. It is rare that two
One similarity between the two poems is that they both have titles which express positive feelings about war. However, the titles are both used in different ways; 'Who's for the game?' is an extended metaphor, as it is repeated again during the poem, ‘Who’s for the game, the biggest that’s played…’
The setting to “The Sniper” plays a vital role in understanding the meaning O’Flaherty was trying to convey. The main character is sitting on a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge in Dublin Ireland. During the Irish Civil War, the river that flowed beneath the bridge, was the dividing line in the Battle of Dublin. From the beginning, when civilians watched the opening attacks from atop the bridge, to the end, when it shook from the final bombing that forced the Republicans to surrender, the bridge was a key factor to the end result of the war. (Black,