Ethan Cook Deanna Gabrielson English 102 4/24. Former U.S. senator George McGovern once said “I'm fed up to the ears of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”. This sentiment is equally present in “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, a short story about a young man in combat and the conflict that he faces As a member of the British Army, O’Flaherty experienced first hand the physical and mental effects that had on individuals. After being discharged due to injury he began writing, these writings frequently displayed anti-war sentiments through the usage of literary devices. In “The Sniper,” Liam O'Flaherty uses elements of the story such as the urban setting, the sniper’s weapons, and the death of the enemy sniper, as commentary on …show more content…
As stated by Encyclopedia Britannica, ”he abandoned his training to participate in World War I and he experienced first hand the events of the war. By using his personal knowledge and experiences, he provides authenticity and realism to his stories such as “The Sniper”. Furthermore, O’Flaherty’s antiwar sentiment only increased after his experiences with the war. He became a strong proponent for progressive agendas at the time, and he displayed this in his writings. O’Flaherty’s works have been described as “Works combining vivid and brutal realism, psychological analysis, poetry, and biting satire with an enduring respect for the courage of the Irish people”. With this information, biographical criticism may be used in order to delve deeper into the meaning of the text and explain the reason behind O’Flaherty’s usage of specific literary devices and symbolism to relay his …show more content…
This factor is used to ultimately deliver O'Flaherty's message on antiwar sentiment and show how trivial war can be with the death of the enemy sniper. In the story, the main sniper feels a sense of relief and joy after successfully eliminating the enemy sniper. After the main sniper successfully hits the enemy sniper, the narrator says “Then when the smoke cleared, he peered across and uttered a cry of joy. his enemy had been hit”. However, he soon realizes the consequences of his actions as he fully recognizes the severity of his actions when “the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face”. This emphasizes how the main sniper was unaware of the potential consequences of his actions and he only truly came to terms with them when they were quite literally staring him in the face This sentiment is similar to the one that many who fight in war face the detachment and dehumanization of one another lead people to hurt others because they are stuck in a war that they can only fight their way out
Liam O’ Flaherty’s realistic fiction story, “The Sniper” takes place in Dublin, Ireland, where there is a civil war taking place. The main character whose name is unrevealed, is a sniper for the republican side of the civil war. Throughout the story the main character views the war differently than how he will towards the end. By the narrator’s use of description and perspective, Liam O’ Flaherty creates the lesson of how violence harms everyone. Violence shows throughout the story as a central
story, “The Sniper”, by Liam O’Flaherty , an enemy fighting against a Sniper. The Sniper was fighting his enemy, little did he know that he would kill his brother. In war one fights against your brother, war changes people. Either one's biological or brother in faith. After fighting in combat, the soldier doesn’t come back as the same person. The sniper was used to seeing death, it was apparent in his eyes. He experienced death every time he killed someone. Death changes people. The sniper felt remorse
Liam O’Flaherty’s The Sniper describes the horror of the Irish Civil war between the Free Staters and the Republicans. He tells the short story from the perspective of a Republican sniper. The setting of this short story is Dublin. The city is described as “enveloped in darkness”, which gives us a very depressing and mysterious atmosphere, indicating that war is an horrible thing. The line "The dim light of the moon shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light" conveys a isolated and dark feeling
our citizens is imperative to the outcome of how we function in society. Each person plays certain roles and contributes to society in specific ways by protecting our nation, keeping everyone safe, and doing your role as a citizen. In the “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, the main character’s role was to protect and serve for his nation and its citizens. For example, when the republican got shot, he
the short story “The Sniper,” author Liam O’Flaherty deals with a conflict that still has divided ireland since the civil war ended, showing few signs of lessening. The fighting takes place in the heart of Dublin, Ireland, after sundown. The Irish Republican Army is engaged in a civil war with the Free State. The youthful main character, the Republican sniper, has been affected by the war and is now a fanatical looking soldier, forced by warfare to grow up too fast. The sniper needs to operate as
short story “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty because it almost costs him his life. A Republican sniper lights his cigarette when moments later, a bullet whizzes past his body. After some shooting in the street, the Free State sniper from across the street shoots again, this time the Republican sniper is wounded in the arm. The Republican sniper nurses his wound and tricks the enemy sniper into thinking he is dead. Armed with a revolver, the Republican sniper then kills the other sniper once the Free
“The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty is a short story that tells the story of a man who is a sniper during the Irish Civil War. O’Flaherty uses “The Sniper” to show the harsh reality of a war as it relates to the physical dangers and the psychological consequences affecting the sniper. Some of the physical dangers of war in this short story include, people starving, informers risking their lives to do their job, and soldiers taking the risk of being shot. Some of the psychological consequences are PTSD
Civil war strips people of humanity, family, and even country. Ireland has been tarnished by war since Ireland became a country. Liam O’Flaherty, an Ireland native, wrote the short story “The Sniper” during Ireland’s civil war, and O’Flaherty’s anti-war stance is clearly visible. O’Flaherty stands strongly against the idea and action of war, believing terrible things will happen. Therefore, through symbolism, setting, and characterization, O’Flaherty shows that war ends in the death of innocent lives
“The Sniper” is the title of this story, the author is Liam O’ Flaherty, the genre of the story is suspense.Liam O’ Flaherty is a short story novelist that wrote a story on a civil war between Republican and Free Staters in Dublin.This story is about a Republican sniper who is fighting for the Republicans in Dublin against an enemy Free Stater.This is significant for the times we live in, because are country is fighting a war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. In the story,”The Sniper”
short story, “The Sniper,” by Liam O’Flaherty takes place during this time. It shows how violence and assumption leads people into making bad decisions. The story of “The Sniper,” tells about the night when a Republican sniper was camped out on the roof about to have a smoke. The sniper gets shot at after lighting the match. An enemy truck appears and a woman tells the truck where the sniper is. The sniper shots her along with the truck. He then gets shot at by an opposing sniper from across the street
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
History tells us that war is a horrifying experience which can have an irreparable impact on the individual, society and humanity in general. Through its descriptions of the main character’s thoughts, emotions and actions, Liam O’ Flaherty’s The Sniper suggests that war has a dehumanizing effect for all involved both directly and indirectly. The main character appears to a normal person, but the harsh realities of war turns him into a cold-blooded killer devoid of any feelings. Also, the cool and
“The Sniper,” is a detailed story written by Liam O’ Flaherty during the time of the civil war. The war was set in Dublin, Ireland where the Republicans and Free Staters had a dispute over the moral issue of slavery. The economics of slavery and political control was the center of the conflict of the war. This story describes a sniper in the war and his will to survive. He must complete gruesome tasks to live in the time of the war. This story explains how a sniper must confront his enemies