The American Sniper Analysis

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“The Sniper” Analysis In the crosshairs of, US Navy Seal, Chris Kyle’s scope, sits a woman and a young boy who appear to be attempting to hide something. Seconds pass, and the woman passes the item to the boy, revealing to Kyle and anyone around just what they have, a deadly grenade. After talking to his partner and his general on his radio, he has to make a choice, to kill or not to kill. His partner makes the decision harder by telling him “They’ll fry you if you’re wrong,” regarding if the child in question is actually a threat or simply a misunderstanding. This is the opening scene in the 2015 film, “American Sniper” which is based on the real life events experienced by Chris Kyle in Iraq (Eastwood, 2015). A similar situation is within the …show more content…

The protagonist is faced with similar scenarios as was Kyle, such as the decision of shooting the man on the roof, or letting him go free. Many arguments may be made on what is morally right, but in the end, all that matters is survival itself, and doing what needs to be done. There are no rules in war, therefore all reasoning to what may be moral must be put aside. While this may be the case, human nature will eventually set in, and remorse can flood a soldier’s conscience. This was made apparent when the sniper broke down and cursed the war, providing for a turning point in the story. 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,

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