“The Sniper” is a short story written by Liam O’Flaherty that was released on January 12, 1923 in an issue of a weekly socialist publication, called The New Leader. It’s a very easy read with a surprise twist at the end that I felt complimented what the author was trying to convey about civil wars. I enjoyed reading this story because of its militaristic and subtle political theme. It shows what humans are when conflict stirs. A huge downside to civil war is brought to the surface with this story’s surprise ending. I would recommend reading this because I believe it really shows the true nature behind wars and the effect it can have upon humans involved in wars. Being threatened for your life, a human can overcome unsurmountable feats with critical thinking and wit, but it’s not without its downfalls as this story shows. Upon reading the story we really don’t learn much of anything about the characters. Really there are only five characters that we know nothing about. The author did a great job with the two themes in this story. The first is that war reduces human beings to mere objects. He does a great job with this because he offers no information about the characters in the story. They are just pawns in the grand scheme of things. Used as tools of destruction in favor of whoever is in power over them. Even if they are killing their own family. O’Flaherty refrains from naming any of his characters for this purpose. The second theme is that war doesn’t know boundaries. The age, sex, location, etc, mean nothing in war. The sniper sees that the old woman is an informant who is collaborating with the turret gunner to take away his life, and he takes his shot and kills her to protect himself. This is a great example in the story to... ... middle of paper ... ...dusk. War takes away what makes people who they are and turns them into savage beasts that will do anything it takes to ensure they survive. Even if it means they have to take the life of an elderly woman who in everyday life could do no harm. The point of view of the story takes away the emotional aspect and really fits the theme of the story. It seems like how one would think in war because it’s all straight to the point, the character will do whatever is necessary to ensure survival. The style gets the reader on edge and keeps them reading on hoping to find out what happens. The structure builds with intensity until the climax that has a surprise ironic twist. This was a great short story that not only kept me engaged while reading, but made me walk away with a better sense of how humans can be in a time of crisis and the negative effects than can come with war.
O Brien's point of view is an accurate one as he himself because he is a Vietnam veteran. The title of the short story is meaningful because it describes each soldier’s personality and how he handles conflict within the mind and outside of the body during times of strife. The title fits the life of a soldier perfectly because it shows the reality that war is more than just strategy and attacking of forces. O’Brien narrates the story from two points of view: as the author and the view of the characters. His style keeps the reader informed on both the background of things and the story itself at the same time.
In Liam O'Flaherty's "The Sniper," all of these. are brought to an acute reality in a single war-torn city. Strong cerebral convictions and opposing philosophies, due to which people want to destroy the seemingly “wrong” plague this world and are the ones who are the ones who are the main reason for the plight. To aid in his creation of such emotional conflict, turmoil and plight, the author has portrayed the sniper as a very controversial character in the story. This story is oriented around one character in the Civil War which he should not even be in as he is. mentioned to be a “student” in the story.
As we saw earlier, both authors of both stories were born in different places and did many things. “The Sniper” sets in Dublin, Ireland, during a time of a bitter civil war. It was a war between the Republicans, which wanted Ireland to become ...
As a socialistic society we live in we find ourselves in positions were conflicts arise between friends or family. 'The Sniper'; was written by Liam O ' Flaherty to express a subtle yet powerful opinion on such a conflict. With references this essay will analyse the short story bringing to light the structure used to contribute to the theme.
Julianna Claire, an award winning poet once said, “War makes men act like fools, and makes fools pretend to be brave.” War is a very difficult and dangerous game. There must be a just cause to fight for, supporters on either side of the war, and clear plan on what the war ought to look like. Though, as much as countries plan their strategies and perfect their tactics, war never seems to go how people think it should. War creates heartache, makes countries question their governments, and changes the lives of the soldiers who fight in them. One such story that address the damages of war, is Ambush, by Tim O’Brien (1946). In this short story, Tim O’Brien tells a story of a young man fighting in Vietnam who kills a member of the Vietnam army. Robin Silbergleid, a neurosurgeon in Seattle, Washington, who minored in
O’Brien’s unique verisimilitude writing style fills the novel with deep meaning and emotion. Analyzing the novel through a psychological lens only adds to its allure. Understanding why characters act the way they do helps bring this novel to life. The reader begins to empathize with the characters. Every day, the soldiers’ lives hang in the balance. How these soldiers react to life-threatening situations will inspire the reader. Life has an expiration date. Reading about people who are held captive by their minds and who die in the name of war, will inspire the reader to live everyday as if they are currently in the
"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful thananything that bleeds. Don 't wait until you break. - Laurell Hamilton" This is oftentimes the sentiment felt by soldiers who have served in active duty and have been witnesses to tragedies that leave them emotionally scarred. The Clint Eastwood directed film, American Sniper is amovie that features the real life tragedy of American soldier, Chris Kyle, who served in theUnited States military as a Navy Seal, which is an elite group (Kenny, 2014 and Treitschke,2015). His story is unique in that he himself suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), but as he worked to recover, he valiantly served again by helping fellow soldiers withPTSD ("Chris Kyle," 2013), and was senselessly gunned
In both “The Sniper” and “The Man He Killed” a person dies from a gunshot wound. Both persons had gotten shot because they were the enemy. Each selection is ironic in some way because in the story “The Sniper” the man thinks he shot the enemy but soon he starts growing curious about who he shot, when he gets a closer a look at the person he shot it was his brother. In the poem “The Man He Killed” the soldier towards the end of the poem implies that if it was not for war soldiers and the enemies would get along. Both selections say that war is horrible due to the many
The story demonstrated the tough decision the snipers had to make in the war. The snipers had to go through a lot of hard training; it took a lot of dedication and motivation. Being a sniper is a very tough position they had many responsibilities. They had to protect their teammates over night while they traveled to their destination. Snipers had to stay put overnight without being able to leave their location to make sure their teammates do not get ambushed, sniped from the terrorist, or walk into a trap. The terrorist would set traps in the ground and the sniper would have to watch to make sure the Americans do not walk into it or they would catch them planting the bomb and kill them in the
War can destroy a man both in body and mind for the rest of his life. In “The Sniper,” Liam O’Flaherty suggests the horror of war not only by presenting its physical dangers, but also by showing its psychological effects. We are left to wonder which has the longer lasting effect—the visible physical scars or the ones on the inside?
...ome aspect of war, from battling with enemies to how battle spiritually destroys young men. The one positive point of this novel is how friends cared for one another when going through tragedies and stressful experiences. It also portrays how strong a soldier needs to be, in order for them to be in the war.
The short story “The Sniper” attempts to educate the reader about the life of a sniper during the civil war. While analyzing “The Sniper” the book lover learns that the sniper is astronomically competent. The reviewer is persuaded that the main character is indubitably cognizant in his profession for the following reasons. In the fourth paragraph, the protagonist is faced with a dilemma that could potentially jeopardize his life, “It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness and there are enemies watching. He [the sniper] decided to take the risk. Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match… Almost immediately a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof.” Not only is there proof of his knowledge in the fourth paragraph, but also in the
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,
In this novel you gain a new perception of war, and the soldiers who fight in the wars. Modern war stories describe war as a place where you go to become a hero, soldiers fight, soldiers are brave and full of pride, they don’t back down from anything. In
Contrarily “The Sniper” is one of the stories. In this story, theirs a Republican Sniper, fighting in Civil War knowing it's a life or death matter trying to survive. The Republican Sniper realizes that war is bad and can lead to wrong things. Killing his own brother, eventually finding out that his enemy that he killed was his own family member. Doing what he can in order to survive. A theme in this story “War knows no boundaries- age, sex, location, time of day, family ties”.