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Consequences of war affect soldiers
War and it's side effects
Negative effects of conflicts
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There are many moments within this story, The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty where he describes the problems consistent in battles big or small. Mainly the author sends us a message that war can cause separation in relationships, regret in soldiers, and change in people. Throughout wars, relationships will split and end. Despite the fact it be family and friends. In The Sniper, the author writes "He wondered did he know him. Perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army"(Liam O'Flaherty, 3). Later on it is revealed that it is his brother he had shot "Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face"(Liam O'Flaherty, 3). Though the republican sniper was not aware that the enemy sniper was his brother. They were still fighting against one another and therefore had to split previously, and shows that countries will crack because of different views in an instant.
Secondly wars cause people to be regretful especially soldiers. They cram themselves with guilt and shame and never forget what they have done in the past. In this story there are many points where the sniper would feel remorse and culpability. At one point in the story the sniper was shot with unexpected anger, "The sniper looked at
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his enemy falling and he shuddered. The lust of battle just died in him. He became bitten by remorse. The sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody"(Liam O'Flaherty, 3). This proves that it does not matter if you are doing what is right you can still regret the actions you have done even if it be for the safety of your country and family, anguish will find its way into your life. Similarly there can be a lot of change through the war and in people's lives, it manipulates the ideas, thoughts and aspirations of someone and also there body's.
When the sniper got shot it alters his life. "There was a small hole where the bullet had entered. On the other side there was no hole"(Liam O'Flaherty, 2). Getting shot can change a person's actions in the future and also put them in danger if not treated. Though the sniper was not shot In the heart he could still die or become paralyzed from blood loss, infection and other injuries. The writer has told us that war can never really be won and is a devastating act causing the break of relations, compunction over army's and alternate futures for everyone affected by
conflict.
In “The Sniper” the conflict is man vs man, which means main character is tasked with killing his enemy, but it proves to be quite a challenge. Even though there were many challenges the sniper followed through with his job and persevered even after he was shot in the arm. Wanting to kill his enemy, stay alive, and be one step closer to ending the war was his main goals. Being brave, he took off his hat, placed it on his gun, and raised it above the edge of the roof. Instantly the enemy shot at it and the sniper, pretending to be dead, waited until the enemy got up for him to shoot him. He did some quick thinking and, with determination, handled the conflict quite well.
The narrator opens the conversation with the white haired man by stating, “We had a mission today. Target was ten kliks south of here? (...) It was my first mission like that…” (284). It is important to note the way in which our narrator trails off at the end of his statement. The narrator purposely avoids specifying the contents of the day’s mission because he is haunted by guilt. The uncertainty of the narrator’s mindset is later reiterated when he expresses, “I just never killed anybody before. Neither have I, he says. But I did. I think. I mean, we just shot the rounds off” (284). The key words in this excerpt are “we just shot the rounds off”, so he feels as though he did not play a major role in the deaths of the enemies. This mindset can be connected to a conversation had earlier in the story between the narrator and his crew. In this situation, the crew is discussing who should receive recognition for killing the enemy. Our narrator is clearly uncomfortable with this debate and makes the claim that since the ammo for ICM came from the Marines, they should also be held responsible for the deaths of the enemy troops. We see our narrator try to divvy up the blame for the death of the enemy troops to lessen his guilt. This debate along with the dialogue between our narrator and the old gunnery sergeant further
In the story, “The Sniper”, The sniper showed that he was an intelligent soldier. In the beginning, after Being shot by the enemy sniper the sniper took care of his wound and was able to compose himself and think of a plan. Thinking he had won the battle after the snipers successful decoy the enemy sniper dropped his guard and the second he did the sniper
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.
In the aftermath of a comparatively minor misfortune, all parties concerned seem to be eager to direct the blame to someone or something else. It seems so easy to pin down one specific mistake that caused everything else to go wrong in an everyday situation. However, war is a vastly different story. War is ambiguous, an enormous and intangible event, and it cannot simply be blamed for the resulting deaths for which it is indirectly responsible. Tim O’Brien’s story, “In the Field,” illustrates whom the soldiers turn to with the massive burden of responsibility for a tragedy. The horrible circumstances of war transform all involved and tinge them with an absurd feeling of personal responsibility as they struggle to cope.
Murder is a reprobate action that is an inevitable part of war. It forces humans into immoral acts, which can manifest in the forms such as shooting or close combat. The life of a soldier is ultimately decided from the killer, whether or not he follows through with his actions. In the short stories The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty and Just Lather, That's All by Hernando Téllez, the killer must decide the fate of their victims under circumstantial constraints. The two story explore the difference between killing at a close proximity compared to killing at a distance, and how they affect the killer's final decision.
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.
In the story “The sniper”, the sniper face an external conflict and an internal conflict. His external conflict was the enemy sniper. He saw an old woman heading towards the man in the turret. The old woman was pointing at the sniper. Sniper thought
The basic plot of the story is based during an evening within the Irish civil wars. It tells of a republican sniper sitting on a rooftop and neutralising enemy units as the cross a bridge. When a free-states sniper shows himself on an opposite roof they wage a fierce and innovative war to see who would end up the better. Eventually the republican sniper gains the upper hand and after taking a bullet in the arm destroys the worthy opponent. After a curious inspection to the identity of the enemy sniper he finds himself looking into the eyes of his dead brother.
The mood of the story is dark and weary. In this scene the sky is gloomy and there are Republican and Free Starter soldiers fighting in the Irish Civil war, “The long June twilight faded into the night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through the fleecy clouds.. machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically” (O’Flaherty 1). Although the mood of the story is creepy and dim for the most part, it is silent with the sudden sounds of guns firing. As the story progresses, the sniper’s emotions begin reflecting on his actions. He begins to feel guilt and remorse for killing someone and the mood shifts to tension and violence.
According to a survey administered to Carterville’s seventh grade, only 24 percent of the grade could name three countries part of the World War II Allies (McKinney). Considering the magnitude of World War II and its global impact, it is shocking that only a small portion of Carterville seventh graders learned this World War II fact through their own curiosity. Furthermore, only three percent of the seventh grade class could name a notable sniper of World War II. World War II was a huge conflict that began in the late 1930’s, when Germany invaded Poland. Two sides formed, the Allies and the Axis Powers. The Allies were led by the British, French, Soviets, and Americans; the Axis Powers were led by the Germans, Japanese, and Italians. 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
This is clear evidence that war is really tough and soldiers experience a lot when fighting out there. There is a lot of psychological torture which these soldiers experience. They place their lives on the line just to fight for their nation and people. Junger recounts an experience where soldiers have to expose themselves just to save injured comrades. This is indeed a courageous act considering the fact that there are gun shots all over and any minute a bullet can land on anyone. It is indeed the highest risk that could ever be taken. For those who survive, it is simply luck. Junger notes that the soldiers look out for each other (Junger 56). The soldiers have a very strong connection with each other and it is common to hear some admitting that they could die if their comrade gets killed. J...
Bullets, of course, are another big danger in war. The author shows with bullets how close you are to death in a war. In the event where the sniper lights his cigarette, he is twice almost killed with the “enemy” sniper’s bullets! The sniper’s own bullets are quite dangerous, too, as seen when he easily kills the tank commander and citizen woman informer. After shooting them, the “enemy” sniper sees him, and “His fore...
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.