“The Sniper” By Liam O’Flaherty

PRE-READING NOTES The Writer and his Historical Connection

Meet the Writer Liam O’Flaherty (1896-1984) Born to a large, poor family on Inishmore, one of Ireland’s rocky Aran Islands. He took inspiration from the peasant life of the Aran Islands in his writing.

Background This story is set in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1920s, during a time of civil war. Republicans: desired all of Ireland to be totally free from British rule. Free Staters: desired compromise with Britain. The Irish Civil war tore families apart: child against parent, sister against sister, and brother against brother.

POST-READING NOTES Literary Elements

Conflict and Point of View Man vs. Man: the struggle exists between the Republican sniper and the Free Stater sniper. Point of View: Third person limited: restricted to one character (the Republican sniper) and observes only what he sees, hears, feels, or does.

Similes and Metaphors Similes: “Machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms.” Metaphors: “Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared.” “The sniper could hear the dull panting of the motor . . . His bullets would never pierce the steel that covered the gray monster.” Personification: attributing human characteristics to something nonhuman.

Mood The mood of “The Sniper” is nervous and suspenseful. O’Flaherty keeps you reading to find out what comes next. The reader feels the suspense and becomes nervous when the Republican sniper is shot and he has to make a plan so that he can both live and kill the Free Stater sniper on the opposite rooftop.

Irony The irony of “The Sniper” is situational. Situational irony: an event occurs that contradicts the expectations of the reader. Neither the reader nor the Republican sniper expects the two snipers to be brothers fighting against each other.

Theme One of the possible themes of “The Sniper” is that war has no boundaries.