Full Explication about The Sniper - Liam (O Flaherty) & Question and Answers

 BA Second year English Chapter 2- 2022- SRTMUN 

 Full  Explication about The Sniper - Liam (O Flaherty & Question and Answers

About the Text

"The Sniper" is a short story written against the backdrop of the Battle of Dublin-a series of street battles between June 28, 1922, and July 5, 1922. This marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War between the Republicans and the Irish Free Staters. The protagonist, in the story, is the Republican Sniper and the antagonist is the Free Stater sniper. They try to kill each other without knowing each other's identities. The short story is narrated from the point of view of the Republican sniper. O'Flaherty shows how war desensitizes people. All the characters are nameless and faceless. 

They are all Irish the Republican sniper kills the man in the armored car because he was the enemy, who would have killed him, and after that the poor, old woman as she was an informer. The Republican sniper is then hit in the forearm by his enemy, the Free Stater sniper on the opposite roof, from whom he was trying to escape unseen. The Republican sniper shoots him and, in an ending that is dramatic and tragically ironical, realizes it is his brother he has killed. O'Flaherty's short story portrays the dehumanizing effects of war, the anonymous enemies it creates as well as divisions among people of the same land. Depicting, themes such as enmity, pain, violence, and frustration, the story illustrates the futility of war and its devastating consequences.

About the Author :

Liam O'Flaherty (1896-1984), a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance, was born in Inishmore, Ireland. He was an Irish novelist and short story writer whose writing is a combination of brutal naturalism and psychoanalysis. Lasting respect for the courage and persistence of the Irish people provides an additional charm to his literary expression. O'Flaherty took various jobs such as lumberjack, hotel porter, miner, factory worker, dishwasher, bank clerk, and deckhand during his struggling phase. After taking part in revolutionary activities in Ireland, he settled in England in 1922 and returned to Dublin in the mid-19205. His books include Thy Neighbour's Wife (1923), his successful first novel: The Black Soul (1924), and the story of a tormented former soldier who seeks tranquillity on a remote western isle. His novel The Informer is about a confused revolutionary who betrays his friend during the Irish troubles. Skerrett (1932 ) is a critically acclaimed story of the conflict between a parish priest and a teacher. Famine (1937 ) is a re-creation of the effect of the Irish famine of the 1840s on the individuals of a small community. His contribution as a short story writer is unique in its own way. "The Sniper" was his first short story published in the small London-based socialist weekly The New Leader in 1923. His autobiography, Shame the Devil was published in 1934.

Liam (O Flaherty)

Summary

"The sniper" is a short story written against the backdrop of the Battle of Dublin-a series of street battles between June 28, 1922, and July 5. 1922. This marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War between the Republicans and the Irish Free Staters. The protagonist, in the story, is the Republican sniper and the antagonist is the free stater sniper. They try to kill each other without knowing each other's Identities. The short story is narrated from the point of view of the Republican sniper. O'Flaherty shows how war desensitizes people. All the characters are nameless and faceless. They are all Irish- the Republican sniper kills the man in the armored car because he was the enemy, who would have killed him, and after that the poor, old woman as she was an informer. The Republican sniper shoots him and, in an ending that is dramatic and tragically ironical, realizes it is his brother he has killed. O'Flaherty's short story portrays the dehumanizing effects of war, the anonymous enemies it creates as well as divisions among people of the same land. Detecting, themes such as enmity, pain, violence, and frustration the story illustrates the futility of war and its devastating consequences.

"The Sniper' was written by Liam O'Flaherty. It is his first published work. It is set in the Battle of Dublin, in the early stages of the Irish civil war, Fought between the Republicans and Free staters. At the time of the Irish civil war between the Republicans and the Irish free staters, a Republican sniper sat on the rooftop of a house near the O' Connell Bridge at twilight, after a long day of fighting. He had his rifle beside him and his binoculars were hung on his shoulder. He was eating a sandwich. After eating he takes a drought of whiskey from his flask. Then, after he desperately wants to smoke a cigarette while he knows that there was a risk in lighting the cigarette, finally after debating with himself about the wisdom in smoking, he lights his cigarette and smokes, despite realizing that it might bring unwanted attention as to him. Soon, a bullet hits the parapet of the roof, immediately followed by another. The second time, the sniper notices that the flash of the rifle firing came from across the street, though he could spot nobody in the dim light. He had only seen the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street.

Just then an armored car crosses O'Connell Bridge and stops on the opposite side of the street. Fifty yards ahead. The sniper could hear the panting of the motor. His heart beat faster, he wanted to fire, but he knew that his bullets would never pierce the steel of the car. Then an old woman with a tattered shawl around her head comes out of a side street to talk with a man in the turret of the armored car. The woman points in the direction of the sniper, who now realizes that she is an informer, when the man inside the car opens the turret with her. the sniper shoots, and the man slumps over lifeless. The woman hurries toward the side street, but the sniper shoots again. The old woman shrieks and falls into the gutter. The car speeds away, but the man in the market is still slumped there. More shooting is heard and the sniper knows that it is coming from the roof across the way. He has been hit in his right arm, in which he has lost all feeling

The sniper takes out his knife and uses it to rip open his shirt. He sees that a bullet has gone into his arm but has not emerged from the other side. He takes out his field dressing kit, breaks off the top of the iodine bottle that he pulls from it, and pours the dark liquid into his wound. Then he applies the bandages from his kit, using his teeth to tie the knot

The sniper knows that he must get off the roof by morning or else the enemy sniper will kill him. He realizes that the sniper on the roof across the way is watching him every minute and will not let him get away, taking his rifle, which is useless to him because his wounded arm makes it impossible for him to fire it, he puts his army cap on the muzzle and raises it slightly above the parapet. A shot rings out and the cap falls to the earth far below. The sniper lets his left arm hang lifelessly over the parapet holding his rifle in it. Then he lets the rifle fall and rolls over.

The opposite sniper, assuming that his enemy is dead, relaxes his vigilance and stands up on the roof. The republican sniper aims his revolver at his opponent and fires. The enemy sniper reels over the parapet in his death agony and then falls to the earth. The republican sniper is suddenly revolted by what he sees and by what he has done, "His teeth chattered. He began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody." He drains his whiskey flask in one draft.

The sniper leaves the roof when he gets to the street, his curiosity overcomes him and forces him to steal over to see whom he has shot. He is overcome by curiosity and the desire to know the identity of the other sniper who was also a good shooter. He wonders if he knew him before the division in the forces. The curiosity to identify the enemy he killed takes him close to the dead body. The realization leaves him in utmost remorse because the other sniper is his brother. In this way, the writer focuses on the cruelty of war. Even in his victory, the Republican sniper experiences overwhelming personal tragedy. The story echoes the fact that war leads ultimately to destruction.

Write Short Answer type Questions

How did the Republican Sniper get shot in his arm? 

Ans:

"The Sniper" is a short story written against the backdrop of the Battle of Dublin- a series of street battles between June 28, 1922, and July 5, 1922. This marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War between the Republicans and the Irish Free Staters. The protagonist, in the story, is the Republican Sniper and the antagonist is the free stater sniper. They try to kill each other without knowing each other's Identities. The short story is narrated from the point of view of the Republican Sniper. O'Flaherty shows how war desensitizes people. All the Characters are nameless and faceless. They are all Irish- the Republican Sniper kills the man in the armored car because he was the enemy, who would have killed him. O'Flaherty's short story portrays the dehumanizing effect of war, the anonymous enemies it creates as well as divisions among people of the same land. Detecting, themes such as enmity, pain, violence, and frustration the story illustrates the futility of war and its devastating consequences.

The Story is set in the Battle of Dublin, in the early stages of the Irish Civil War, fought between the Republicans and free staters. At the time of the Irish Civil war between the Republicans and the Irish free states, a Republican Sniper Sat on the rooftop of the house near the O'Connell Bridge at twilight, after a long day of fighting. He had his rifle beside him and his binoculars were hung on his shoulder. He was very hungry so he was eating a sandwich. After eating. He takes a draught of whiskey from his flask. Then, he desperately wants to smoke a cigarette while he knows that there was a risk in lighting the cigarette. Finally, he lights his cigarette and smokes, despite realizing that it might bring unwanted attention to him. Soon, a bullet hits the parapet of the roof, immediately followed by another. The second time, the sniper notices that the flash of rifle firing came from across the street, though he could spot nobody in the dim light. He had only seen the flash which came from the opposite side of the street.

At the same time, an armored car comes down the street, and an old woman comes around the carrier and informs the man in the armored car about the Republican sniper. Before the man in the armored car can shoot at the Republican sniper, though, the Republican Sniper shoots the man dead. He shoots the woman dead, too, as she tries to run away. Distracted for a moment the Republican sniper gets hit in the arm by the bullet of the enemy sniper. In tremendous pain, he can't hold his rifle anymore and he has lost all his feeling. In this way, the Republican sniper gets shot in the arm.

Whose corpse was found in the gutter and why was the person killed?

Ans:

"The sniper" is a short story written against the backdrop of the Battle of Dublin a Series of street battles between June 28, 1922, and July 5, 1922. This marked the beginning of the Irish civil war between the Republicans and Irish Free staters. The protagonist, in the story, is the Republican sniper and the antagonist is the free stater sniper. They try to kill each other without knowing each other's Identities. The short story is narrated from the point of view of the Republican sniper. O'Flaherty shows how war desensitizes people. It shows the dehumanizing effects of war

"The sniper" relates an encounter in downtown Dublin, near the Connell Bridge. It is the Irish Civil war, fought between the publicans and free staters, Guns roar in the distance as the publican sniper lies on a rooftop. It is a June evening and the sniper o had nothing to eat since morning, hungrily he was eating a sandwich and takes a short drink from the flask of whiskey he carries in s pocket. Then he desperately wants to smoke a Cigarette while he now that there was a risk in lighting the cigarette. Finally, he shows the risks and he lights his cigarette and smokes, despite realizing that it might bring unwanted attention to him. Instantly a bullet hits the wall near him. He takes two puffs of the cigarette and snuffs it. He raises himself to look over the parapet, but another bullet whizzes by his head, and he flattens himself against the roof. He could not spot anybody in the dim light. He had only seen the flash which came from the opposite side of the street.

An armored car crosses O'Connell Bridge and stops on the opposite side of the street, fifty yards ahead. The sniper could hear the panting of the motor. His heart beat become faster, he wanted to fire. but he knew that his bullets would never pierce the steel of the car. Then an old woman with a tattered shawl around her head comes out of a side street to talk with a man in the turret of the armored car. The woman points in the direction of the sniper, who now realizes that she is an informer. when the man inside the car opens the turret to talk with her. the sniper shoots, and the man slumps over lifeless. The woman hurries towards the side street, but the shoots again. The old woman shrinks and falls into the gutter. The sniper killed the woman because she was the informer, who gives the information about him to the Irish free sniper who would have killed him. 

 How does the story reveal the futility of war?

Ans:

"The sniper" is a short story written against the backdrop of the Battle of Dublin. This marked the beginning of the Irish civil war between the Republicans and the Irish free staters. The protagonist, in the story, is the Republican sniper and the antagonist is the free stater sniper. They try to kill each other without knowing each other's Identities. O'Flaherty shows how war desensitizes people. The short story is narrated from the point of view of the Republican sniper. All the characters are nameless and Faceless. O'Flaherty's short story portrays and dehumanizing effects of war. The anonymous enemies it creates as well as divisions among people of the same land. Depicting themes such as enmity, pain, violence, and frustration, the story illustrates the futility of war and its devastating consequences.

The story is set in the Battle of Dublin, in the early stages of the Irish civil war, fought between the republicans and free staters. It is a June evening and the sniper, who had nothing to eat since morning, hungrily ate a sandwich and takes a short drink from the flask of whiskey he carries in his pocket. He desperately wants a cigarette and finally risks showing his position by igniting a match and lighting one. Instantly, a bullet hits the wall near him. He takes two puffs of the cigarette and snuffs it. He raises himself to look over the parapet, but another bullet whizzes by his head, and he flattens himself against the roof.

Then, suddenly an armored car crosses O'Connell Bridge and stops just below the sniper's position. An old woman with a tattered shawl around her head comes out of a side street to talk with a man in the turret of the armored car. The sniper wants to shoot at the armored car, but he knows that his bullets will not penetrate the steel of the car. The old woman points in the direction of the sniper, who now realizes that she is an informer. When the man inside opens the turret to talk with her, the sniper shoots, and the man slumps over lifeless. The woman hurries towards the side street, but the sniper shoots again. The old woman shrieks and falls into the gutter. The car speeds away, but the man in the turret is still slumped there. More shooting is heard, and the sniper knows that it is coming from the roof across the way. He has been hit in his right arm, in which he has lost all feeling. The sniper takes out his knife and uses it to rip open his shirt. He takes out his field-dressing kit and breaks off the top of the iodine

bottle and pours it onto his wound. Then he ties the bandages on his wound. Now, the snipper realizes that he must get off the roof by morning or else the enemy sniper will kill him. He realizes that the enemy sniper is watching him every minute across the way and will not let him get away. So he took his rifle, which is now useless to him due to his wounded arm, he puts his army cap on the muzzle and raises it slightly above the parapet. A shot rings out and the cap falls to the earth far below. The sniper lets his left arm hang lifelessly over the parapet. holding his rifle in it. Then he lets the rifle fall and rolls over. The enemy snipper thought that his enemy is dead, so he released and stands up on the roof. "The Republican snipper" shoots him and the enemy sniper reels over the parapet in his death agony. The sniper has a moment of happiness, followed closely by an overwhelming wave of disgust. The sudden feelings of disgust, remorse, and anger carry him to another side. He is filled with horror at the sight of his dead enemy, and thinks of the futility of war, a meaningless conflict. The very thought of war makes him feel frustrated.

Answer the following questions in about 300 words.

How does the relationship between the two Snipers mirror the dynamics of civil war?

Ans:

The Sniper is a short story by Irish author Liam O'Flaherty bout the Irish fight for independence. The story focuses on those who fight for the Free Staters who want Ireland's independence from Britain and on the Republicans who disagree with seceding from Britain and want to stay part of the monarchy. The focus of the story is on the main character who is a Republican sniper who throughout the story finds that he has killed his brother who is fighting for the Free Stater side of the war.

In the first paragraph, O'Flaherty reveals that the two sides at war are the Republicans and the Free Staters. To put this into context, these two sides emerged during the Irish Civil War of 1922-1923. The Republicans wanted the whole of Ireland to be declared a free and independent nation, completely separate from Great Britain. Republican soldiers fought under the banner of the Irish Republican Army, or IRA. In the story, the first sniper introduced to the reader belongs to the IRA. These differences provide the historical backdrop of the story and bring to life this very violent period of Irish history.

The protagonist sniper is a member of the Republican army, and the enemy sniper is therefore a Free Stater. As the story progresses. readers see that the Republican sniper is an efficient and merciless killer. He kills three enemy combatants all while under fire from the enemy sniper. As the story concludes, readers learn from the sniper that the enemy sniper is the brother of the protagonist.

On the one hand, this battle between the two snipers represents the larger battle between the Republicans and the Free Staters. The Republican sniper becomes engaged in fighting both the Free State sniper on the opposing rooftop, as well as Free State forces in the streets below. When the Republican sniper descends from his rooftop at the end of the story, even more, Free States forces at the end of the street fire upon him with their machine guns. However, it is the enemy sniper who emerges as his main foe. This is the man whom the Republican sniper most fears and who seems to have the most capability of either killing him or cutting off his escape. The two soldiers thus become engaged in a deadly battle, for the Rep blican sniper must kill the other if he wants to get off the rooftop alive. O'Flaherty creates the men as mirror images.

Both men have positioned themselves on opposing rooftops. thus reinforcing the idea of similarity. Both men are good shots; the enemy sniper delivers his bullet to the center of the sniper's cap. while the Republican sniper kills his enemy with a single revolver shot from fifty yards away, which is "a hard shot in the dim light." The sniper even notes that he and his enemy may have been in the same company before the disintegration of the Irish army into Republican and Free State companies. O'Flaherty's artistic decision to make the two men similar reinforces the idea that the civil war has broken strong ties throughout Ireland and shows the extent of the division in Ireland's current political situation. Men in opposing armies only become enemies because they disagree over the governing of their country. If not for this problem, these men could have been colleagues or friends even brothers. O'Flaherty's subtle demonstration of the sniper's similarity underscores that this disunity is occurring throughout the country and destroying the very fabric of society.

Describe all aspects of the setting for this story.

Ans: The story takes place in Dublin, and this city is described in a way that gives off depressing suspenseful, and pessimistic images, showing that war is an awful thing. The author dedicates the entire first paragraph to describing the setting and illustrating the atmosphere of the story. For example, "Dublin lay enveloped in darkness." The word " darkness" instantly creates a sense of insecurity and mystery in the readers' minds and as well as a suspenseful atmosphere. The sentence "The dim light of the moon shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light" transmits a feeling of loneliness and depression since the moon is often thought of as lonely in the high end of the sky. "Around the beleaguered Four Courts, the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night. spasmodically like dogs barking on the lone farm." In this sentence, the author identifies Dublin as a dangerous and insecure city, full of constant violence with the accompaniment of machine guns and rifles. In addition, when the Republican drops to the ground after his injury, he leans against a parapet, which can also be explained as a protective barrier that the sniper uses to hide from all the cruelty and brutal faces of war. All these images demonstrate isolation, desolation, and the brutality formed by the war, and the images are formed to show the readers the identifiable harmful impacts that war can carry.

The author not only uses the settings to intensify the evilness of war, but he also introduces several scenes of situation irony into the story to further explain the downside effects of war. For instance, when the Republican sniper riskily lights up a cigarette, the light will glow and expose his location on the rooftop. The irony unpredictably occurs when an old lady spy points at the sniper's location to his enemy. This is ironic because no one expects an old and weak lady with trembling legs would secretly be a spy. This forces the publican sniper to kill the lady in stantly because otherwise, he will be killed by his enemies Another ironic situation takes place when the Free-stater soldier arrives at the O'Connell bridge in an armored truck; tank-like transportation re chine, and yet he is killed by the Republican sniper when he peeks the car window with half of his body outside. This is ironic because it is surprising that someone would be that imprudent when knowing ti a sniper is watching his every move. Furthermore, from, the lu sentence of this short story, "then the sniper turned over the dead boy and looked into his brother's face," readers can identify and make out the conclusion that the Republican sniper has shot and killed his own blood-related brother. This is the ultimate ironic situation - cause he unknowingly exterminates his loved one; who is also part of his beloved family. This short story is cleverly written in a way that uses irony to show the negative sides of the war, such as misery, torture, and regret, and how it breaks families apart.

The setting and the situation irony play an important role in building up the conflict of "The Sniper." however the third person limited point of view plays the major role. For instance, by introducing the main protagonist as "a Republican sniper lay watching." readers will connect the Republican sniper to a person they are close to or have ties with; making it more painful and shocking for readers in the end when the death of the sniper's brother is revealed. Since the point of view is limited, the author is not informing the readers about the feelings of the Republican sniper when he turns over the dead body and realizes that it is his brother. However, the readers can easily make up assumptions about how the Republican sniper's emotions will be when he sees the face of his brother; emotions like tears washing his face with a sorrowful laugh. The point of view also permits the readers to follow the Republican sniper throughout the entire story, feel what he feels and see what he sees. "She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay." This makes the readers realize that because of the civil war, the sniper is being forced to kill others to stay alive. Throughout the entire story, O'Flaherty allows the readers to see the events through the eyes of the sniper and therefore readers will understand the negative impacts of war by cleverly using a third-person limited point of view.

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