Sniper
The Sniper Questions
1. The names of the two sides involved in the conflict are the “Republicans” and the “Free Staters”. The protagonist (main character) is on the Republican side.
2. The story is set at night. The text states that “machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night.” (O’ Flaherty 1) I believe that this is the case because they are fighting a civil war and the darkness makes the plot more intense since he decides to take a risk of lighting a cigarette.
3. The snipers decision to smoke endangers his safety because it is dark out, and the smoke will be easily seen by his opponents or enemies that are watching him. I believe that he decides to take the risk anyway, because he is there fighting a war and death is nothing new to him, in case that he was shot at he would not exactly be taken by surprise because that is the purpose of him being a sniper.
4. I believe that the cigarette and alcohol help the sniper cope with the situation because he does not have to experience killing someone or the thought of it. It is none that cigarettes and alcohol are common within wars, I once read A Long Way Gone, a memoir by Ishmael Beah and he also stated that alcohol, drugs and cigarettes helped him get through the day and eventually became an addiction to him because it was the best way for him to cope with killing to survive. Also, the narrator states that the sniper has not eaten since morning, therefor the alcohol and cigarette have probably helped him from feeling hunger throughout the day. Also, because he may have been wounded before it could help ease the pain, including the wound that he had on his arm from being shot.
5. The sniper barely considers if shooting the old woman is the right or wrong thing to do because he is a warrior and that is what he is meant to do, he is meant to defend his side. The old woman has gone against him, by being an “informer” to the opposite side therefore it is his duty to get rid of her. This
1. The names of the two sides involved in the conflict are the “Republicans” and the “Free Staters”. The protagonist (main character) is on the Republican side.
2. The story is set at night. The text states that “machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night.” (O’ Flaherty 1) I believe that this is the case because they are fighting a civil war and the darkness makes the plot more intense since he decides to take a risk of lighting a cigarette.
3. The snipers decision to smoke endangers his safety because it is dark out, and the smoke will be easily seen by his opponents or enemies that are watching him. I believe that he decides to take the risk anyway, because he is there fighting a war and death is nothing new to him, in case that he was shot at he would not exactly be taken by surprise because that is the purpose of him being a sniper.
4. I believe that the cigarette and alcohol help the sniper cope with the situation because he does not have to experience killing someone or the thought of it. It is none that cigarettes and alcohol are common within wars, I once read A Long Way Gone, a memoir by Ishmael Beah and he also stated that alcohol, drugs and cigarettes helped him get through the day and eventually became an addiction to him because it was the best way for him to cope with killing to survive. Also, the narrator states that the sniper has not eaten since morning, therefor the alcohol and cigarette have probably helped him from feeling hunger throughout the day. Also, because he may have been wounded before it could help ease the pain, including the wound that he had on his arm from being shot.
5. The sniper barely considers if shooting the old woman is the right or wrong thing to do because he is a warrior and that is what he is meant to do, he is meant to defend his side. The old woman has gone against him, by being an “informer” to the opposite side therefore it is his duty to get rid of her. This