The Sniper Ques

English 10-2, Short Story
The Sniper
By: Liam O’Flaherty
PART A: LITERARY DEVICES

Look for the following devices and find examples of each in the short story “The Sniper”.
1. Mood – The tone or atmosphere of a piece of literature.
Example:
2. Personification – A form of metaphor in which human characteristics are attributed to

nonhuman things. Personification offers the writer a way to give the world life and motion by
assigning familiar human behaviours and emotions to animals, inanimate objects, and
abstract ideas. For example, in Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” the speaker refers to the urn
as an “unravished bride of quietness.”
Example:
3. Simile – A common figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two
things by using such as like, as, than, appears, and seems: “A sip of Mrs. Cook’s coffee is
like a punch in the stomach.” The effectiveness of this simile is created by the differences
between the two things compared. There would be no simile if the comparison were stated
this way: “Mrs. Cook’s coffee is as strong as the cafeteria’s coffee.” This is a literal translation
because Mrs. Cook’s coffee is compared with something like it – another kind of coffee.
Example:
4. Onomatopoeia – A term referring to the use of a word that resembles the sound it
denotes. Buzz, rattle, bang, and sizzle all reflect onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia can also
consist of more than one word; writers sometimes create lines or whole passages in which
the sound of the words helps to convey their meanings
Example:
5. Juxtaposition – A rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas and words

are placed next to each other, creating an effect of surprise and wit. Example: “foolish,
mulish, religious donkeys” (from Dylan Thomas’ “August Bank Holiday”)
Example:
6. Hyperbole – A boldly exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to

be literally true, as in the statement, “He ate everything in the house.” Hyperbole (also called
overstatement) may be used for serious, comic, or ironic effect.
Example
7. Image – A word, phrase, or figure of speech (especially a simile or a metaphor) that

addresses the senses, suggesting mental pictures of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings,
or actions. Images offer sensory impressions to the reader and also convey emotions and
moods through their verbal pictures.
Example:
8. Irony – A literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a

reality different from what appears to be true. It is ironic for a firehouse to burn down, or a
police station to be burglarized. Verbal irony is a figure of speech that occurs when a person
says one thing but means the opposite. Sarcasm is a strong form of verbal irony that is
calculated to hurt someone through, for example, false praise. Dramatic irony creates a
discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the reader or audience
member knows to be true. Tragic irony is a form of dramatic irony found in tragedies such as
Oedipus the King, in which Oedipus searches for the person responsible for the plague that
ravishes his city and ironically ends up hunting himself. Situational irony exists when there
is an incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually happens due to
forces beyond human comprehension or control. The suicide of the seemingly successful
main character in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” is an example of
situational irony. Cosmic irony occurs when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the
hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind in general. In cosmic irony, a
discrepancy exists between what a character aspires to and what universal forces provide.
Stephen Crane’s poem “A Man Said to the Universe” is a good example of cosmic irony
because the universe acknowledges no obligation to the man’s assertion of his own
existence.
Example:
PART B: LITERARY QUESTIONS

Answer the following using the short answer rubric. You will need to support your answer using
quotes from the text.
1. In the introductory paragraph, the author writes, “Around the beleaguered Four Courts
the heavy guns roared.”. This quotation begins a motif. What is it? Find 2 other
instances where it appears. How do these instances direct us to the theme?
2. In the third paragraph the author repeats the sentence beginning. You aren’t allowed to
do this. Why would Liam O’Flaherty, an established author, do this?
3. O’Flaherty writes, “An informer.”. Why is this a fragment? Why does the author choose
to fragment that sentence? What does it show us about what is happening in the story?
4. There is only one instance of dialogue. What is it? Why do you think the author decided
to only have that single instance of dialogue in the story?

The Sniper Ques

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Sniper Ques

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Sniper Ques

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

English 10-2, Short Story

PART A: LITERARY DEVICES

2. Personification – A form of metaphor in which human characteristics are attributed to

5. Juxtaposition – A rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas and words

6. Hyperbole – A boldly exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to

7. Image – A word, phrase, or figure of speech (especially a simile or a metaphor) that

8. Irony – A literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a

PART B: LITERARY QUESTIONS

You might also like