Name:Date: “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty In 1919, the newly formed Irish Republican Army (IRA) launched guerilla warfare during the Irish War of Independence to liberate Ireland from the British. Unable to contain the rebels, London agreed in the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to create an Irish Free State. However, the agreement would recognize the Free State only as a territory in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Moreover, it would permit six counties in Northern Ireland to withdraw from the Free State, allow the British to maintain ports in the south, and require the Free State to pay part of the debt Britain accumulated in waging the war. Consequently, not all Irishmen accepted the agreement, the terms of which became effective in 1922. The six northern counties broke away from the Free State, as expected. Once-united Irish fighters were now split into two factions – disgruntled IRA members and supporters of the Free State – and fought a civil war. The author of “The Sniper, Liam O’Flaherty, himself a member of the IRA, centers his short story on a scene of fighting in Dublin in which an IRA sniper shoots at Free Staters from a rooftop. PRE-READING QUESTIONS: 1. Briefly describe what each side was fighting for in the Irish Civil War. Republicans (IRA) Free Staters 2. Why are the conflicts in civil wars especially tragic or difficult for soldiers? DURING READING QUESTIONS: 1. PREDICTION: What do you think will happen when the Sniper lights his cigarette? 2. What conflict does the old woman cause for the sniper? What does she do that puts him in danger? 3. How does the sniper succeed in tricking his enemy? 4. How does this final revelation about the identity of the dead body contribute to the message or theme that the author wants to convey about the war? Discovering Theme After Reading “The Sniper” Main character What motivates the character? What does the character learn? Or what changes does the character experience? What are the conflicts? How are they solved? Theme Must be: 1. Message about life 2. General 3. A complete sentence . +