Ambrose Bierce S the Boarded Window

Liam O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper” Questions

1. Describe the setting of the story using at least one passage/quote. How does it help establish a mood of foreboding?

2. Direct character development is when the author tells us something directly about a character. Indirect characterization is when the author hints about a character through his actions, words, gestures, or thoughts. Find two quotes from the story that reveal something about the sniper. Label each as either direct or indirect characterization.

3. Create a graphic organizer showing the development of the plot of the story. Include three major events from the passage in the order they occurred. Label the conflict, climax, and resolution. You may use the story mountain if you wish.

4. How does the writer use word choice to intensify the scene in which the sniper gets shot? Use 2 specific quotes/passages to support your answer.

5. Describe what happens to the sniper after he kills his enemy? How can you explain this change in his mood? PARAGRAPH ASSIGNMENT (at least 8 sentences): Using at least 2 quotes from the story, explain the theme of “The Sniper.”

Be sure to integrate at least two quotes into your paragraph. A literary analysis paragraph should be structured as follows:

I. Topic Sentence/Thesis: Identify the theme of the story. A theme is a lesson or message the author conveys through the characters and their experiences. Be sure to introduce the author and title in the topic sentence.

EX: Liam O’Flaherty’s story “The Sniper” develops an important theme about…

II. Support and Quotes: Introduce the first example supporting this theme from the story. Do not summarize plot. Then use a quote to demonstrate the example. Be sure to use a speaker tag to tell who is speaking. Set the quote off by a comma and be sure to place the quote in quotation marks. Use present tense for literary analysis. Then analyze why the quote/quotes help answer the question. When analyzing, do not say, “This quote means…”

Transition to your second example that supports the theme and follow the same rules as above.

II. Concluding sentence: Close your paragraph with a statement about how this theme could relate to life today.