The Sniper

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo t, mavo
• Leerjaar 4

Warmer - How to be a good sniper

You have 2 minutes to discuss the following:

1. What attributes (skills) do you think you need in this line of work?
2. How do you think it would be different working in a town or city as opposed to the countryside or a wooded area?
3. With reference to question 2, which do you think would be more difficult and why?

Aims:

1. To get a brief history of the origins of The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
2. To listen to the story and understand the main plot elements.

The English have a long history in Ireland

• Conqured in the 1100s
  
• Many uprisings over the years
• 1919 - Irish Nationalist Party (Sinn Fein) declared independence
• The Irish War of Independence began.

Ireland was split in two

• The English feared a prolonged war.
• So, they proposed the "Anglo-Irish Treaty" in 1920 which brought an end to the fighting.
• Ireland would be split in two.
• 6 counties in the North that were protestant and wanted to stay in the United Kingdom.
• However, the Irish people didn't know what to make of this idea.

 

Explain to the students what they will be learning and why it is important.

The Irish Civil War

• 1922-1923
• Two political groups emerged - pro-treaty & anti-treaty
  
• Each political group raised an army
• Men who had fought together against the English now fought against each other.

Introducing the story

• The setting of Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper" is the city of Dublin during the Irish Civil War. 
• The story is set during the week long Battle of Dublin in the summer of 1922.
• The Republican sniper is on a rooftop not far from the Four Courts government building and the River Liffey. 

Put the story in the correct order of events

• The sniper gets shot in the arm.

• An old woman comes out from a side street.

• An armoured car comes across the bridge

• The sniper lights his cigarette.

• The sniper learns the identity of the man he has killed.

• The dying man crumples and falls off the roof.

Find descriptions about the setting (and what is happening) in the short story which create atmosphere (often at the start of the story)

Let's consider the plot...

Exposition

Rising action

Climax

Falling action

Resolution

We are introduced to a sniper who is in position on a roof.

The sniper wants to light up a cigarette, but is shot at by an enemy sniper. An informer (snitch) points out his position on the roof. He gets shot in the arm.

The sniper deceives the enemy into thinking he has been shot and hurt. He then has the opportunity to shoot the enemy

The Sniper naturally feels bad about killing his brother and this raises doubts about the war.

The sniper discovers that he has shot his own brother.

There is more than one antagonist in this story? Write down the two or possibly 3 antagonists.

How does the author 

create suspense (spanning) in 'The Sniper'?

Discuss these questions with your partner:

• At what time of day is the story set? 
• What do we hear in the background?

• What does our sniper do that is risky?
• What happens to the first bullets fired at our sniper?
• What happens just before he gets shot?
• Does he have an easy shot with his revolver? How is this part described in the story? Read it again and see what you think.

Why does our sniper find it difficult to
shoot the other sniper?

For you to do...

Now explore and answers the questions about the sniper in the short story booklet.

Aims:

1. To get a brief history of the origins of The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
2. To listen to the story and understand the main plot elements.