Pronouns
Which POV uses "I, me, mine"?
First person POV
When the narrative is told from an individual point of view describing something that is happening to them. You as the reader are directly in the protagonist’s mind/body.
First person POV
What is the setting of the "The Sniper"?
June night in Dublin (Ireland)
What relationship did the Republican sniper have with the other sniper?
It was his brother
Which POV uses "you, yours"?
Second Person POV
The narrative tells the story from the perspective of a total outsider. The reader doesn’t know what’s going on inside the main character’s head and has to deduce the underlying feelings from the actions and dialogue.
Third person objective
What POV is "The Sniper" set in?
Third person limited
How does the Republican Sniper become injured?
He's shot in the forearm by the opposing sniper while he was shooting at the woman in the shawl and the man in the turret.
Which POV(s) uses "he/she/they/it"?
Third person omniscient, limited, objective
Means “all-knowing.” The narrative is told from the perspective of a narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of many characters in the story. It can sometimes include the narrator telling the story from multiple characters’ perspectives.
Third person omniscient
Describe the protagonist (main character).
A sniper for the Republican side. He had his rifle, a pair of field glasses, and a revolver. "His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death."
What side of the civil war does the Sniper fight on?
The Republicans
The narrative sticks closely with one person, usually the main character. You aren’t trapped inside the protagonist’s mind and the narrative can show how they feel and what’s going on around them.
Third person limited
Name 1 event that is part of the rising action of the short story.
- Eats his sandwich, drinks his whiskey, and smokes a cigarette
- Armoured car advances up the street; woman informer tells the man in the turret of the sniper's location
- Sniper kills the woman and man in the armoured car, but gets shot in the arm in the process
What "ruse" did the Republican sniper perform to trick the opposing sniper?
Taking off his cap, he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle. Then he pushed the rifle slowly upward over the parapet, until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street. Almost immediately there was a report, and a bullet pierced the center of the cap. The sniper slanted the rifle forward. The cap clipped down into the street. Then catching the rifle in the middle, the sniper dropped his left hand over the roof and let it hang, lifelessly. After a few moments he let the rifle drop to the street. Then he sank to the roof, dragging his hand with him.
How does the perspective (POV) in "The Sniper" affect what the reader knows? Would it be different if the "The Sniper" was written in a different perspective?
3rd person limited only gives us the thoughts and feelings of 1 character - the Republican Sniper. The reader only gets the information as the Republican Sniper receives it. If we knew the thoughts and feelings of all characters, we might have already known that the other sniper was his brother (which would have spoiled the ending!)
When the narrative is told from the reader’s point of view (as though the reader is the main character), but the narrator is telling the story to the reader.
Second person POV
What is the climax of the short story?
The Republican sniper tricks the other sniper into thinking he's dead, which lures him out of his cover. The Republican sniper takes the opportunity to kill the opposing sniper with his revolver.
How many people are killed by the Republican sniper in the short story?
3. The woman in the tattered shawl, the man in the turret of the armoured car, and the opposing sniper (his brother).
How would the short story "The Sniper" change if it was written in 3rd person omniscient?
3rd person omniscient means that we would hear the thoughts and feelings of all characters - both the Republicans and the Free Staters. That means that we would be able to hear what the woman in the tattered shawl was saying to the man in the turret. It also means we would get the perspective (his thoughts and feelings) of the other sniper across the street.