Worksheet
Short Story Analysis Worksheet
Title of short story The Sniper
Author’s Name Liam O’Flaherty
Year of Publication 1923
Physical: Place & Time Place: On a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge,
(include clues which help in Dublin, Ireland.
you determine this)
Time: It is nighttime, around 1922-1923
during the Irish civil war
(you can read this in paragraph 1 and 2)
Setting
Social Context The events take place during the Irish civil
(include clues which help war where the republicans are fighting
you determine this)
against the free staters.
(you can read this in paragraph 1, Our
sniper is a republican as mentioned in the
story)
Characters & character The Republican sniper: Round dynamic
type protagonist. Sympathetic.
(Round/flat The Free stater sniper: Flat static
/static/dynamic/
antagonist. Unsympathetic.
stereotypical/anti-hero/etc.
Main character
Direct characterizations The Republican sniper: Has a face of a
(Which direct student, thin and ascetic. But in his eyes
characterizations can you
you see a fanatic man who is used to look
locate in the story?)
death in the eyes.
Indirect characterizations The Republican sniper: Driven by fighting
(Which indirect spirit, but later shows more feeling and
characterizations can you
compassion
locate in the story?)
Plot (max. 10 sentences) Exposition: Narrator explains the setting
Indicate the five stages of of Ireland being on the verge of civil war
Freytag’s pyramid in the plot of
and we zoom into a republican sniper laying
this story. If stages are missing,
on top of a roof watching the enemy.
list this. Keep in mind Plot (cont.)
that some stages may be in a Inciting incident: The sniper lights a
cigarette and a sniper across the street
Short Story Analysis Worksheet
Title of short story The Sniper
Author’s Name Liam O’Flaherty
Year of Publication 1923
Physical: Place & Time Place: On a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge,
(include clues which help in Dublin, Ireland.
you determine this)
Time: It is nighttime, around 1922-1923
during the Irish civil war
(you can read this in paragraph 1 and 2)
Setting
Social Context The events take place during the Irish civil
(include clues which help war where the republicans are fighting
you determine this)
against the free staters.
(you can read this in paragraph 1, Our
sniper is a republican as mentioned in the
story)
Characters & character The Republican sniper: Round dynamic
type protagonist. Sympathetic.
(Round/flat The Free stater sniper: Flat static
/static/dynamic/
antagonist. Unsympathetic.
stereotypical/anti-hero/etc.
Main character
Direct characterizations The Republican sniper: Has a face of a
(Which direct student, thin and ascetic. But in his eyes
characterizations can you
you see a fanatic man who is used to look
locate in the story?)
death in the eyes.
Indirect characterizations The Republican sniper: Driven by fighting
(Which indirect spirit, but later shows more feeling and
characterizations can you
compassion
locate in the story?)
Plot (max. 10 sentences) Exposition: Narrator explains the setting
Indicate the five stages of of Ireland being on the verge of civil war
Freytag’s pyramid in the plot of
and we zoom into a republican sniper laying
this story. If stages are missing,
on top of a roof watching the enemy.
list this. Keep in mind Plot (cont.)
that some stages may be in a Inciting incident: The sniper lights a
cigarette and a sniper across the street
