Comparison Between 'The Sniper And At Any One Moment'

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“Stories chase and bite and hunt” – Patrick Ness
AMBER KRACZKOWSKA YEAR 10 ENGLISH MR A CLARK
Patrick Ness, a British-American author, stated that “Stories chase and bite and hunt”. This statement is clearly represented in “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, a story describing the consequences of civil war, and in “At Any One Moment” by Judy Allen, a story showing that ignorance can have many costs. The “chase” refers to the increase in intensity, or the build-up to the climax in the story. The “bite” refers to the climax of the story or where the most action occurs. The “hunt” refers to the universal level of the story and its lasting impression on the reader. Both authors use various techniques to highlight these three elements in their short …show more content…
In “The Sniper”, O’Flaherty uses heightened language to indicate an increase in intensity. The number of words in each sentence gradually decreases the closer the reader gets to the climax. For example, at the beginning of the story, O’Flaherty states that “Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey”. As the reader nears the first climax, the lighting of the cigarette, the sentences get shorter as shown by the phrases “It was dangerous” and “He decided to take the risk”. The use of heightened language causes the reader to read at a faster pace, considerably increasing the intensity and suspense of the story. O’Flaherty also creates moments of silence and stillness, followed by an event that chronologically gets more intense. He describes the stillness of Dublin, then introduces the “machine guns and rifles [that] broke the silence of the night”. O’Flaherty then describes the character lighting a cigarette, quickly followed by an intense shootout. This pattern of silence then action repeats until the climax. In “At Any One Moment”, Allen uses metaphors to set the scene and to build on the context in the “chase”. Allen describes the tsunami as “a mountain, either hiding or engulfing the distant boats” and a …show more content…
The universal level in “The Sniper” is that war has many costs and dehumanises people. This is shown through the fact that the Sniper unknowingly murdered his brother and how he felt thrilled whilst doing it. When taking the enemy sniper’s life, the sniper experiences the “lust of battle”. This shows that the Sniper was finding enjoyment out of murdering another individual which emphasises his loss of humanity. “The Sniper” also highlights classic dichotomies between life and death, risk and result, war and peace, and humanity and remorse. The universal level in “At Any One Moment” is that ignorance can have many costs and how people are only aware of their “own small world”. Allen describes Sherif as being confused and unaware of the dangers of a tsunami. This lack of knowledge leads to his panic and being “frightened, without knowing why”. Additionally, Allen implies that every action has a consequence. A simple decision to “buy a mahogany table” can “damage a rainforest on the other side of the earth”. A “War in one country” can “send desperate refugees into another”. Both stories refer to the costs of humanity, one through war, and one through
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