Civil war, it turns neighborhoods into war zones. It causes neighbors to fight against neighbors and brothers against brothers. It tears apart families and weakens nations by war, not with another country, but within itself. In the "Sniper" Liam O'Flaherty suggests the horror of war not only by presenting its physical dangers but also by showing its psychological effects.

War, in all its horrors, presents many physical dangers. This is first illustrated when the snipers whereabouts were described as in "beleaguered Four Courts." This shows that everyone in the town of Four Courts, not just the military, is in danger by saying that the town is under attack. They are in danger of the "heavy guns" that when launched shoot iron in various directions and in turn may cause collateral damage. When the sniper is on the rooftop he decides to light a cigarette and the moment he...