Figurative Language In William O Flaherty, By Liam O Faherty

Liam O’Flaherty manipulates figurative language in his writing style to allow the reader vivid insight into the tumultuous realm of the protagonist. O’Flaherty demonstrates the devices of personification and simile to illustrate a scene that entails, “Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on a lone farm” (437). O’Flaherty appears keen on describing the guns as having “roared,” this projects an image of intense combat between belligerents accompanied by an impenetrable cacophony of ammunition. He goes onto say that the weapons go off “spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms.” O’Flaherty generates …show more content…
“He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness and there were enemies watching” (437). The character is immersed in a world in which death lurks in the shadows of a city ravaged by unrest. Enemy combatants seek to vanquish any trace of his existence, for they are “watching”. The author creates a tone of danger by implicating the character in a situation in which his life may be threatened. O’Flaherty uses words such as “risk” and “dangerous” to imply the character is in a constant state of insecurity. This device provides the reader with a direct emotional connection with the character, and along with it an urge to see the character maintain his vigilance and mental fluidity. Tone is a key element in his writing that conveys his underlying perspective and draws the reader in with words that suffice the need for a connection to the character’s world and emotions. Another example of tone includes, “She began to talk to the man in the turret of the car. She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay. An informer” (438). O’Flaherty opts to use an ominous tone for a variety of reasons. This sentence creates uncertainty, for the character is faced with a decision to make before his safety is …show more content…
The setting of the story is in Dublin, Ireland, during an agonizing civil war. O’Flaherty is an Irishmen, and this may account for his preferred setting given that this is the world he developed in, an existence so familiar to himself. Victoria Gaydosik explains, “O’Flaherty draws on the violent factions of the Irish Republican Army… for characters and situations” (Gaydosik). O’Flaherty draws inspiration from the most heinous of situations, conjuring writings from the darkest of his country’s tribulations. The protagonist, a Republican sniper, is pitied against his own countrymen, for the sake of diluted political ideologies. War divides the nation, and this brings light to the struggle between