Setting Analysis

Your job: Analyze “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” to explain the impact of setting on
the story.

Example:

Setting plays an important role in the short story “The Sniper” by Liam

O’Flaherty. First, the setting places the reader in war-torn Ireland, which has been

fighting a civil war for decades. To help set the scene, O’Flaherty says, “Here and there

through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically,

like dogs barking on lone farms” and “She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay.

An informer.” Though it would be easy to picture a scene like this in Ireland or Iraq or

Afghanistan, any author would have to work hard to make the scene believable in

America. Though there are daily shootings across America, O’Flaherty establishes that

this fighting is on-going, rather than specific, individual occurrences.

The setting becomes more important with the resolution of the story. Though

fighting on the streets is certainly prominent in other countries, not all of them are

fighting a civil war. O’Flaherty makes a point to name the sniper as a Republican, to

differentiate him from the Free-Staters. The last line of the story, obviously the most

important, emphasizes the importance of setting “Then the sniper turned over the dead

body and looked into his brother’s face.” The shooting wasn’t an accident, and just like

in America’s Civil War where families fought on opposite sides, the brothers obviously

had different beliefs, and they both paid for those beliefs.

Though a specific setting isn’t necessary in every short story, in Liam

O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper,” setting is an essential element.

Example broken into claim, warrant, evidence

Claim: Setting plays an important role in the short story “The Sniper” by Liam
O’Flaherty.

Warrant: First, the setting places the reader in war-torn Ireland, which has been fighting
a civil war for decades.
Evidence: To help set the scene, O’Flaherty says, “Here and there
through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night,
spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms” and “She was pointing to
the roof where the sniper lay. An informer.”
Analysis: Though it would be easy to picture a scene like this in
Ireland or Iraq or Afghanistan, any author would have to work hard
to make the scene believable in America. Though there are daily
shootings across America, O’Flaherty establishes that this fighting
is on-going, rather than specific, individual occurrences.
Warrant: The setting becomes more important with the resolution of the story.
Evidence: Though fighting on the streets is certainly prominent in other
countries, not all of them are fighting a civil war. O’Flaherty makes a
point to name the sniper as a Republican, to differentiate him from the
Free-Staters. The last line of the story, obviously the most important,
emphasizes the importance of setting, “Then the sniper turned over the
dead body and looked into his brother’s face.”
Analysis: The shooting wasn’t an accident, and just like in
America’s Civil War where families fought on opposite sides, the
brothers obviously had different beliefs, and they both paid for
those beliefs.
Clincher: Though a specific setting isn’t necessary in every short story, in Liam
O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper,” setting is an essential element.