War, violence, death… repeat. War, violence, death… repeat. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American author that wrote “War is kind” and Liam O’ Flaherty (1896-1984) was an Irish novelist and short story writer that wrote “The Sniper”. Firstly, the poem written in free verse by Stephen Crane, “War is Kind”, remarks that soldiers are meant to be born to fulfill the purpose of fighting and dying on the battlefield. The poem has an ironic touch of war being considered kind, communicating through its lines to the readers that everyone dies and maidens, babes or mothers tears should not be dwelled upon the men that have lost their lives. This is all that war does, it destroys families and the relationship between maidens and lovers, babes, fathers and mothers and sons that are all…show more content… Crane uses words that would make one think of pain and suffering, through imagery of men fighting and women and children crying. The theme is, essentially, that war is awful and it tears families apart. The entire poem contradicts the statement of war being kind. On the other hand, the short story “The Sniper”, presents the horrors of war and its physical dangers but also its psychological effects. The plot of the story starts to develop when a Republican sniper sitting on a rooftop aiming to shoot the enemy, riskily lights a cigarette. When the Free-State’s sniper shows himself on the opposite roof, the Republican sniper is shot by a bullet in the arm but manages to destroy the opponent. After a curious inspection to the identity of the enemy sniper, he finds himself looking into the eyes of his dead brother. The meaning of both literary pieces, is that war causes destruction internally and physically. This is shown by the writers’ devices such as symbolism, irony and