The Brain’s Limitless Capacity
One of humankind's biggest mysteries is from within: the mind. How did humans gain consciousness? How can humans perceive time? The mind is capable of greater endeavors than the menial tasks it performs every day. During the waking hours, the mind is constrained by the laws of reality. By night, our minds are free. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, Peyton Peyton irrationally struggles for hope, moments before his execution. Peyton’s body is unable to escape, so his mind takes it upon itself to find a solution. It simulates a reality where Peyton escapes and finds his way back home. He is able to experience hours of memories in less than a second. The text demonstrates the strength of the mind by examining Peyton’s conflict in the present, characterizing his life in a flashback, and by using imagery to describe his experience in his dream.
As the text unfolds, the reader learns about Peyton’s conflict; he faces the ultimate punishment, death. He is to be hanged off of the Owl Creek Bridge in Alabama. He stands at the edge with a “rope closely encircl[ing] his …show more content…
Because his brain is overstimulated, this dream feels more authentic than his reality. His mind is able to simulate a day’s worth of experiences in less than a second. The short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” reveals Peyton Farquhar's power of mind by analyzing his conflict, characterizing his life, and displaying the dream through imagery. By the time his neck breaks, Peyton has already reached home and his family; he dies happy. In the end, reality captured his body, but it could not reach his mind. In the age of technology, many mysteries have been exploited and solved; few remain. The human brain continues to elude the most advanced studies. The ability of our minds may be unlimited if properly used. If humans can unleash this hidden power, who knows what great things minds can
One of humankind's biggest mysteries is from within: the mind. How did humans gain consciousness? How can humans perceive time? The mind is capable of greater endeavors than the menial tasks it performs every day. During the waking hours, the mind is constrained by the laws of reality. By night, our minds are free. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, Peyton Peyton irrationally struggles for hope, moments before his execution. Peyton’s body is unable to escape, so his mind takes it upon itself to find a solution. It simulates a reality where Peyton escapes and finds his way back home. He is able to experience hours of memories in less than a second. The text demonstrates the strength of the mind by examining Peyton’s conflict in the present, characterizing his life in a flashback, and by using imagery to describe his experience in his dream.
As the text unfolds, the reader learns about Peyton’s conflict; he faces the ultimate punishment, death. He is to be hanged off of the Owl Creek Bridge in Alabama. He stands at the edge with a “rope closely encircl[ing] his …show more content…
Because his brain is overstimulated, this dream feels more authentic than his reality. His mind is able to simulate a day’s worth of experiences in less than a second. The short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” reveals Peyton Farquhar's power of mind by analyzing his conflict, characterizing his life, and displaying the dream through imagery. By the time his neck breaks, Peyton has already reached home and his family; he dies happy. In the end, reality captured his body, but it could not reach his mind. In the age of technology, many mysteries have been exploited and solved; few remain. The human brain continues to elude the most advanced studies. The ability of our minds may be unlimited if properly used. If humans can unleash this hidden power, who knows what great things minds can