Covered bridge

Manipulation in Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” In Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author deftly manipulates the plot in order to suspend the reader’s disbelief and to keep the reader engaged in the story. The reader, along with what might be described as the soul of Peyton Farquhar (a man hanged by soldiers), is led to believe that Farquhar survives the plunge off of Owl Creek Bridge and the subsequent tightening of the noose. However, as…

In the short story Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin and short story The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce, the narrators included related events throughout the short stories. For instance the protagonists, Sonny and Farquhar, both dealt with family affairs and getting punished due to their past actions. However, the two short stories, both share similar, yet different symbols that connected to the protagonists, the theme of not everyone gets a second chance, which includes a style…

Story of an Hour & An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Freedom In the short stories, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce both characters try to reach for there freedom in society. When having freedom, you have the power or the right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint (dictionary.com). As they reach for freedom it is taken away because of the actions they committed. “The story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, a…

An Evaluation of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” The film “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” written by Ambrose Bierce and then directed by Robert Enrico is a French masterpiece of a psychological thriller that contains a fair amount of drama, mystery, and tragedy. It was a successful film and with numerous shifts of emotions, this film is an example of one with great storytelling, acting, and cinematography to mold it into a successful short film. To begin with, the most generic yet…

Although war is often idealized as an opportunity for wealth and glory, such aggressive patriotism only results in death in the end. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, Bierce communicates the idea that war brings only death and anguish by utilizing literary devices in order to convey this theme. Bierce particularly uses irony and similes in order to convey the message that war does not yield glory. Instead, he employs these literary devices in order to reveal that war is…

Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” ends with this stark imagery: “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of Owl Creek bridge” (151). This line presents a cold, distant, and annotative description of death; there is little to invoke the representation of the life that has been lost. Yet, Bierce’s narrative up to this point has succinctly painted the picture of that life, its final moments and its desire to keep…

As we view the evolvement of American literature, we begin to move away from the transcendentalist impressions of writers, and move toward a more realistic notion. The texts and authors of this era were greatly influenced by the circumstances around them: the American Civil War, the rush to the Alaskan Yukon for gold, or the Industrial Revolution, which incited them to see the world in a different light than those before them. To a reader with little to no knowledge on the background of the…

The life and death of Peyton Farquhar is portrayed in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. Through the use of compelling storytelling and vivid imagery, Ambrose Bierce takes the reader on an adventure like no other. Beginning moments before his death, Peyton Farquhar recalled his life, fantasized about escape, and unfortunately greeted death at the bitter end. The story began with Peyton Farquhar awaiting his execution. He viewed his surroundings and commented on the private…

William Wordsworth’s poem: ’Composed on the Westminster Bridge’ is a sonnet that describes London in the morning as the city is still asleep. The poem’s title: “composed on the Westminster Bridge” tells the reader that the Author is standing on the Westminster Bridge, in London and is describing the sights of the City that he can see from the Bridge. Wordsworth is fascinated by the city’s beauty. He says that the earth has nothing equal to show than this beautiful scene and that the one who…

day end. That truth is perhaps the defining feature of the human condition. Mortality is inevitable act, so we can either accept it, or continue to deny the coming day of our own deaths. In Ambrose Bierce’s short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the principal character, Peyton Farquhar, experiences both the denial and acceptance of his impending death. Farquhar is sentenced to be hanged by Union soldiers and as he faces his final moments, imagines his escape back to his family. {The…