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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Here is a excerpt bursting with realistic descriptions of the internal workings of the execution device and the Federal Army that controlled it:" A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some lose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners-two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff." (Bierce 1476).
             One journalist critic believes the details of the physical setting are so realistic that "it further enhances our belief in Farquhar's escape " (Samide 3). Bierce mixes many different details to blend his own mix of reality accepted by the reader. Perhaps this short story is so physically realistic because of Bierce's own personal rules to writing, Bierce thought one must "depict accurately the scenes and sounds of combat, and it must explain why an engagement unfolded as it did. Otherwise, the account was so unreliable as to be useless (James 415). It seems even when Peyton is about to be hung and the world become most unrealistic, the ideal of death changing perception makes it realistic. Peyton seems to be given "especially acute senses (Quirk 129) making everything in nature seem like "audible music (Quirk 129). "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge " is "a rapid series of dangers with realistic concrete detail (), and a mix of "ethically ideal (Pizer 4) human emotions that produce realism. .
             Another attribution of literary realism is the emotional tie of human nature to Peyton's character because of his values (ethically ideal). Peyton is brought into the story as a family man who is wrongly being executed by the Federal Army. The notion that Peyton was a slave owner and a large supporter of the south is as big as an issue as one would think. Bierce's literary tactic is "sympathetic characterization " the human emotional connection to the character is what makes it realism.


Essays Related to An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

1. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce is the author of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." ... "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a perfect example of this transition of styles as it combines elements of both romanticism and realism to create a story that can be far-fetched while still believable at times. ... It then goes on to Section II, where it tells us how he found out about Owl Creek Bridge, and what could happen if a civilian interfered with anything dealing with the bridge. ... He then drops the last few feet to his death, being hung off the Owl Creek Bridge. ... In the end "An Occurrence at Owl ...

  • Word Count: 1504
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

2. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

It is my opinion that the book version and the movie version of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" are almost identical with a few minor differences. Both versions contained the same plot - a man standing on the bridge, about to be hanged and foreseeing what the outcome would be if the rope broke as he is dangling in the air. The book gives a lot of detail so that the reader can almost depict the "occurrence." ... One would also not know why the man is standing on the bridge about to be hanged, where the story takes place, or when. ...

  • Word Count: 301
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Red Convertible And Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

COMPARE AND CONTRAST Dissecting the short stories, The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich, and An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, by their use of characters, settings and points of view, and plot structures to help distinguish how the writers illustrate their short story. ... The main character is Peyton Farquar in, An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge. ... An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge takes place at the time when our nation was divided, during the Civil War. ... An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge starts out with the action and detail that demands a reader to continue...

  • Word Count: 1504
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The first and most important characteristic of a story is its plot. A good plot holds everything together and is as important to a story as air is to us. Poorly written plots are almost like throwing away the entire script. Dialog is not a necessity, but a good dialog can establish everything abou...

  • Word Count: 312
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

5. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

All of which are viewed through the eyes of Peyton Farquhar, in Ambrose Pierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.... Which is exactly what led to his execution on Owl Creek Bridge. ... Throughout the story of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" a shift in narration is noted, switching from third person limited to first person when the act of executing Farquhar is carried out. ... One of the most important literary elements that allows the reader to arrive at the theme of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is conflict. ... In brief, "An Occurrence at Owl ...

  • Word Count: 875
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

6. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" it's about a man named Peyton Farquhar awaiting to die, but the story makes it seems that he escapes. ... The time is the middle of the Civil War, and Farquhar's plantation lies thirty miles to the south of Owl Creek Bridge. It is his hope to arrive at the bridge well before the Union Army does, and use the driftwood scattered about the area as kindling to burn the bridge down. ... Peyton Farquhar, standing on a bridge with a noose around his neck, awaits his death from hanging. ... Ambrose Bierce in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" devel...

  • Word Count: 766
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

7. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Br

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", producer Robert Enrico delivers an inspired story of profound reflection, one that explores the meaning of life and one man's unique journey to find inner peace. ... The plank is pulled from beneath his feet, and in an instant, Peyton is reborn, baptized in the waters of Owl Creek, waters that seem to release him from his past. ... But as the plank is pulled from beneath his feet, Peyton miraculously begins a journey into the next world, falling into the deep waters of Owl Creek. ... Peyton's journey through the sometimes calm, sometimes rocky...

  • Word Count: 723
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Occurance at Owl Creek

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge I enjoyed this story very much do to the military aspect of it. ... He lied about how many people were guarding the bridge he said "only a picket post half a mile out, on the railroad, and a single sentinel at this end of the bridge" (Ambrose Bierce, 169) but in the beginning of the story it mentioned that there was "a single company of infantry in line, at parade rest", (Ambrose Bierce, 167). ...

  • Word Count: 436
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

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