Abstract
This literary study compares and contrasts the various aspects of war that are depicted in "Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom'd" by Walt Whitman and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce. In similar ways, Whitman's work is an elegiac poem that honors the death of Abraham Lincoln, which Bierce's short story also exemplifies in his tale of the execution of Peyton Farquhar. However, both stories reflect contrasting sides of the Civil War conflict in how they remember and honor those that fought for both sides. In essence, both of these wartime literary works depict death, but have profoundly different points of view in relation to the ideological duality of the Civil War.

Tags:bierce, whitman, civil

Abstract
The paper examines Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." The paper looks at the author's style of lyric realism and the use of irony. The paper reviews the main character and the plot.

From the Paper
"Ambrose Bierce wrote "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" in order to crawl inside the minds of her audience and psychologically play with their brains just to find out what might happen at the other end. The detailed characterization of the unlucky protagonist, as well as the elegantly crafted style of the narrative work together produce the irony that so often characterizes Bierce's writing and causes us to marvel at its composition."

Tags:bierce, ambrose, owl creek bridge

Abstract
This paper illustrates the works of author Ambrose Bierce, novelist of the Civil War, poet and sharp-tongued columnist for a San Francisco newspaper. The paper exemplifies Bierce's work by analyzing "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", written in 1898, that includes a historical setting with science fiction elements: A Southern planter, Peyton Farquhar, is about to be hanged by Union soldiers for acting as a spy. The author feels that Bierce's death bears some resemblance to the stories: He marched off to the Mexican Civil War and was never heard of again nor does anyone know what happened to him.

From the Paper
"In spite of the horror he saw on the Civil War battlefields, apparently Bierce felt that in the long run, it was good and honorable to fight in just wars. In spite of the seriousness of Bierce's wounds from the civil war, he lived into his seventies. Always an adventurer, he departed at that late age to join the Mexican Civil War in 1913. He wrote to his daughter, "If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican wall and shot to rags, please know that I think that a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico- -ah, that is euthanasia!" "

Tags:poet, columnist, farquhar, civil, war

Abstract
This paper looks at the writer Ambrose Bierce. It provides a brief biography and looks at his various works. Critical opinions of Bierce are discussed, as well as the themes and literary devices Bierce uses in specific pieces.

From the Paper
"Although Ambrose Bierce deserves a significant place in the American heritage, literary histories have done little to honor him properly. His stories have had little influence on modern American society (Mencken 264). Ambrose Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 in Ohio (Starett 42). He was the son of a farmer and a descendant of a seventeenth-century New England family. Bierce served in the Union Army during the Civil War and he based his war stories upon his experiences. In 1868 Bierce published his first poems and prose in the Californian. On July 11, 1914 he was presumed dead after he disappeared during the battle of Ojinaga (Grenander 13-16)."

Tags:creek, owl

Abstract
This paper frelates that, by deconstructing the collective use of literary techniques by Ambrose Bierce's in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", the reader can understand why this short story has become a classic. The paper examines each of the three parts of the story for subtle clues that are hidden within its context to guide the reader into the ending of the story, which is a split-second long dream. The paper also observes that the use of foreshadowing, the main character's own sense of time and its distortion, strengthens and legitimizes the shocking ending of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge".

From the Paper
"Part two of the story is a flashback that takes the reader into the events leading to the occurrence taking place at Owl Creek Bridge. It opens with brief description of Peyton Farquhar's occupation, background, and his devotion to the Confederate cause of the Civil War. It is also said that although he was unable to join the Confederate army for undisclosed reasons, he still has the heart of a soldier. It is then that a soldier, dressed in confederate attire stops at the Farquhar residence for a glass of water."

Tags:narrator, lengthy description, flashback foreshadowing dream

Abstract
This paper discusses how the stories William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" compare in so many ways. It looks at similarities such as the setting of war, the theme of death and the the love that the characters of Emily and Peyton have for their families.

From the Paper
"Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a story of a man who breaks the law and dies. The story describes why the man was hanged, the life after death and his life before death. The irony in this story is great in the fact that that the entire story is a description of the man's "great escape." In reality they are describing what has happened in his afterlife after he is hanged. The story proceeds to tell about how he was freed from the rope that was supposed to kill him and how he gets away. He swims with all of his strength until he can reach the point where it is safe to get out and be free of the bullets. The author depicts beautiful scenery that ironically seems heavenly with "the fragrance of their blooms," and "the wind made in their branches the music of Aeolian harps," when describing the sounds this man hears. "

Tags:Peyton, death, war

Abstract
This paper looks at the Civil War from the perspectives of two books ("The Red Badge of Courage" and "Chickamauga"). "The Red Badge of Courage" shows the experiences of a soldier in the war, while "Chickamauga" is actually able to discuss the war through the perspective of a person who actually saw the war first hand.

From the Paper
"The event in Ambrose Bierce's life that has come to dominate it is his leaving of it because of the mystery involved with his disappearance into Mexico. This event has also obscured his writings to a great degree, and even those writings that have continued to have some currency have usually not been tied to Bierce's life to any degree beyond an indication that he was a misanthrope and that this is evident in his works. His life in California and elsewhere in the West, however, has quite obviously been incorporated into a number of his stories, which tell of odd occurrences and ghostly happenings in the setting of mining country. The even that had probably the most profound influence on his writing was the Civil Warm, and he wrote a number of stories of that conflict, often combining his interest in the supernatural with stories of those who died during that ..."

Abstract
This paper explains the content and style of Carl Sandburg's poem, "Prairie Waters at Night"; Ambrose Bierce's short story, "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"; Steven Crane's novel, "The Red Badge of Courage;" and Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman". The author points out that Carl Sandburg's poem, "Prairie Waters at Night," emphasizes the theme of the tranquility of waters at night by using repetition, alliteration, and sentence length to convey the sensations of a calming night by the water through sound. The paper relates that the works by Ambrose Bierce and Stephen Crane demonstrate the use of strong narrative; whereas, in Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman", the Requiem offers incredible ironies.

Table of Contents
Carl Sandburg's Poem, "Prairie Waters at Night"
Ambrose Bierce's Short Story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek"
Steven Crane's Novel, "The Red Badge of Courage"
Arthur Miller's Play, "Death of a Salesman"

From the Paper
"Alliteration is also a technique that Sandburg utilizes successfully in this poem. The sound of the letter "l" is particularly effective in that it has a hypnotic quality about it. In the words willows, and laughter, we get a feeling of relaxation and ease associated with this scene. The vowel sound in the words long and drowse are also a form alliteration that forces to read the poem slowly. Another technique of sound that the poet uses is long sentences and line lengths. In this way, he forces us to read the sentences slowly, which reinforces the slow, tranquil mood he is trying to convey."

Tags:alliteration, sensations, narrative, requiem, ironies

Abstract
This paper examines how both Bierce's short story and Auden's poem imply that humankind is cruel at best, indifferent at worst. However, the author discovers how these pieces also differ from each other in many ways. This essay distinguishes between the way in which Bierce sees death as a 'dignitary' who must be met with certain rituals as compared to Auden who sees death as haphazard, accidental, occurring without ritual or even much notice.

From the Paper
"Bierce and Auden seem to take a similar dim view of human nature. In the early paragraphs of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Bierce shows the condemned Farquhar to be a loving husband and father. ("He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children.") Bierce also describes Farquhar as having a "kindly expression." However, this does nothing to soften the hearts of his captors. "The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded," Bierce tells the reader. Not only are the officers committed to hanging Farquhar, they make every possible effort to kill him following his "escape."

Tags:death, ceremonial, occasion, accident, sympathetic, character, condemned, man, claustrophobic, humankind, tragic