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.
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."
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)."
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!" "
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. "
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."
The following paper compares Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" where a young man faces execution, to W. H. Auden's poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" which describes Breughel's painting, "Fall of Icarus".
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.?
Abstract Chopin and Bierce set up fictions in which there is an oscillation between a stream of consciousness perspective and a more objective, peripheral perspective. This essay will examine how Chopin and Bierce's short stories use perspective and argue that these two works are distinctively modern in their skillful manipulations of point of view.
Abstract The stories, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek" by Ambrose Bierce and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, are significant because they emphasize qualities of human nature. This paper discusses how, through his unique style and setting, each author reflects on social customs dealing with the issue of slavery. Through colorful characters and intense detail, Bierce and Twain display some of the most common characteristics of humanity. This paper examines the style, setting, and social and literary contest of each story.
From the Paper "The style of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek" is dramatic and very gripping. Bierce successfully engages us from the very beginning of the story with drama when we are told that a man is standing on a bridge "looking into the swift waters twenty feet below" (Bierce 92). Elaborate detail is Bierce's style and he successfully keeps us engaged until the end of the story. For example, when Farquhar is falling, he "awakens" to extreme pain in his neck. We are also told how "these feelings were unaccompanied by thought" (96) and the loud "plash" of hitting the water causes him to realize the rope has broken and he has fallen into the water. Farquhar's instinct to free himself and his ultimate success place us on the edge of our seats, hoping for his escape. Even as Farquhar raises to the surface of the water, his senses become "preternaturally keen and alert" (97). In Farquhar's dream, we too can see the individual trees and the ?veining of each leaf,? as well as the "insects upon them, the locusts, the brilliant-bodied flies" (97). With such attention to detail, Bierce is slowly pulling us into Farquhar's dream. The narrator's convincing interpretation of every moment convinces us that Farquhar has indeed fallen into the water. We are even convinced of Farquhar's escape by his mental faculties. For example, when Farquhar realizes that the scouts would not shoot at him again, they "will use the charge of a grape" instead. (98) Additionally, Bierce convinces us that Farquhar has reached land as he digs his fingers into the sand and blesses it. Bierce continues this dream by having Farquhar wonder through the woods with the thought of his wife and children urging him on. This is an excellent technique because we have no reason to suspect that what he is imagining is not happening."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses Ambrose Bierce's " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". According to the paper, in the work Bierce takes his readers on an ironic journey through a brutal death and the possibilities of heaven and hell. The paper further reports that this horror story takes a poignant, ironic look of the process of death and possesses an eerie tone.
From the Paper "This story, a poignant, ironic look of the process of death, possesses an eerie tone, as well, as evidenced by its appearance as a Twilight Zone episode. I believe that Bierce created a horror story to impress his readers with the finality and futility of war and the gruesome misery it entails. Rather than simply write another war story, Bierce captivates his readers with a supernatural cliffhanger that shifts in and out of the realm of possibility and leaves us affected and caring about Peyton Farquhar."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed discussion on several works of literature and the use of the theme of dreams in them. The six works compared, contrasted and analyzed in this paper are: John Keats, " Ode to a Nightingale; "Langston Hughes, "A Dream Deferred;" Samuel Taylor Coleridge's, "Kubla Khan;" Thomas Findley's " Pilgrims; " Bierce Ambrose's " An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge;" and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's " Kubla Khan or, a Vision In a Dream: A Fragment." The writer discusses how each author uses the theme of dreams in their particular piece and then draws comparisons between the other author's works. The paper examines the proper use of dreams in any literary work. Using passages from each of these works, the paper shows how dream themes are used most successfully when dealing with death as a tool to explain the situation leading up to and immediately following the occurrence. The use of dreams often fills in many unanswered questions that may be plaguing the reader as they read a story or poem.
From the Paper "Throughout literary history there have been themes used to underscore a point to the reader. Often times the same theme can mean different things to different authors, and it is played out in different scenarios in their works. The theme of dreams has been a popular theme for literature in the past, especially in short stories and poems. There are six separate works by six different authors, which have used the dream theme to carry out various tasks. Sometimes it is used to allow after death thoughts, other times it is about goals and future desires, but any time a dream theme is used in these six works the author drives home the point of heart filled emotion leading the story."
Abstract Ambrose Bierce successfully de-glamorized war by depicting the grueling realities of battle in an era when war was deemed romantic. The paper describes the story and introduces the main character. The paper analyzes the use of nature in the short story and shows how counting and numbers are used to project the detached tone throughout the setting. The paper demonstrates how a transition is made in the story from one of detachment to one of emotion.
Table of Contents:
Title
Introduction
Use of Descriptors in the Setting
Main Character
Nature
Transition: Detachment to Emotion
Resolution
Conclusion
From the Paper "In his detached style, Bierce relays a story describing the horrors of war after battle. He uses words like "tidying up a bit" to downplay the carnage in the first scene of The Coup De Grace. The narrator's voice is far removed. The attitude is nonchalant, yet the images are gruesomely spectacular. Bodies strewn about are treated with acute indifference."
This paper discusses the use of irony to tell horrific stories in compelling ways in three stories: "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O?Connor, "The Curse" by Andre Dubus and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce.
1,045 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 36.95
Abstract This paper explains that in all three stories---?A Good Man is Hard to Find,? by Flannery O?Connor, ?The Curse,? by Andre Dubus and ?An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,? by Ambrose Bierce---the authors' use of dramatic irony to force the reader's perspective into the minds of the protagonists, making the pain of what they experience surreally intense. The author believes that in these stories the irony can make us laugh, reveal truths that would otherwise be hard to express, or sharpen our focus on the absurdity of a situation. For example the paper explains that in "A Good Man is Hard to Find", the use of irony force's the reader's perspective to take in what the grandmother cannot ? the horror that is going to unfold, committed by men who gave no more thought to murdering children and old women than they would to catching a fish for dinner.
From the Paper "?An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,? by Ambrose Bierce, tells the story of a man being hanged from an intensely personal viewpoint. Peyton Fahrquahar, southern gentleman and planter, is about to be hung by Union soldiers after he attempted to burn a bridge and so prevent their advance. As the author dryly notes, ?The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded..? As with the protagonists in the other two stories, Fahrquahar has played a part in his situation by not being alert enough, soon enough: when a man in a confederate suit comes to his gate to get a drink of water, he doesn?t realize he is a Union spy setting a trap for confederate collaborators."
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.
A review of two short stories that deal with the theme of death: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce and "Greasy Lake" by T. Coraghessen.
Abstract This paper compares how the characters in two different short stories face the experience of death. The stories are "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce and "Greasy Lake" by T. Coraghessen. This paper shows how both characters experienced time distortion and a heightened sense of awareness of their surroundings when they were in the grip of fear and confronted with death.
From the Paper "We often hear stories of people who have near death experiences and say that their "lives flashed before their eyes", or that "everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion". In the two short stories, the reader gets a real sense of what that feels like. "Greasy Lake", is a contemporary story about a group of young men who are bored and out drinking at the lake on evening become involved in a fight that escalates out of control and sets off a chain of events that will change the characters lives forever. In "Greasy Lake", when the unnamed main character thinks that he may have killed someone, time seems to go in slow motion."
Tags: near-death, dying, fear, time, distortion, awareness
