Ambrose Bierce Influences

War is often times the subject of literature because it has such an effect on human beings. It makes people give up things for a greater cause; it changes people. War completely changes the lives of those that fought in it and because the experiences of those people define how they live the rest of their lives, it is truly easy to see why war is not only the greatest topic of literature but how the subject of its effects has

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842– after December 26, 1913) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often

How come an hour-long history class feels like it is five hours long? Every individual perceives the flow of time differently. Time perception refers to a person’s subjective experience of the passage of time, which can differ between individuals and for different circumstances. “In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” the perception of time is major theme occurring in the novel. Ambrose Bierce demonstrates this perception of time by using literary devices. He uses imagery to illustrate the perception of time, along with a unique story structure to emphasize his point. Equally, he uses a third person point of view which portrays time perception, these devices come together to suggest that time can be perceived differently by individuals.

The short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is separated into three parts. Part one is comprised of Peyton Farquhar standing on a railroad bridge over the water. His legs and hands are bound together and has a noose positioned over his neck. Two soldiers, a sergeant and a captain closely surround him; off in the distance army sentinels stand at attention. He stands on a board and the sergeant stands at the other. In the moments before the sergeant steps away, Farquhar thinks about his wife and children and freeing himself from his constraints and running away. Then, the sergeant steps off the board.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a story that expresses how far your imagination can take you without even realizing it. The story's author, Ambrose Bierce, participated in several wars during the Civil War, which later influenced the writing that he did after the war. In this story he writes about how in the last moments of a man's life, he vividly imagines escaping his death. Only to reveal that it was all a dream as he is hanged off of Owl Creek Bridge. Ambrose Bierce uses several literary techniques in order to make his story represent realism.

context of the Civil War and written by an American author, it can still be appreciated by readers from diverse

In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Ambrose Bierce is able to create and maintain suspense by developing the plot, generating a realistic image, and by using the setting.

“An Occurrence at Own Creek Bridge” is a very detailed story which paints a vivid

The way in which a war story is told can affect the audience’s perception of the truth behind the story. In a war story, the physical and mental environment plays a large role in the evidence of the literary work as a “true war story.” These “true war story” characteristics come from Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried. Ambrose Bierce’s Civil War short story A Horseman in the Sky is a great example of the power of the setting in a “true war story.” In this Civil War short story, Carter Druse enlist with the Union against his fathers will. Carter is put in an unfortunate position later in the story as he must choose wheather or not to shoot his father, a Confederate Soldier. Ambrose Bierce’s vivid and lengthy description of the

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” was written by Ambrose Bierce. In the story, the main character, Peyton Farquhar, is standing on a railroad bridge that is twenty feet above the water while his wrists are bound behind his back and a noose is tied to his neck to a beam overhead. Two other soldiers from the Northern army, a sergeant and captain, were around him waiting for execution. There were also sentinels standing besides them. Many infantrymen led by their lieutenant were standing assembled before the fort. When the two soldiers finish preparations, they remove the planks that they have been standing. The sergeant salutes his captain, then went on the opposite end of the board supporting Farquhar as the captain steps off. Farquhar stares into the water below, watching a piece of driftwood being carried downstream. He shuts his eyes and heard the sound from his watch, then he open his eyes and jump into the water as the sergeant steps away form the board when captain nods.

Ambrose Bierce is noted as a literary genius for his short stories on the civil war. His military experience during the Civil War allowed him to write some of his most memorable short stories. He is most noted for his story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” It is a story of a man’s last thoughts before being hanged. The story tells about a man, Peyton Farquhar, who was deceived and is condemned to death for doing what he thought would be helping the Confederate Army. In the moment before Farquhar’s death, Bierce paints the reader a colorful description of what goes through Farquhar’s mind. Through what he saw and experienced in the Civil War along with his

Piecing Together the Creation of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” Literature is often impacted by the experiences the author has had and the time period in which it was written. The Civil War era affected works that were created during that time. The story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce exhibits this influence as it is written with the aid of the experiences he had during the war when he was enlisted. Although some claim certain events in Bierce’s life never affected him, others suggest that Bierce may have incorporated them into his writings.

Ambrose Bierce blasted out of his mother on June 24th 1842, and was born in Ohio. He was the 10th kid out of 13 total. He moved to Indiana which is where he went to high school. He then went to Kentucky Military Institute, and ended up enlisting into the Union army when the Civil war was going on. He boldly fought in some dangerous battles (Shiloh, and Chickamauga.) After the Civil War was over Ambrose wasn’t doing much of anything until he traveled with the military to California for an expedition, but when he got there he decided he wanted out of the military because he wanted to start his writing career. (IN-TEXT CITATION)

Although the story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek,” is ironic, there are other literary elements represented in the story. Perhaps Ambrose Bierce’s most famous works, he used imagery from his own personal experiences in the Civil War, which adds to the suspense of the short story. Imagination is a difficult word to define. The ability to have a daydream, or picture with vivid details, is what imagination could be. An imagination is key for some people, who escape real life into a fantasy world. Bierce's “An Occurrence at Owl Creek” uses point of view, structure, and symbolism to show the power or capability of imagination.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce, an American author and Civil War soldier was known to many as being a negative and sardonic person. He was a very obnoxious man that lived by certain mottos. His enthusiasm as a critic, the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work and his famous motto “Nothing Matters,” earned him the famous nickname “Bitter Bierce.”