Ambrose Bierce the Man and the Snake

Bierce uses literary techniques such as arrangement, imagery, and allusion to maintain suspense throughout the story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”

Ambrose Bierce is a phenomenal author who has been heavily influenced by what he endured in the civil war. Peter J Marrone is quoted with saying, "Ambrose Bierce's martial experience as a Union soldier in the American Civil War proved to be the seminal episode indelibly impacting his philosophical, political, and cultural perspectives that would charge his literary constructions throughout his career." War between nations, war between states or war between your very own neighbor, war is something that has influenced a nations people. While war between nations is inarguably destructive to a nation, it is impossible to ignore the influence of war between the citizens of the same country. An excellent example of an individual heavily influenced by civil war, who chose to portray this influence in writing is Ambrose Bierce. In his most widely known work "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the author makes great use of appearance

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.

Ambrose Bierce was an American Civil War soldier, journalist, and author. He was born on the twenty forth of June 1842, in Meigs County, Ohio. He fought in the American Civil War where he suffered a near fatal injury and was inspired to write several of his short stories. After the war he became a successful journalist, and later, an author. He is believed to have died in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1904. Bierce is one of the most well known authors in American history, writing stories that are both interesting and horrifying. Bierce was, perhaps, one of the most influential authors in modern horror and suspense.

The American Civil War was seen as a “necessary evil” in order to terminate the institution of slavery since divisions over it between the American North and South could not be quelled by peaceful exchange of ideas. Ambrose Bierce challenges this opinion with his short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” about a Confederate soldier, Peyton Farquhar, who waits for his execution atop a railroad bridge and his final thoughts. With his nonsensical arrangement and obvious symbolism, Bierce strives to convey that war does not adhere to logic, and ironically, when one desperately tries to cling to reality, it becomes further distorted.

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)

We read several stories throughout the course of this class. Of all the stories read, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce was my favorite. I enjoyed the entire story and was surprised by the ending. I was literally rooting him on during the story; I really wanted him to escape and get back to his family. ON the other hand, the story I liked the least during this course was “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty. At first, I thought the main character was suffering from Dementia because she couldn’t even remember why she came to town. However, I was saddened to find out the reason she was on such a journey was to get medication for her sick grandchild.

“Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge”. This line seals the fate of Ambrose Bierce’s protagonist, who believed that he could change it. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek”, Ambrose Bierce tells the story of a man struggling to face his reality. Symbolism enhances the total effect of Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek” because it leads the reader to the protagonist’s fate, adds to the imagery, and makes the reader connect smaller details to a deeper meaning.

In the story “The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce Peyton Farquhar a southern planter is being hung on a railing above the Owl Creek Bridge for interfering with the railroad posted by confederate soldiers. Within minutes before his execution Farquhar begins to have vivid hallucinations about breaking free and escaping. In his story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Ambrose Bierce’s theme describes the perception of illusion vs. reality and shows how one’s illusions often cloud one’s reality without realizing it until the time has come and it is too late. This is supported throughout the story with the use of the elements characterization, point of view, conflict, and setting.

Ambrose Bierce wrote his short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” centuries after the Civil War ended. This short story is Historical Fiction with the historical background of The Civil War and also the characters, Bierce uses in this story.

In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Ambrose Bierce writes about a situation in which a man, Peyton Farquhar, is to be executed on a railroad bridge. Throughout the story, specific details of Farquhar’s perspective are presented to create an accurate depiction of the events taking place. Bierce’s arrangement of the story and use of imagery constructs a suspenseful ambience within the piece.

To begin with, when a person reads any of Ambrose Bierce’s stories they should pay close attention to how the writer uses irony. Bierce has a very distinguished way of using irony to demonstrate subjective and

Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” has a very high level of tension throughout the entire narrative. In this story, Bierce takes readers through an outrageous series of events in which Peyton Farquhar is supposedly escaping his execution. Because of Bierce’s excellent use of literary techniques throughout the narrative such as the choice of setting, imagery, and point of view, suspense is created and maintained throughout the story and readers are led to believe that the man will ultimately escape his death.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a magnificent piece of literature written by Ambrose Bierce. Bierce used a shock effect to foreshadow the outcome of the short story. Additionally, he uses several literary techniques in his story of Peyton Fahrquhar and his imaginary escape from certain death. Bierce’s use of literary techniques creates a shock effect to foreshadow the outcome of the story.

Sometimes, stories have more than one meaning. Maybe, the title and story suggest one meaning, but in reality, there is a whole other implication. In Ambrose Bierce’s, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the title sets the eerie tone of the story, which appears to be about a hanging, and the setting, which appears to be a bridge.