An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

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Marla Scott Mrs. Walden Honors English 13 October 2010 Making it Out Alive or Die Trying? Will he make it out alive; will he see his family again? In this short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, Peyton has multiple ideas floating around in his head. He has been captured by other soldiers for trying to set the bridge on fire. Ambrose Bierce uses a particular piece of writing skills in his story. He goes out of order to show his main point in the story. By using flashbacks and by having his dreams going on throughout the story help us comprehend more clearly. How does the story truly go, what came first? How did Ambrose Bierce set up the short story? He starts off by telling part of the ending first. “ The mans hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck.” By saying what is going to happen at the end, he is foreshadowing. The author is trying to review prior events so that we can go back with him and understand the story more clearly. Peyton Farquhar focuses on escaping throughout the story. Will we discover what is running through his mind during his escape? While escaping Peyton has series of thoughts going through his mind. How would he feel if he never saw his family again? Again, yet did he suspect that he would never get to hold his wife or children again? “As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed into doomed man’s brain rather than evolved from it.” This was one of the last thoughts he had running through his mind. As he is telling the story all these thoughts are circulating through his mind. With him saying this and him pondering about this, it sets some of the voice for Peyton and/or other characters. As he is losing his last breaths it’s as if it is turning from day to night. Peyton is in the water, both hands are tied. Can he make it out of this

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