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How Does Bierce Use Suspense In An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

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In Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge,” there are many literary techniques that contribute to the suspense of the story. The plot of this story focuses on Peyton Fahrquahr and his execution. Fahrquahr tried to burn down the Owl Creek bridge and as result, he was sentenced to be hanged. In the story it appears that the soldiers are just really bad at hanging people; however, it is revealed that they are actually pretty good at it. Throughout the story, Bierce uses suspense to keep the reader wondering what will happen next. Although the main character may have died in the end, he discovered happiness moments before death. The most prominent literary device used in this story is the art of suspense. In the beginning of
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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was a story written by Ambrose Bierce. He wrote it to be a suspenseful and confusing short story. The suspense brought on by Bierce employed to clench one's attention throughout this short story by using numerous literary techniques. With his use of imagery Bierce displayed that, in his mind, Farquhar, while being hanged, still had all of his thoughts and he believed that he was escaping the army, bringing suspense to the story. Farquhar thought that the rope had snapped and that he had fallen into the water, he imagined himself escaping the military by swimming away.

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Another key factor for creating suspense in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is the very important literary technique that goes by the name of symbolism. One way Bierce uses symbolism is by giving both Peyton and the sentinel that shot at

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Rogelio Ochoa Freed Period 2 Feb 8, 2023 Perception of Owl Creek Bridge One may see something as they want it to be instead of how it really is. The story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce takes place in Alabama. Peyton Farquhar the protagonist of Beirce’s story is a man who is to be hanged and takes place on Owl Creek Bridge. Farquhar was told that anyone who tried interfering with the railroad construction that was happening on the bridge would be hanged.

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Literary analysis of “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” Ambrose Bierce, the Author of “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” about a man who was being hanged, throughout the story Peyton hallucinates and thinks that he has escaped the hanging but in reality he’s dying. Bierce uses symbolism in “ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” to foreshadow that Peyton is going to die. There are multiple allusions throughout the story that Bierce used to convey the death of Peyton. Imagery is used throughout the entire story to show that Peyton is hallucinating. Throughout the entire story Bierce uses multiple literary techniques to foreshadow Peyton’s death.

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The concept of time changes with traumatic events. The duration of these stretches an intermediate length, allowing one to remember former fallacies and lament on what led to this dire situation. In his short story, The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce illustrates an execution and its effect on the mental processing of the victim.

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In my opinion, the author’s intent of this story was to use realism to trick his readers into believing something that wasn’t real. The narrator narrates the story as an ominous third person, and gives me no reason to believe that s/he isn’t reliable. The story is about a man named Peyton Farquar who is unable to serve in the confederate army, and who learns about repair plans for Owl Creek Bridge for the use of the Union Forces. He tries to destroy the bridge, but is caught and is sentenced to be hung. The author begins the story by going into extreme detail about the setup of Peyton and his noose, and the soldiers and spectators that are a part of the execution.

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651 Words | 3 Pages

In Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” the author uses suspense to make the reader predict, create a mood, and create empathy. Bierce uses suspense to make the reader predict in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” “...a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon

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In literary terms foreshadowing is a method by which the author uses specific verbiage in a story to tell, or foreshadow, what is going to happen. The reader may feel as if they know what is going to happen before they read it, they could feel like a clairvoyant or that they are having a déjà vu experience. Ambrose Bierce’s story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” has instances of foreshadowing that allude to the death of Peyton Farquhar before the story reaches the climactic point of telling of his fate. The first instance of foreshadowing is when Peyton Farquhar thinks that he can escape the hangman’s noose and swim home.

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Ambrose Bierce displays writing skills in the short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” that create an unforgettable tale. By using key literary devices, the author takes the reader through an emotional journey. Imagery, being prominently in display throughout the story, gives the most total effect. Because of this literary element the author creates a world in which the readers immerse themselves in their imaginations. Within this imagery the author includes symbolism to further enhance the text.

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The Civil War was a time period of hardship and growth throughout the nation. Through the story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, Ambrose Bierce expresses his views on war and the military, as well as the hardships and perils of war by use of many literary devices. His opinions and his feelings are conveyed just as easily as the story line. Ambrose Bierce was a man who felt that war was an unnecessary issue. He felt that militaries had too much power and war would be the factor that caused the nation to tear at the seams.

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Suspense of Owl Creek Ridge Bierce has a great way of demonstrating suspense. In this short story Bierce illustrates the imagination of one man just as he is about to relinquish his life. Bierce is emphasizing that this man is trying to develop a new way of thinking to get his mind off what is actually happening. I gleaned from this story that it is suspenseful, questionable, and fearful.

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This piece of text is suspenseful to the reader because the reader does not know where the narrator is or what time period this event

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Have you ever entered a room, stumbling amongst an eye-stretching conversation? You know, one of those conversations where your mouth gapes open in sudden interest, while your head eagerly turns back and forth with your eyes following each party involved in the conversation. Well, you have entered the in Media res part of the conversation, just as Ambrose Bierce opened An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. In my opinion from a reader’s perspective the use of the literary device is sort of impudent for the reader to digest in most stories. However the details of the hyped scene are so rich and vivid that you become hooked and decide to catch-up on previous components and facts which may have led to this event later.

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1363 Words | 6 Pages

Deception, Genre, Motifs and Themes in Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” The short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce was an unbelievable work of fiction. The decision to recount this story from an omniscient perspective is the thing that made this story phenomenal. Since we are encountering the greater part of the feelings that the censured man felt, we are drawn into his private world. In the event that we had heard this from a more traditional perspective, it wouldn't have been so touching or individual as it seemed to be.

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752 Words | 4 Pages

The way an author writes a work can mean the difference between interest or the lack of interest. When first reading “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” a reader may find the ending quite a shock. However, if another author would write the same plot, the shock may not exist, but, because of the many techniques displayed by Ambrose Bierce throughout his work, readers remain interested and shocked upon first reading the last line. Techniques Bierce display in his work, such as use of point of view, literary devices, and plot developments, prove useful throughout “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by peaking the reader’s interest and keeping him or her trying to guess what exactly happened. Bierce employs two forms of point of view throughout his work, third-person omniscient and third-person limited.

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