An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Poem Analysis

Riley Glass
Lowe
English 236
17 May 2017
The Never-Ending Cycle of American Loneliness American alienation and loneliness has always been an issue for the average citizen. Within the realism, modernism, and contemporary time period, loneliness was a broad topic for american authors. Two stories from the realism period that clearly expressed how common loneliness in America was were “A New England Nun” by Mary Wilkins Freeman and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. Mary Wilkins Freeman composed various pieces of literature during the late 1800s and early 1900s dealing with women becoming more independent and less dependent on the men. This factor also flowed alongside alienation and loneliness in the women's’ lives. “A

“The Weary Blues” is a poem written in 1925 was an observation of the author watching a black man play on the piano. “He made that poor piano moan with melody. O Blues,” (Hughes, The Weary Blues.) His music was described as depressing and full of emotion. “He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. Sweet Blues,” (Hughes.) The listener to the tune hears the pianist sing of how there is no one else that understands or listens to his problems and he later on in the melody wishes that he was dead. The setting of the parlor in which he plays at accompanies the reader in forming an opinion of the man’s emotions. The parlor is described as gloomy and old. The melancholy tune and how the blues player lives his nights shows how lonely he feels. This story expresses both problems with common american alienation and black migration into highly populated white areas. African American loneliness was a common feeling during the modernist time period. Blacks were treated differently in public amongst peers which resulted in the feeling of being different from everyone. Literature evolved through the opportunity of making it known of this issue. The loneliness of African American families motivated black writers to create literature that would alter the mindset of society. This work of literature emphasized the Harlem Renaissance. With African Americans improving so greatly in literature, music, and dance, the difference the blacks felt against white culture was easier to be