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An occurrence at owl creek bridge literary devices
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Recommended: An occurrence at owl creek bridge literary devices
What Just Happened?
Literature is black text on white paper, however it is not simply black and white, but rather complexly colorful. It serves as a medium for escape and adventure. Readers have the privilege of omniscience into the lives of characters who are the antithesis of themselves, as well as character's whom the reader feels a deep connection with.
Because it is not black and white, there is no single correct interpretation of a given work. A piece of literature lives a different life in the mind of each reader. This open individual interpretation is the critical method known as reader response. Reaction to the short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce, is varied. Bierce takes on the role of God in the creation of the character, and his control of the ultimate outcome. Authors create an alternative universe. They have control over what happens in that universe, and how it will affect its inhabitants. They can manipulate it as they please. They can also destroy, as Bierce did to Peyton Farquhar. No matter how much the reader wanted Peyton to escape, it is Beirce's final ruling of death that we must deal with. The surprise ending thrills some, while upsetting others. In this sense, the author has some control over the readers reaction, and their consciousness. The reading resembles the experience of life itself, in that there are many twists and turn within our lives much like those in the story, that we have no control over, and often the outcomes are ultimately upsetting.
It is a deeply psychological work, revealing the mental struggles of the main character, Peyton Farquhar, as well as having an affect on the psychology of the reader. The reader becomes engulfed in Peyton's escape, experiencing each obstacle and hardship with him, wishing him to safety.
Bierce uses a very dreamlike structure to reveal Farquhar's psychologically suppressed ambitions:
"Obviously, he was from a structure background, born into an ordered world where formalities counted much among the gentry... Truly, Farquhar found himself inhibited by social and historical strictures, and so ‘longed for the release of his energies'" (Powers p.279) .
This inner struggle is a very Freudian concept. Freud held that there is a constant tension between man and his surroundings.
Bierce broke this story down into three parts. The first part of the narrative creates an atmosphere with the setting at Owl Creek Bridge. Great detail is told here as to who is present at the scene, what is happening, what the scene looks like, etc. But the reader only receives ideas and thoughts from one person, Peyton Farquar. The first part as like the other two parts of this story is written very systematically and clear. Even with such a structured set up, the author still manages to put great anticipation and fearsome emotion into the near end of the first part of this story. At this point the author makes the reader think Peyton is devising a way to set his hands free from the rope thereby beginning his journey to escape home.
When you read, especially fiction, you experience a broad sweep of human life. You gain access to the thoughts of others, look at history through another person’s eyes and learn from their mistakes, something that you otherwise would not be able to experience.
readers a dose of reality and human experience. People read literature and end up learning
Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” brings upon many questions relating to its change in perspectives and the focus on the character. The story is classified as realism based on the fact that the author, Bierce, focuses more on the character than the plot itself. Readers worry about the characters hanging, not about the war and the chicanery used by both opponents. Bierce also uses a change in perspective throughout the story to show emphasis on the character and his thoughts. The change alters the reality in the readers minds, in a way they truly believe that he will survive the hanging and escape free to his family. Sadly, that wouldn’t have given readers the opportunity to classify it as realism and it wouldn’t have given Bierce the chance to show the readers the way our brains play tricks on us.
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce is a short story about a man who seems to be lost in a world between reality and imagination. The story shows trials, triumphs, and the matters of life and death. The main character Peyton Farquhar is a proud confederate, husband, planter, and politician, not only is he all of those things but he is an optimist and this is what takes him on the journey of his life. After being put in a sticky situation he has nothing else to do but hope for a miracle. It’s not till the end that we find out Peyton has been dead throughout most of the story after breaking his neck from being hung.
The short story starts by creating curiosity with the revelation that a man will be hung in the owl creek bridge. At that moment the reader does not know the reasons for which the man will be sentenced. In the second section, the name of the man who will be hanged is mentioned, the motives for his crime and how he was captured. The final section illustrates the struggle Peyton Farquhar was facing and the events that went through your mind at that moment. He imagined/dream that he escape and peaceful return to their home. But the reality is another and his life ends in darkness and silence. (Bierce 201-209)
In the fictional short story of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author Ambrose Bierce does a superior job of making the mind of a reader wonder. Throughout the story, the reader is able to watch and experience the hanging of a local plantation owner Peyton Farquhar. The story contains three parts that show the present, a flash back to the past, and into an altered reality of Farquhar’s “getaway.” The story of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” demonstrates the theme of how the nature of time is free-flowing. Bierce uses three elements of fiction to successfully support the story in its free flow of time. Ambrose Bierce uses the setting, point of view, and plot structure to help organize the theme and the story’s unique elements.
The theme of this book is that the human capacity to adapt to and find happiness in the most difficult circumstances. Each character in the novel shows this in their way. For instance, their family is randomly taken from their home and forced to work but they still remain a close nit family. In addition, they even manage to stick together after being separated for one of their own. These show how even in the darkest time they still manage to find a glimmer of hope and they pursued on.
In the story, “Rocking Horse Winner,” a little boy has a rocking horse. It is a very dear toy to him. The boy grows up with his mother always complaining about how unlucky she thinks she is. She, without knowing it, affects her son in a very negative way. He makes it his job to prove his mother wrong. He figures out that through some sort of crazy magic, his rocking horse can predict the winners of horse races and tell the boy. Maybe it’s actually a rocking unicorn. Its horn is invisible, or maybe it was surgically removed when the unicorn was turned into plastic, and its rainbow coloured hair painted brown. Somehow, though it could still use its magical powers and talk to a boy. The boy uses his magical unicorn to win lots of money. Then, he dies. The moral of this story is that you can never trust a unicorn, especially if it had its horn surgically removed and its hair died. Anyone who dies his or her hair is obviously dishonest about his or her hair colour, and therefore, presumably, other matters as well, and unicorns are no exception. Watch out for unicorns, guys. Also, watch out for pigs, especially while walking through the slums of Naples. “A Shocking Accident” is about a boy whose father is killed by a pig. When one hears that someone was killed by a pig, the natural reaction is to laugh. Being killed by pigs, however, is no laughing matter. Imagine a six-hundred pound beast with razor-sharp tusks. Its eyes are bright red. Its face is smeared with the blood of its last meal. Yes, people, this is a carnivorous pig. It’s not funny at all. Unfortunately, this pig is not the one who killed the boy’s father. The boy’s father was killed by a fat pig falling on his head from a fifth-story balcony. That...
My perception of literature is anything written by an author for the consumption of an audience. By my own definition literature should include literary works from throughout the ages, but for some reason the word literature conjures up images of “Dante’s Inferno”, “Romeo, and Juliet”, and “Gone with the Wind”. After reading how literature is described in “The Norton Introduction to Literature”, I gained a deeper view of what literature is. There are many forms of literature including oral literature, graphic novels, and comic strips. Critically thinking about literature is important to the world because it allows you to explore a story from the point of view of the writer. When not just reading, but thinking about what you read you can gain
Literature connects us in ways we did not know we were connected. It explores themes that are critical to society that many are not aware of. Literature not only improves our reading skills but improves our understanding of the world. Life on earth would become better if individuals were attracted to literature. Literature changes individuals in ways they did not know. Before, I would notice literature and never explore it like we did in this course. In my opinion, I thought literature was not for me and I was not at the point to explore literature. Now I know that those ideas I had were false and literature can truly change an
Literature has been shaping and impacting society since time began. I believe that writing is one of the most significant forms of communication that we have seen all throughout history as well as today. Literature has a way of being able to transport individuals through time, countries, religions, and cultures. I, myself, am not a fan of reading due to I’m lazy, so when I do read it is usually because it is required or because it speaks to me. Luckily, I have been required to read some books that have really spoke to me and impacted the way I view the world around me.
“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light”( Nazarian 451). Literature gives individuals a chance to escape the current world for a moment, and become captivated in the words you are reading. Without Literature, our world would have no spark. There would be imagination, no passion, and no love.
Literature has many purposes, and opens doors to unique worlds. Through Literature, we discover ourselves and world time and again.
Literature is rarely, if ever, merely a story that the author is trying to tell. It is imperative that the reader digs deep within the story to accurately analyze and understand the message the author is trying to portray. Authors tend to hide themselves in their stories. The reader can learn about the author through literary elements such as symbolism, diction, and structure. A good example of this is Robert Frost’s poems The Road Not Taken and Nothing Gold can Stay in which he uses ordinary language unlike many other poets that became more experimental (Frost, Robert. “1.”).