An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce English III C. Edge CHS

Reading Focus # 1 How do Peyton Farquhar’s political beliefs put him in jeopardy? He does dangerous things to help the secessionist cause.

Reading Focus # 2 Summarize in one sentence what Farquhar imagines in Part III. He imagines the rope breaks; he escapes the soldiers and goes home to his wife and children.

Reading Focus # 3 What observation about the fundamental nature of war does Bierce make through the story of Peyton Farquhar? The story shows us that war is brutal and senseless.

Reading Focus # 4 As you read, you examined the sequence of events and point of view. Review your chart. Add another column, and explain how the pint of view Bierce uses in each part of the story is effective. Think about how point of view complements the event being described.

Literary Focus, # 5 Analyze. Bierce does not tell the story in chronological order. How might the story’s impact be different if the events were revealed in order? The story wouldn’t be as effective or suspenseful because the readers would know from the very outset that Farquhar was indeed hanged.

Literary Focus, # 6 Interpret. Giving examples, explain how the events in Part III parallel what is really going on. He is exhausted, is lost, and sees and hears things that are not there. The blow on the back of his neck that he experienced in his dream coincided with his being hanged from the bridge and his neck breaking.

Literary Focus, # 7 Evaluate. Many readers find the story’s conclusion powerful, but some argue that the ending is nothing more than a gimmick and cheats the reader. What do you think? It is powerful because just when the reader thinks Farquhar might be safe, he is in reality hanged.

Literary Focus, # 8

Literary Focus, # 9 Analyze. How does Bierce’s use of point of view help you understand the mind of Peyton Farquhar? How does it contribute to the effectiveness of the surprise ending? Bierce’s use of point of view makes us feel empathy. It makes us identify Peyton Farquhar as a man dedicated to the Southern cause and also as someone who was emotionally attached to his family. This point of view contributes to the ending by making it more emotional.

Literary Focus, # 10