An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce Feature Menu Introducing the Story Literary Focus: Point of View Reading Skills: Analyzing Sequence of Events

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce Our minds can conjure up vivid scenarios of triumph or defeat, joy or disaster. What thoughts might race through the mind of a person who faces death? To what extremes might the human imagination go?

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce As this story opens, a man named Peyton Farquhar is about to be hanged from a bridge by Union soldiers. As we follow Farquhar’s last, desperate thoughts of escape, we learn who he is how he came to be in this situation his fate—imagined and real [End of Section]

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Literary Focus: Point of View Point of view is the vantage point from which a writer tells a story. Like a movie camera panning the scene and then zooming in close, the narrator of Bierce’s story adopts several points of view.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Literary Focus: Point of View As you read the story, watch for these points of view: omniscient—the narrator seems to know everything about all the characters or events objective—the narrator reports the events in a detached way without comment third-person limited—the narrator zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of a single character [End of Section]

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Reading Skills: Analyzing Sequence of Events Bierce relates the events of this story out of sequence. As you read, make a list of the major events in the order in which they’re presented. Order in Which Events Are Presented 1. A man is about to be hanged off a railroad bridge. 2. At his home, Peyton Farquhar is told by a soldier in Confederate uniform that Union forces have taken Owl Creek Bridge.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Reading Skills: Analyzing Sequence of Events After you’ve finished reading, create a time line that shows the order in which the events actually happened. Chronological Order of Events Peyton learns that Union forces have taken Owl Creek Bridge. Peyton is about to be hanged by Union soldiers.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Reading Skills: Analyzing Sequence of Events Compare your first list of events with your time line. Think about why Bierce chose to relate the events out of sequence. [End of Section]

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Background Bierce pulls no punches: He attempts to depict people and events as they really are. This realism stands in stark contrast to romantic notions of life and storytelling. The story is set in the Deep South during the Civil War (1861–1865). The horrors of war serve as a setting for Bierce’s real focus: the mind of a man condemned to death. [End of Section]

Vocabulary

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Vocabulary Previewing the Vocabulary sentinel n.: guard; sentry. deference n.: respect. perilous adj.: dangerous. encompassed v. used as adj.: surrounded; enclosed. oscillation n.: regular back-and-forth movement. pivotal adj.: central; acting as a point around which other things turn.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Vocabulary Previewing the Vocabulary appalling adj.: frightful. gyration n.: circular movement; whirling. abrasion n.: scrape. malign adj.: harmful; evil.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Vocabulary Vocabulary Activity: Synonyms Match the synonyms in the left-hand column with the Vocabulary words in the right. enclosed _____ scrape _____ guard _____ central _____ whirling _____ b a. sentinel b. encompassed c. pivotal d. gyration e. abrasion e a c d

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Vocabulary Vocabulary Activity: Antonyms Match the antonyms in the left-hand column with the Vocabulary words in the right. well-meaning _____ disrespect _____ stillness _____ safe _____ wonderful _____ i e. deference f. perilous g. oscillation h. appalling i. malign e g f h [End of Section]

Meet the Writer

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Meet the Writer Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) was the tenth of thirteen children. Mainly self-educated, he fought bravely in the Civil War before turning to writing. His witty, caustic pieces—often exposing the deceit and greed of his times—earned him the nickname “Bitter Bierce.” More About the Writer [End of Section]