1. Ambrose Bierce
A cynic “sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic’s eyes to improve his vision.”

2. Ambrose Bierce ( ?)
10th of 13 children; lived in a log cabin in Ohio.
War experiences
Joined the 9th Indiana Volunteers at age 19
Saw action at Shiloh and Chickamauga
Part of General Sherman’s march to the sea
Severely wounded once; cited for bravery 15 times

3. Personal Life Married Mary Ellen Day in 1871 Three children
Day, son, was shot in a brawl over a woman
Leigh, son, died of pneumonia related to alcoholism
Helen, daughter
Divorced wife after discovering letters from an admirer; she died the year after.
1913: Bierce asks his few friends to “forgive him in not perishing where he was” and set off for Mexico. He was never heard from again.

4. His Writing Sarcastic, caustic, humorous, realistic
Left the army, joined brother to work at the U.S. Mint
Began contributing caustically (bitter) witty, short pieces to the weeklies
Muckraking reporter, editor of the San Francisco News Letter, humorist magazine writer, novelist
“Bitter Bierce” – disillusioned with the deceit and greed of his times