Analysis Of 'An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge'

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help develop and inform the text's major themes. One of the prominent themes in the novel The Catcher in the Rye and one of great interest to the narrator himself, would be the omnipresent theme of death. It could be argued that the novel is not only full of references to death in the literal sense, physical disappearance, but also in the metaphorical, taking the form of spiritual disappearance, something which Holden often focuses on, along with the actual theme of mortality. It is possible that this occurs in his reluctance to interact with the living world, as his means of escaping from the reality he despises, his mundane thoughts and the “phoniness” that he is surrounded with. Holden becomes increasingly attracted to the idea and comes close to obsession, as his mind is flooded with thoughts of death and disappearance, as well as questions which are revealed throughout the novel.

Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” contains a profound collection of information which causes the end of the selection to be exceptionally more shocking. Bierce alludes to Peyton Farquhar’s demise while still describing his adventurous escape from death. Through the use of a variety of literary techniques including imagery, preternatural plot elements, allusion, and more, Bierce foreshadows the damagingly shocking end of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Bierce’s use of imagery throughout the short story contrives a sense of eeriness from his readers. A common occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is Bierce’s manipulation of time.

The Role of Art in “The Fall of the House of Usher Art can be expressed within writing pieces, poems and short stories in various types of forms. Edgar Allen Poe uses music as a form of art to help the main character Roderick try to cope with his unstable state of mind. Roderick experiences moral dilemmas and music serves to distort his feelings unintentionally. Simiraily, the ancient greek philosopher Aristotle believed that for a balance of life one needs to encounter the bad experiences in order to feel better and move on to better times. Furthermore, his belief was focused that one needs to participate in negative emotions to relieve the pain that he or she feels.

Bradbury and Poe both write enticing stories. For Some they would choose the more darker side of literature that is “The Cask of Amontillado.” Others prefer a simpler text with a real world problem imbedded into to the story such as “Chrysalis”. The stark contrast found in both stories cause the atmosphere to change between the readers.

London engages the reader through the use of literary devices, combining setting, total omniscience point of view, symbolism, and foreshadowing. By presenting the setting to the readers, London begins to show them that the tone is very unhappy and fearful. Like setting, the narrator presents the somber tone of the story through the total omniscience point of view. Additionally, various symbols are employed throughout the story to help support the narrator’s dark tone. Finally, the usage of foreshadowing from the start to the finish of the story helps to maintain the fearful and dark tone.

In George Saunders’ essay from The Guardian, he states, “We often think that the empathetic function in fiction is accomplished via the writer’s relation to his characters, but it’s also accomplished via the writer’s relation to his reader” (The Guardian). In Kurt Vonnegut’s story “Harrison Bergeron”, we can see this idea shown through the reader’s connection with Harrison. Vonnegut uses the main character of the story, Harrison Bergeron, as a symbol of empathy by allowing the reader to relate to his desire for individuality. At first glance in a story like “Harrison Bergeron”, it may seem difficult for a reader to connect to any of the characters. All of these characters “weren 't only equal before God and the law.

In the story “Cathedral” Carver uses a variety of elements to contribute to his story. When the story begins the narrator is trouble by the visitor due to the visitor’s disability. However, the narrator is rude and inconsiderate oftentimes making remarks about the blinds man disability to see. In this story I see that Carver uses the narrator’s prejudgments as a reflection of today’s society. As the story progresses, readers can start seeing the difference between looking and seeing, the potential for greatness and kindness in humanity, and how the cathedral drawn by both the narrator and Robert represents true sight.

The author Edgar Allen Poe was born in 1809, he is a well-known and spoken author, known for the portrayal of gothic and morbid writing techniques. Understanding the world view and living conditions Edgar Allan Poe experiences while writing the Cask of Amontillado, helps with the readers appreciation and understanding of the writing. According to, Biography.com, Poe had a hard life of trials but found joy in his writings also making most of his stories about personal life situations and hardships. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “A Cask of Amontillado,” portrays foreshadowing through irony, Montresor leading Fortunato to the catacombs, and the trowel that Montresor kept in his coat. The first literary technique that Poe utilizes in, “A Cask of Amontillado” to portray foreshadowing is irony.

Deviating from romanticism, which would have focused on external depictions of horror, he concentrated on internal depictions of the human mind which reveal a character’s internal struggle and therefore make his depictions more realistic and stylishly accurate. Therefore, the accuracy in his depictions of people reveals the inner workings of the human mind and his outlook on them. Poe’s precise and intricate use of narrative and diction examines the psychological elements of human nature, thereby creating the new genre of gothic romanticism. Poe’s narrative style was unconventional as seen when describing the character’s environment in The Tell-Tale Heart. Poe uses first person narrative as a mean of revealing the character’s psyche.

Steiner distinguishes between four types of difficulty. First, “contingent difficulty” that results from obscure references which can hinder the reading process, but can finally be looked up and resolved and thus it is not a serious type of difficulty. This contingent difficulty is obviously manifested in Muldoon’s “The More a Man Has” as he uses obscure references which make readers uncertain about the author’s attitude towards these references, whether it is willful, casual, indifferent, or deliberate. The second type is “modal difficulties” which is concerned with historical references between cultures and sensibilities (Steiner 31-33). Muldoon’s interest in revealing the daily violent life in the surrounding society and the harsh reality people are experiencing, that are definitely uninteresting or unexciting, does not negate the fact that they can be full of bewildering experiences that correspond to this second category of difficulty (Patke

Authors use figurative language to engage their readers and make their story more convincing or interesting. Authors also use it to help add mood fluency and imagery to their books. For example, in Ender’s game the author uses figurative language a lot to help the reader understand and help picture what 's going on in the scenes. The author uses metaphors, and hyperboles to create vivid images. The author use these literary devices to enhance the novel.