Imagery In 'An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge'
Ambrose Bierce displays writing skills in the short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” that create an unforgettable tale. By using key literary devices, he takes the reader through an emotional journey. Imagery, prominently displayed throughout the story causes the reader to immerse themselves in their imagination, causing the largest effect on the audience. Within this imagery, Bierce includes symbolism to further enhance the text. Through it, he not only uses imagery to create a world, but he also creates an attachment to the characters. All of which, play into the plot, resulting in the impactful twist ending. In Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the total effect of imagery conveys evocative sensory details that …show more content…
Throughout the story the author builds upon the protagonist, Peyton Farquhar. This character adds complexity to the text and creates tension. The story states, “He [Farquhar] closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children” (23). In this sentence the reader starts to feel sorry for the man. If Farquhar dies, then he will leave his wife a widow, and his children fatherless. Another example states, “‘To be hanged and drowned,’ he thought, ‘that is not so bad; but I do not wish to be shot. No; I will not be shot; that is not fair’” (26). These thoughts show the reader determination and bravery. Death does not scare this man, and his sense of survival makes the reader hopeful. The text also states, “He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the entire night” (30). At this point in the story, Farquhar escapes the grasp of death and travels back to his home. The author includes imagery such as “bright” and “morning sunshine” to give the story a sense of peace and comfort. The author fools the reader with a sense of resolve and victory; however, Bierce soon reveals what truly happens. “ Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge” (31). Because of the descriptive characterization, this final sentence has an unforgettable
Summary: An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
814 Words | 4 Pages"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" begins with the capture of the protagonist Peyton Farquhar, a plantation and slave owner. Bierce paints a vivid picture of the surroundings around Farquhar as he awaits to be hanged. It then flashes back to the days leading up to the hanging. Where Farquhar was deceived by a federal spy claiming to be a confederate soldier. In the end, we see Farquhar escape from reality as he is serving his sentence to finally his demise.
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Essay
948 Words | 4 PagesThe story is written in a way that makes you believe the main character is alive and free, but in reality you are reading the last wishes of a dead man. The ending definitely caught me by surprise due to author’s efforts in playing with the main character’s point of view. I think the author also performed well with descriptive words as I could paint the scenes in my head like the, “...whirled on with a velocity of advance and gyration which made him giddy and sick” and “...the abrasion of one of his hands on the gravel...” (Bierce 604). The use of this imagery also helped the author convey the illusion of fantasy and
Owl Creek Bridge Foreshadowing
425 Words | 2 PagesIn conclusion, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” demonstrates several foreshadowing techniques to predict Farquhar’s fate, such as imagery and preternatural plot elements. The preternatural ability to hear a watch ticking at a vociferous volume reveals that Farquhar was simply imagining that his time is ticking away. Also, the use of imagery when he is unnaturally describing the distant trees in great detail shows that he is dreaming about that as well and not living in reality, so he has not escaped the fact that he will die in real
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Foreshadowing Analysis
813 Words | 4 PagesIn literary terms foreshadowing is a method by which the author uses specific verbiage in a story to tell, or foreshadow, what is going to happen. The reader may feel as if they know what is going to happen before they read it, they could feel like a clairvoyant or that they are having a déjà vu experience. Ambrose Bierce’s story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” has instances of foreshadowing that allude to the death of Peyton Farquhar before the story reaches the climactic point of telling of his fate. The first instance of foreshadowing is when Peyton Farquhar thinks that he can escape the hangman’s noose and swim home.
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720 Words | 3 PagesBarry communicates his fascination of the Mississippi through his intensely detailed sequences of the river, stand out word choice and use of juxtaposition with other rivers. If we were to imagine Barry’s passage without the use of these rhetorical devices, this enthusiasm would be largely dimmed and unable to convey to the readers. It is only through Barry’s use of words such as “radically alters”, “like an uncoiling rope” and as if it was trying to “devour itself” would the intense fascination that we get as readers of his writing be conveyed. The descriptions of the river flow, which could have just been described using words such as “fast” or “slow” has been granted with detailed complexity from Barry’s word choice. His decision to provide readers with almost a visual of the river through metaphors like “uncoiling a rope” and “snapping like a whip” allow us to envision the scene.
Owl Creek Bridge Foreshadowing
1452 Words | 6 PagesFarquhar stands on the bridge, hands tied and able to see all that's around him. He stands over the river thinking of his family and the possibility of escaping. He begins to fall into the river and tries to make his way home escaping death. He finally arrives home with
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Literary Analysis
971 Words | 4 PagesAmbrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” revolves around the manipulation of time through the conflict of man versus nature. Bierce uses time in his favor as he switches between the past and the present life of the main character, Peyton Farquhar, as he lives his last moments. He uses this to show how time can be “subjective and phenomenal during times of emotional distress”. (BookRags). The manipulation of time that is unnoticeable whilst reading the story strengthens the themes that are present in this work, such as man’s denial of mortality, and the conjuring of irrational situations.
Owl Creek Bridge Symbolism
473 Words | 2 PagesLiterary analysis of “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” Ambrose Bierce, the Author of “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” about a man who was being hanged, throughout the story Peyton hallucinates and thinks that he has escaped the hanging but in reality he’s dying. Bierce uses symbolism in “ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” to foreshadow that Peyton is going to die. There are multiple allusions throughout the story that Bierce used to convey the death of Peyton. Imagery is used throughout the entire story to show that Peyton is hallucinating. Throughout the entire story Bierce uses multiple literary techniques to foreshadow Peyton’s death.
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The Rocking Horse Winner And An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
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1117 Words | 5 PagesHowever, one also used this same strategy as a way to deviate from reality, while the other used it as a way to face reality. Imagery was used to illustrate that An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’s Peyton
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