an occurrence at owl creek bridge

how old is Farquhar

35

where are the excecutioners from

federal army

where does the story take place

railroad bridge in n. alabama

Does the narrator ever intrude upon the story with his own observations or comments?

yes

what do we know about peyton wanting to enlist

he wasn't able to and it bothers him

Is there any omniscience, and if so, where specifically does it exist?

there is omniscience because we know what Farquhar is feeling

each section has a twist, what are they

1: ticking of watch 2: federal scout 3: he dies

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

(a) What is the setting (location and time period)?

The story takes place in Northern Alabama during the late Civil War, roughly during or after April of 1862.

author

ambrose bierce

what side of the war is he on

confederate south side

Does the author succeed in making him sympathetic? If so, how? If not, why not?

The author does succeed in making him sympathetic. Peyton has a family (story shows how much he wants to return home) and is incredibly supportive of his cause. He cannot fight in the military but still wants to contribute because he is a staunch supporter of slavery.

How is the story told - i.e., what is the narrative point of view? Does the point of view shift? Is the narrator completely neutral and objective, or does he intrude at all, offering personal opinions? (Support your responses with examples.)

The point of view shifts throughout the story. In the beginning, when describing the setting and the appearance of Farquhar, the narrator doesn't have insight into his mind. The narrator is observing his appearance and doesn't know what is happening in his mind. However, as the story goes on, the point of view shifts and although the narration is still in third person, the narrator has insight into Farquhar's thoughts. ) The narrator seems to be mostly neutral, however, there are some points where he offers his personal opinions. For example, when Farquhar is escaping from the cord around his hands, the narrator says "What a splendid effort! - what magnificent, what superhuman strength! Ah, that was a fine endeavor! Bravo!" (302) These are not the thoughts of Farquhar, they are the opinions of the narrator.

peyton's euphemism

"get the better of sentinel" sly mellow way of saying that he will kill the sentinel

Discuss the effects of the way the story is structured, especially presenting the background information in part 2 after part 1. How would the story be different if it were presented chronologically, beginning with the background exposition as in "The Jewelry"?

Had the story's information been presented chronologically, the story would lose suspense. If it had begun with his introduction in part 2, the events that occur would be specified to Farquhar himself and focuses the story on his own character's thoughts, rather than that of the general human.

What does the story reveal about human consciousness? Why is the ticking of Farquhar's watch particularly significant to understanding the story as a whole? What images strike you as particularly interesting or meaningful? What is the effect of the contrast between the stillness (lack of movement, sound, etc). of the part 1 and all the action, sounds, and colorful imagery of part 3?

The story reveals that human consciousness starts imagining hypothetical and detailed and vivid situations when faced with death. "He was now in full possession of his physical sense. They were, indeed, preternaturally keen and alert ... He felt the ripples upon his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck" (303). Farquhar is suddenly attentive and notices every single detail about his surroundings (eg: the ticking of his watch). The ticking of Farquhar's watch represents the coming of Death and how time is running out, and that he's paying attention to and acutely aware of the smallest details; his mind is going faster and faster, a.k.a the whole escape in Part 3. The way Ambrose Bierce describes the setup of the Farquar's hanging is detailed and stoic: no movement (except for the sergeant stepping off the plank) no emotion in the description (outside pov). Another detailed description is when Farquhar imagines he's being welcomed home by his beautiful wife. Part 1 is all about death and it's stoic: the readers already know what's going to happen and there's no way out; it's not from Farquhar's point of view (detached, not personal) more objective than Part 3. Part 3 is enticing and entertaining: gives the impression that Farquhar is actually going to escape, shows more of his emotions and human-side; all from Peyton's pov (can see what he's thinking/feeling) *shows the will and intense desire to live; intense vision of nature shows appreciation of life that goes beyond normal/ he normally doesn't experience this.

What is the significance of the description of the ticking of Peyton Farquhar's watch?

The watch ticks slower and slower, signifying the man's mind becoming more distorted as he becomes increasingly desperate to survive. Furthermore, the ticks of the watch demonstrate that his imagination is running much faster than reality,

irony

a lot of people die in war but it is very serious when just one man is being hung

What is Farquhar's occupation?

a plantation owner

part one

describes the man, his immediate surroundings, then more

Discuss the effects of the author's choosing this point of view in telling the story.

gains the man sympathy from the reader because a man is being hanged

What is the tone of the story? (Support your sense of the story's tone with examples of specific words, phrases, or sentences.)

grim, ominous, joyful (we then realize this isn't real)

is the story told completely objectively?

its told from the outside, with limited access to Farquhar's thoughts

do we know why peyton did not enlist

no

omniscence and objective

parts 1 & 2 are very fact based and are mainly objective, but by part 3, the story is told through Farquhar's mind.

What is the significance of the reference to Mrs. Farquhar's "white hands"?

readers can infer she is usually not the one who is getting the water as she would be having multiple slaves

did peyton want to enlist

yes