An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce

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An Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeBy Ambrose
Bierce

• English III
• C. Edge
• CHS

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Reading Focus 1

• How do Peyton Farquhars political beliefs put
  him in jeopardy?
• He does dangerous things to help the secessionist
  cause.

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Reading Focus 2

• Summarize in one sentence what Farquhar imagines
  in Part III.
• He imagines the rope breaks he escapes the
  soldiers and goes home to his wife and children.

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Reading Focus 3

• What observation about the fundamental nature of
  war does Bierce make through the story of Peyton
  Farquhar?
• The story shows us that war is brutal and
  senseless.

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Reading Focus 4

• As you read, you examined the sequence of events
  and point of view. Review your chart. Add
  another column, and explain how the pint of view
  Bierce uses in each part of the story is
  effective. Think about how point of view
  complements the event being described.

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Literary Focus, 5

• Analyze. Bierce does not tell the story in
  chronological order. How might the storys
  impact be different if the events were revealed
  in order?
• The story wouldnt be as effective or suspenseful
  because the readers would know from the very
  outset that Farquhar was indeed hanged.

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Literary Focus, 6

• Interpret. Giving examples, explain how the
  events in Part III parallel what is really going
  on.
• He is exhausted, is lost, and sees and hears
  things that are not there. The blow on the back
  of his neck that he experienced in his dream
  coincided with his being hanged from the bridge
  and his neck breaking.

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Literary Focus, 7

• Evaluate. Many readers find the storys
  conclusion powerful, but some argue that the
  ending is nothing more than a gimmick and cheats
  the reader. What do you think?
• It is powerful because just when the reader
  thinks Farquhar might be safe, he is in reality
  hanged.

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Literary Focus, 8
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Literary Focus, 9

• Analyze. How does Bierces use of point of view
  help you understand the mind of Peyton Farquhar?
  How does it contribute to the effectiveness of
  the surprise ending?
• Bierces use of point of view makes us feel
  empathy. It makes us identify Peyton Farquhar as
  a man dedicated to the Southern cause and also as
  someone who was emotionally attached to his
  family. This point of view contributes to the
  ending by making it more emotional.

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Literary Focus, 10