How many people would truly die for another person? Or harder yet, die for a cause? Many would say no, the task is too difficult, it’s too much to ask a person to do. And who can blame those who believe that? After all, death is absolutely final and irreversible, to die for an idea might seem like a complete impossibility. But there are a selective few who would bravely do what they believe right, even when the consequences may be terrible.
Rosa Parks is an amazing example of standing up for the cause. She knew she was supposed to hand over her seat to a white man. She knew that the aftermath of such an act at that time was punishable by jail time. And she did it anyway, for the dream of equal rights to all, no matter the race, color, religion, age, gender etc.
In our story The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, we are given another perfect example. Peyton Farquhar, the victim of the tale, is one of those people who’ve received the judgment and consequences from another who deemed themselves right and superior over him. In this story, the aftermath of a regular man brings him to his death all to quickly, and we can only understand his thoughts and emotion through an author who clearly understands the demands of war.
Ambrose Bierce himself was a veteran of war and knew the feeling of fighting for one’s morals, standards, and beliefs, willing to put down his life for a higher cause–whether others understood it or not.
During the Civil War, after being set up mercilessly to attempt to sabotage an apparently important bridge, Peyton Farquhar, a southern plantation owner and family man, was sentenced to death by hanging and stood on the solemn Owl Creek Bridge, waiting for the black hour of his demise. In the few seconds it too...
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...elieve it’s safe to say countless of people are that hopelessly drunk man who begged for death but automatically protects himself from destruction. It’s only human, after all.
Since we can connect to this emotion of Peyton, can’t we also say that we fight for a higher cause? Are we willing to do what it takes to defend whatever it is we regard as true and worth defense and protection?
To stand up for what’s important to someone is the subtle undercurrent of this story that Ambrose Bierce wrote, being a veteran of war himself. Clearly, this is something he really believes in. He tells us through the words of his story, What can one do but fight back death hopelessly? Peyton Farquhar fought back mentally, right under death’s nose. Why? Because he’s human. Human’s who can hate, love, want, reject. All emotion strong enough to make us fight, for whatever purpose.
War as seen through the eyes of Ambrose Bierce in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge depicts it as truly gritty. The author successfully sends a message of how death is a part of war, and it is not as noble or glorious as one would think it is. Due to popular media, we have this attitude that the protagonist is going to go down in a blaze of glory, and while it may be true for some, it is not like that for everyone. War is rough, dark, and gritty but no one ever wants to talk about those parts of war because it would ruin the fantasy of it.
The next four years were spent traveling the states fighting in some of the most well known battles of the Civil War . Ambrose Bierce’s experience during the Civil War where he faced the dangers of nature and man influenced his writing.
On July 25, 1946, two young black couples- Roger and Dorothy Malcom, George and Mae Murray Dorsey-were killed by a lynch mob at the Moore's Ford Bridge over the Appalachee River connecting Walton and Oconee Counties (Brooks, 1). The four victims were tied up and shot hundreds of times in broad daylight by a mob of unmasked men; murder weapons included rifles, shotguns, pistols, and a machine gun. "Shooting a black person was like shooting a deer," George Dorsey's nephew, George Washington Dorsey said (Suggs C1). It has been over fifty years and this case is still unsolved by police investigators. It is known that there were atleast a dozen men involved in these killings. Included in the four that were known by name was Loy Harrison. Loy Harrison may not have been an obvious suspect to the investigators, but Harrison was the sole perpetrator in the unsolved Moore's Ford Lynching case. The motive appeared to be hatred and the crime hurt the image of the state leaving the town in an outrage due to the injustice that left the victims in unmarked graves (Jordon,31).
Rosa Parks was a African American woman who sat in the front of the bus after a long hard day at work. As she traveled on the bus back home, a Caucasian male approached and asked her to get up from her seat to go to the back of the bus because he wanted to sit there. Instead of avoiding the trouble and just going to the back of the bus, she decided to stay where she was . Due to the time period, because of her not giving her seat up to the gentlemen, she was arrested and charged with civil disobedience. After her arrest was made a boycott would ensue
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a perfect example of the power of the will to live. It
According to Baybrook, “Peyton Farquhar believes -- as do the readers -- that he has escaped execution and, under heavy gunfire, has made his way back home” (Baybrook). One of Bierce’s main means to achieve this goal of forcing the reader to buy into his delusion is ‘time’. Because ‘time’ is utilized to calibrate human experiences, it becomes obscure, altered and split in times of extreme emotional disturbance. The time that is required for hanging Farquar seems to be indefinite, however, Bierce goes the extra mile and indicates that there is a certain ‘treshold of death’ that lingers beyond recognition. When it is exceeded, it results in a distorted and blurred pe...
The short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, exemplifies the idea of dream versus reality. A dream is believe that comes from the deepest stage of your mind. Is based on ideas, emotions and sensations that sometimes are related to our real life or just a fantasy. Reality is a succession of events that exist.
Beowulf risk his life for populace numerous of times. Beowulf went to help a person that wasn’t even art of his society knowing that he might die but he didn’t care because the daredevil inside of him would not go out without a fight. Beowulf fought the monster Grendel without arms knowing that it may not work but at the
To help our fellow man, and to live life courageously.” (“Abraham Lincoln a Courageous Man”). Abraham Lincoln stood up for what he believed was right and attempted, with a success, to end slavery. During this time, many people in the South did not agree with him which caused chaos for Lincoln to deal with. Even with the chaos, he never wavered in his decision and continued to push for what he thought was right. Years later Lincoln’s impact was seen during the American civil rights movement. Rosa Parks, an African American women who lived in Alabama, showed major courage on a bus she was riding. “Parks is famous for her refusal on December 1, 1955 to obey bus driver James Blake’s demand that she relinquish her seat to a white man.” (“Rosa Parks Biography”). This showed courage because the other three people that were sitting with her decided to just listen to the bus driver instead of standing up for something that they believe in. She wanted to prove a point to the people even if the resulting factor was her arrest and
Jones, Peter G, War and the Novelist: Appraising the American war Novel. University of Missouri Press, 1976. 5-6. Rpt. in Literary Themes for Students, War and Peace. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 449-450. Print.
Since the beginning of history, human society has centered around war. People throughout the ages have attempted to understand why wars occur, and the effect of war on the people who fight in them. Authors have utilized the power of language to attempt to grasp the struggle and the horror of war, and make it accessible to the public. For example, Hemingway’s “In Another Country” and Bierce’s “Coup de Grace” both provide a glimpse into different aspects of war. Although they both pertain to the idea of war, “In Another Country” focuses on the psychological trauma of war while “Coup de Grace” showcases the horror of war. This is visible in the theme, setting, and characters of both stories.
In the story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Peyton Farquhar, a civilian in the Confederate Army, is going to be hanged because he attempted to burn down the bridge to diminish the advance of the Union army. He is being hanged near the foundation of the river, so he tries to flee and makes it to the bank of Owl Creek.
Farquhar and his wife encounter a Federal scout describing the North’s gain of Owl Creek Bridge. “They (the Union) have reached the Owl Creek bridge, put it in order and built a stockade on the north bank . . . . declaring that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged” (147). This verifies that the Federal scout is warning the southern man and his wife to not engage in any questionable behavior against the Union. The man’s devotion to the South is being tested, as the visitors are posing a threat to the area. “That opportunity, he (Farquhar) felt, would come, as it comes to all in war time. Meanwhile he did what he could. No service was too humble for him to perform in aid of the South” (147). This shows that Farquhar won’t allow the Union’s takeover without him meddling in their affairs. Avoiding the Federal scout’s warning, he launches an attack on the Union, landing himself on the edge of Owl Creek bridge. “Looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s (Farquhar) hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck” (145). This illustrates that Farquhar has been caught by the Union after his attack
Ambrose Bierce wrote “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” In this short story, each and every single word he wrote had his opinion on war all over it. In the beginning, he wrote with such a lack of emotion. Bierce even said, “In the code
... us making time in our busy lives to serve people in need, they too will learn the importance of self-sacrifice. Our actions speak louder than our words. We can preach to them all day long about service and sacrificing for others, but if they don’t witness our active participation in these acts, they will likely follow our example and not heed our words.