1.) Peyton Farquhar: Southern Plantation Owner; About 35 Years Old; A

1.) Peyton Farquhar: Southern Plantation Owner; About 35 Years Old; A

An Occurrence at Owl Creek

by Ambrose Bierce

CHARACTERS:

1.) Peyton Farquhar: Southern plantation owner; about 35 years old; a

well to do planter, of an old and highly respected Alabama family; a slave

owner; a secessionist and ardently devoted to the Southerncause;

beginning of story: Peyton is about to be hung because heattempted to

destroya bridge (across Owl Creek) that Northern army would use to

invade Alabama.

2.) Mrs. Farquhar: Farquhar's wife.
3.) Union Soldiers: They include executioners, sentinels, and overseeing officers on the bridge.

4.) Army Scout: Soldier who wears Confederate gray when he rides onto Farquhar's plantation and asks for a

drink of water.

Setting: The action takes place at a railroad bridge in northern Alabama during the U.S. Civil War - October 3 and 4, 1862. The bridge runs north-south over Owl Creek. On one side of the creek is thick forest. On the other is a company of Union soldiers. On the bridge are other Union soldiers preparing to execute a man with a rope around his neck.

Conflict: The obvious conflict is Peyton Farquhar vs. the Federal army. There is also an internal conflict as Farquhar battles the fear of dying by remembering what is most precious to him.

Time of Day: The story begins early in the morning, as disclosed by the following passage in Part I:

“He [Peyton Farquhar] closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children.The water,

touched to gold by the early sun, the brooding mists under the banks at some distance down the stream, the

fort, the soldiers, the piece of drift–all had distracted him.” The story ends the same day.

Type of Work and Years of Publication: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a short story that observes the ‘classical unities’–that is, it takes place in a single location on a single day while focusing on a single subject. There are no subplots. Although the story is fiction, it is based on real events during the U.S. Civil War. The story first appeared in theSan Francisco Examiner in 1890, then it appeared in 1891 in a collection of Ambrose Bierce’s stories.

Imagery: Bierce's story relies heavily on imagery centering on sight and sound to vivify his tale. Identify

the following examples:

1.) “Striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor

understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith's hammer upon the

anvil; it had the same ringing quality.” ______

(2.) “The water roared in his ears like the voice of Niagara, yet he heard the dulled thunder of the volley

and, rising again toward the surface, met shining bits of metal, singularly flattened, oscillating

slowly downward.” ______

(3.) “The cannon had taken a hand in the game.” ______

(4.) “As he shook his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the deflected shot

humming through the air ahead, and in an instant it was cracking and smashing the branches in the

forest beyond. ______

(5.) “A whizand rattle of grapeshot among the brancheshigh above his head rousedhim from his

dream.” ______and ______

INTRODUCTION: (PLOT): One evening while Farquhar and his wife were sitting on a rustic bench, a gray-clad soldier rode up and asked for a drink of water. Mrs. Farquhar was only too happy to serve him; while she was fetching the water, her husband approached the dusty horseman and inquired eagerly for news from the front.
"The Yanks are repairing the railroads," said the man, "and are getting ready for another advance. They have reached the Owl Creek Bridge, put it in order and built a stockade on the north bank. The commandant has issued an order, which is posted everywhere, declaring that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels, or trains will be summarily hanged. I saw the order."
"How far is it to the Owl Creek bridge?" Farquhar asked.
"About thirty miles."
"Is there no force on this side of the creek?"
"Only a picket post half a mile out, on the railroad, and a single sentinel at this end of the bridge."
"Suppose a man--a civilian and student of hanging--should elude the picket post and perhaps get the better of the sentinel," said Farquhar, smiling, "what could he accomplish?"
The soldier reflected. "I was there a month ago," he replied. "I observed that the flood of last winter had lodged a great quantity of driftwood against the wooden pier at this end of the bridge. It is now dry and would burn like tinder."
The lady had now brought the water, which the soldier drank. He thanked her ceremoniously, bowed to her husband and rode away. An hour later, after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going northward in the direction from which he had come. He was a Federal scout.
Questions:

1.) When Farquhar hears his watch ticking with an exaggerated intensity, the narrator is using the point

of view known as? a.) second-person limited b.) third-person limited c.) objective d.) subjective

2.) Which of the following BEST demonstrates the omniscient point of view?

a.) The narrator objectively describes the scene at the bridge

b.) The narrator focuses only on Farquhar and his thoughts and feelings

c.) The narrator reports that the gray-clad horseman was a Federal scout

d.) The narrator gives a first-person account of the events

3.) Which of the following statements about Peyton Farquhar is NOT true?

a.)He is a prosperous planter c.) He longs to be a soldier

b.) He is a supporter of slavery d.) He has opposed secession

4.) The Union soldiers in the selection are generally portrayed as . . .?

a.) merciless and deceptive b. benevolent and forgiving c. honorable and friendly

d.) selfish and distracted

5.) The surprise ending of the story reveals that Farquhar’s actual fate was…?

a.) a last-minute reprieve b.) a successful escape c.) death by drowning d.) death by hanging

Film Still

IRONY -TWO Examples in this short story:Identify the TYPE of IRONY (Verbal, Situational,

(1.) Peyton is duped into sabotaging the Union stockade at Owl Creek Bridge by a Union soldier disguised as a Confederate soldier. This disguise is the irony: the Union soldier performs an illegal act to get Peyton, a loyal southerner, to perform an illegal act. ______

(2.) After Peyton has seemingly escaped the hangman's noose, he travels through the forest. Everything is brighter, more vibrant. This could be the effect of his recent brush with death. Peyton doesn't seem to notice the pristine condition of his home that is at the center of the war torn Civil War South when he sees his wife. It is unclear if he is aware that the "white light" is the hangman's knot breaking his neck.

______

Stream of Consciousness Writing: (define the term) ______

______

______

______

style