An Occurrrence at Owl Creek Br

A detailed Summary of An Occurrrence at Owl Creek Br

One evening Farquhar and his wife were near the entrance of there land when a soldier rode up and asked for a drink so Mrs. Farquhar went to get some water. Farquhar approached the dusty horseman and asked for news from the front "the Yanks are repairing the railroad," said the man. The commander gave an order which states that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad will be hanged. When the soldier left, Farquhar approached the bridge and got caught. Now Farquhar stood upon the railroad bridge. His hands behind his back his wrists tied with a cord. Some loose boards were laid on the railroad tracks for him and his executioners. A soldier stood at each end of the bridge. Between the fort and the bridge were the spectators. The captain stood with folded arms silent. Then he was dropped and his neck broke.

Have you ever been so terrified that you imagine things? Have you ever gone to bed right after you watched a scary movie and start to imagine to hear every little noise in your house? Your heart is racing and every creak you hear is a f

ootstep, every groan is someone (or something) breathing. Fear can distort a persons senses and heighten the imagination. In the short story "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge", by Ambrose Bierce, this experience happens to the main character. A good example from literature is the main character in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart."

There are situation's in literature where fear can distort a person's senses and imagination. In Bierce's story, the character Payton Farquhar is about to be hanged for attempting to blow up a Union bridge. He is standing on a plank sticking out over the edge of a bridge. Farquhar has a rope around his neck, and as soon as the officer standing on the opposite end steps off, he will be hanged. In the split-second after the officer steps off (before Farquhar is hanged) he imagines the rope breaking off and himself plunging into the river below. He imagines getting the rope off and surfacing for breath. He imagines escaping the line of fire of the marksmen. His fear is so great he imagines this in less than a seco

Some common words found in the essay are:
Payton Farquhar, , Telltale Heart, Tale Heart, Ambrose Bierce, person's senses, Allen Poe's, dead man's, allen poe's, farquhar approached, fear distort, farquhar hanged, main character, rope neck, heart beat,

Approximate Word count = 716
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

"Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
Jack M.
"With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
Brian P.
"I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
Sara J.
"I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
Rachel W.
"I love this site!!!"
Marie N.