Literature of the Civil War Focus and Motivate An Occurrence at … · 2019-03-28 · Bowers and Dod Grile. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Short Story by Ambrose Bierce Literature

did you know? Ambrose Bierce . . .• was one of 13 children,

whose names all began with the letter A.

• was awarded 15 commendations for bravery under fire.

• was nicknamed Bitter Bierce for his cynical humor and cruel wit.

• also wrote under the names Mrs. J. Milton Bowers and Dod Grile.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeShort Story by Ambrose Bierce

Literature of the Civil War

KEYWORD: HML11-602AVIDEO TRAILER

Meet the Author

As a Civil War soldier, Ambrose Bierce was an eyewitness to the harsh realities of war. The brutal contrast between soldiers’ dreams of glory and the senselessness of warfare became a recurring theme in Bierce’s postwar short stories, including his suspenseful tale “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”

In the Line of Fire Born into a poor, intensely religious family, Bierce spent his early years on an Indiana farm. At age 15, he left home for a job at a newspaper, where he set type. Three years later, the Civil War broke out, and the idealistic Bierce immediately volunteered for the Union army. Fighting in some of the war’s bloodiest battles, Bierce watched many of his comrades die and nearly died himself from a head wound.

When the war was over, Bierce moved to San Francisco, which was then the literary center of the West. Determined to

become a writer, Bierce took a job as a night watchman,

which allowed him ample time for reading and for polishing his writing skills. He started writing a regular newspaper

column and became famous for exposing

bigotry, hypocrisy, and corruption with razor-sharp

satire. His cutting wit earned him the title “the Wickedest

Man in San Francisco.” Such a reputation delighted Bierce, who kept on his desk a human skull that he claimed belonged to one of his critics.

A Morbid Imagination Bierce began publishing short stories in the 1870s, when realism was becoming the dominant literary style in American fiction. Although Bierce’s true-to-life war stories inspired realist writers like Stephen Crane, his fiction often included surreal or ghostly events. Like Edgar Allan Poe, to whom he was often compared, Bierce was fascinated with strange and horrible deaths, and he described them with his characteristic dark humor and a sense of irony. Bierce also went beyond realism in his experiments with narration, pioneering the use of multiple points of view in a single story.

Vanished At 71, Bierce revisited Civil War battle sites where he had fought and then went to Mexico to report on the Mexican Revolution as an observer with Pancho Villa’s rebel army. He never returned to the United States, and no trace of him was found. Before he left, he wrote to a niece, “If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think that a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease or falling down the cellar stairs.”

Ambrose Bierce 1842–c. 1914

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Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML11-602BAuthor Online

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RL 2 Provide an objective summary of the text. RL 3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate the elements of a story. RL 4 Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings. RL 5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

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Essential Course of Study ecosecos

Focus and Motivate

Selection Resources

RL 2 Provide an objective summary of the text. RL 3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate the elements of a story. RL 4 Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings. RL 5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact. L 4b Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech. L 6 Acquire and use accurately general academic words.

about the authorAfter students have read about Bierce’s life, have them discuss how his experiences in the Civil War may have changed his idealistic viewpoint. Explain that “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” describes the kind of “strange and horrible death” that fascinated Bierce, and it includes both idealistic and dark views of war and death.

NOTABLE QUOTE“Nothing is so improbable as that which is true.” —Ambrose Bierce

Ask students how Ambrose Bierce’s life experiences have contributed to his belief in this statement.

* Resources for Differentiation † Also in Spanish ‡ In Haitian Creole and Vietnamese

RESOURCE MANAGER UNIT 3Plan and Teach, pp. 109–116Summary, pp. 117–118† ‡*Text Analysis and Reading

Skill, pp. 119–122†*Vocabulary, pp. 123–125*

DIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION TESTSSelection Tests, pp. 173–176

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKITDefinition Mapping, p. E6Sequence Chain, p. B21Analysis Frame: Plot, pp. D21,

D28Three-Column Journal, p. B10

INTERACTIVE READERADAPTED INTERACTIVE READERELL ADAPTED INTERACTIVE READER

TECHNOLOGY Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM Student One Stop DVD-ROM PowerNotes DVD-ROM Audio Anthology CD GrammarNotes DVD-ROM ExamView Test Generator on the Teacher One Stop

See resources on the Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM and on thinkcentral.com.Go to thinkcentral.com to preview the Video Trailer introducing this selection. Other features that support the selection include• PowerNotes presentation • ThinkAloud models to enhance

comprehension• WordSharp vocabulary tutorials• interactive writing and grammar

instruction

Video Trailer

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Can we escape the inevitable?“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” opens with an execution about to take place. Standing on an isolated, heavily guarded bridge, with a noose around his neck, the protagonist is doomed. There is no escape. Or is there?DISCUSS In a small group, list ways people respond when faced with a bad situation they cannot change. Classify each response as useful or destructive. When does it make sense to look for a way out, and when is it time to accept the inevitable?

text analysis: point of viewBecause the narrator is the voice that tells a story, the reader knows only what the narrator is able to tell. Therefore, the narrator’s point of view greatly affects the story’s events as well as the internal and external development of characters. Types of point of view include• first person: told by a character in the work whose

knowledge is limited to his or her own experiences• third-person omniscient: told by a voice outside the story

who reveals the thoughts and feelings of all the characters• third-person limited: told by a voice outside the story who

focuses on one character’s thoughts and feelingsAs you read, look for clues in the narration that help identify the point of view in Ambrose Bierce’s story, and consider the impact of that choice.

reading skill: analyze structureTo analyze the structure of a literary work, you examine the relationship between its parts and its content. This story is divided into three numbered sections, each of which occurs at a different point in time. After you read each section, summarize the events that occur and note when they take place. Use a chart like the one shown to record your notes.

What Happens When

Section 1

vocabulary in context Bierce used the words in Column A in his tale of a man facing death. Test your knowledge by matching each vocabulary word with its synonym in Column B.

Column A Column B 1. interminable a. swaying 2. poignant b. painful 3. ineffable c. predicting 4. summarily d. unending 5. oscillation e. indescribable 6. ludicrous f. immediately 7. presaging g. laughable

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.603

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TeachCan we escape the INEVITABLE?Ask the question, and then have students read the paragraph that follows it. After the class speculates on the meaning of the question “Or is there?” have them complete the DISCUSS activity. Then, invite volunteers to explain when it is sensible to escape and when it is time to accept that there is no escape.

vocabulary in contextDIAGNOSE WORD KNOWLEDGE Have all students complete Vocabulary in Context. Check their answers against the following:ineffable (Gn-DfQE-bEl) adj. beyond description;

inexpressibleinterminable (Gn-tûrQmE-nE-bol) adj. endlessludicrous (lLQdG-krEs) adj. laughably absurd;

ridiculousoscillation (JsQE-lAPshEn) n. the action of

swinging back and forth

poignant (poinQyEnt) adj. physically or mentally painful

presaging (prDsQGj-Gng) adj. predicting summarily (sE-mDrQE-lC) adv. quickly and

without ceremony

PRETEACH VOCABULARY Use the following copy master to help students predict meanings.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Study p. 123

Model the Skill: point of view

To help students identify point of view, write this passage on the board:

Harry knew that if the fire continued to spread, he would never escape. His fear paralyzed him. Then, he heard the stairs collapse.

Circle words that relay the passage’s point of view, such as he and His. Then, point out that the passage’s point of view is third-person limited.GUIDED PRACTICE Ask students to identify the point of view in a favorite story or novel.

T E X T A N A L Y S I S

Model the Skill: analyze structure

Explain to students that when a story’s structure includes different time periods, readers must use textual evidence and context clues to put the parts together. Point out that the story begins with a character in crisis, so readers need clues explaining how the crisis arose. Also, emphasize that structuring the story out of sequence creates suspense.GUIDED PRACTICE Ask students to identify another literary work in which the author generated suspense by structuring the story out of sequence.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterAnalyze Structure page 121 (for student use while reading the selection)

R E A D I N G S K I L L

an occurrence at owl creek bridge 603

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An OccurrenceOccurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce

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IIA man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers1 supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners—two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At a short remove upon the same temporary platform was an officer in the uniform of his rank, armed. He was a captain. A sentinel at each end of the bridge stood with his rifle in the position known as “support,” that is to say, vertical in front of the left shoulder, the hammer resting on the forearm thrown straight across the chest—a formal and unnatural position, enforcing an erect carriage of the body. It did not appear to be the duty of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge; they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it. a

Beyond one of the sentinels nobody was in sight; the railroad ran straight away into a forest for a hundred yards, then, curving, was lost to view. Doubtless there was an outpost farther along. The other bank of the stream was open ground—a gentle acclivity 2 topped with a stockade of vertical tree trunks, loopholed for rifles, with a single embrasure 3 through which protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge. Midway of the slope between bridge and fort were the spectators—a single company of infantry in line, at “parade rest,” the butts of the rifles on the ground, the barrels inclining slightly backward against the right

604 unit 3: from romanticism to realism

1. sleepers: railroad ties. 2. acclivity: an upward slope. 3. embrasure: a flared opening in a wall for a gun, with sides angled so that the inside opening is larger

than that on the outside.

a POINT OF VIEW Identify the point of view used in lines 1–15. What does the tone of the description tell you about the narrator’s perspective?

Analyze VisualsBased on this image, what do you predict will happen in the story?

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Targeted Passage1

differentiated instruction

Practice and ApplysummaryBierce’s short story begins with Peyton Farquhar, a Southern planter, standing on a bridge in Alabama, about to be hanged by Union soldiers for attempting to set fire to Owl Creek Bridge. He falls through the bridge and hangs for a moment before the rope breaks and falls into the water. He unties his hands, dodges bullets, and swims ashore. He runs through the forest to his home, where he sees his wife. Then he feels a pain on his neck and hangs, dead. His escape was a fantasy.

for english language learnersVocabulary Support Use Definition Mapping to teach these words: Federal (line 6), code (line 32), undertake (line 89), reluctance (line 140), perspective (line 255).

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencyDefinition Mapping p. E6

for struggling readersIn combination with the Audio Anthology CD, use one or more Targeted Passages (pp. 604, 608, 610, 612, 614) to ensure that students focus on key story events and concepts. Targeted Passages are also good for English language learners. 1 Targeted Passage [Lines 1–15]

This passage introduces students to the story setting at Owl Creek Bridge as well as to the main character and his pending execution.

read with a purposeHelp students set a purpose for reading. Tell them to read to discover how the main character found himself in such a dire situation.

T E X T A N A L Y S I Sa Model the Skill:

point of viewTo help students identify the story’s point of view, point out the absence of the pro-noun I which would indicate first-person point of view. Possible answer: The point of view is third-person omniscient. The narrator describes a man who is about to be hung (lines 2–4) and the soldiers (lines 6–12) in a calm tone that suggests the narrator is detached and objective, able to report all aspects of the event factually.

604 unit 3 : from romanticism to realism

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Occurrence

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This selection on thinkcentral.com includes embedded ThinkAloud models–students “thinking aloud” about the story to model the kinds of questions a good reader would ask about a selection.

Reading Support

Analyze VisualsPossible answer: This image suggests that a man is going to hang from somewhere that drops him into water.

revisit the big QUESTIONCan we escape the INEVITABLE?Discuss Given what you discovered about the man’s situation in lines 1–15, does he have a chance of escape? Explain. Possible answer: It does not seem that he has any chance at all of escape. He already is tied with a rope around his neck (lines 2–3). His executioners are already on the bridge (line 6), and soldiers guard both ends of the bridge (line 9).

• Where and when does the story take place? (lines 1–6)

• What other people are with the man? What are they doing? (lines 6–15)

• What is happening to the man? (lines 2–4)

for advanced learners/apProvide these projects to extend the lesson: • Create a portrait of Farquhar.• Write a letter from Farquhar to his wife.• Evaluate an ideological statement from the

story.Have students present their projects to the class with an explanation of their ideas.

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MastersIdeas for Extension pp. 114–115

for struggling readersDevelop Reading Fluency Tell students that when they read the beginning of a story aloud, they should read slowly enough for listen-ers to catch all of the important details that introduce them to the story’s situation. Read aloud the story’s first paragraph. After reading, discuss your pacing, pointing out places you chose to pause in the longer sentences. Then, have students practice reading this paragraph with a partner.




4. stock: the wooden part of the rifle that serves as a handle.

shoulder, the hands crossed upon the stock.4 A lieutenant stood at the right of the line, the point of his sword upon the ground, his left hand resting upon his right. Excepting the group of four at the center of the bridge, not a man moved. The company faced the bridge, staring stonily, motionless. The sentinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the bridge. The captain stood with folded arms, silent, observing the work of his subordinates, but making no sign. Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him. In the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference.

The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His features were good—a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well-fitting frock-coat. He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp. Evidently this was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.

The preparations being complete, the two private soldiers stepped aside and each drew away the plank upon which he had been standing. The sergeant turned to the captain, saluted and placed himself immediately behind that officer, who in

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Language CoachTopically Related Words Read lines 30–32. Look up dignitary, etiquette, and deference in a dictionary. How is each word related to the ideas of formality or respect?

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II

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tiered discussion promptsIn lines 57–70, use these prompts to help stu-dents envision the main character’s situation:

Connect In your experience, how do people’s senses change in an alarming situation? Accept all thoughtful responses.Interpret Why does the man’s ticking of his watch bother him so much? Possible answer: The man appears to be in a state of heightened consciousness, perhaps from fear. He relates the regular ticking to “the tolling of a death knell” (line 65). The sounds of his watch do not really increase “in strength and sharpness” (line 68), but seem to as his fear increases. This fear also makes him experi-ence the watch sounds more intensely, “like the thrust of a knife” (line 69). Evaluate Is it believable that a watch could become so loud? Possible answer: Yes; for example, when a person gets really nervous, he may hear his heartbeat as if it is in his ear. Sounds and sensations become more pronounced in fearful situations, just as they have for the main character.

for english language learnersLanguage CoachTopically Related Words Answer: Dignitary:a high position that is worthy of respect; etiquette: actions showing formality or respect; deference: courteous respect. Have students use each word in a sentence. Then, have students trade papers with a partner and decide whether their partner used each word correctly.

for advanced learners/apAnalyze Personification and Tone [paired option] Have students identify the figure of speech being used in lines 30–32 (personifi-cation) and paraphrase them for the class. Then have pairs write and exchange five sentences that personify fear and death. Finally, have small groups discuss these questions:

• How do these sentences explain the way sol-diers are meant to react to death? How might that differ from civilian reactions?

• What do you think the “code of military etiquette” (line 32) means? What evidence have you seen so far in the story that displays military etiquette?

• What is the narrator’s tone in lines 40–41? What is he suggesting in those lines about the military code?





turn moved apart one pace. These movements left the condemned man and the sergeant standing on the two ends of the same plank, which spanned three of the cross-ties of the bridge. The end upon which the civilian stood almost, but not quite, reached a fourth. This plank had been held in place by the weight of the captain; it was now held by that of the sergeant. At a signal from the former the latter would step aside, the plank would tilt and the condemned man go down between two ties. The arrangement commended itself to his judgment as simple and effective. His face had not been covered nor his eyes bandaged. He looked a moment at his “unsteadfast footing,” then let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current. How slowly it appeared to move! What a sluggish stream! b

He 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. And now he became conscious of a new disturbance. 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. He wondered what it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near by—it seemed both. Its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell.5 He awaited each stroke with impatience and—he knew not why—apprehension. The intervals of silence grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening. With their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of his watch.

He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. “If I could free my hands,” he thought, “I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take to the woods and get away home. My home, thank God, is as yet outside their lines; my wife and little ones are still beyond the invader’s farthest advance.”

As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed into the doomed man’s brain rather than evolved from it the captain nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside. c

IIIIPeyton Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, of an old and highly respected Alabama family. Being a slave owner and like other slave owners a politician he was naturally an original secessionist and ardently devoted to the Southern cause. Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with the gallant army that had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth,6 and he chafed under the

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5. the tolling of a death knell: the slow, steady ringing of a bell at a funeral or to indicate death. 6. Corinth: a town in Mississippi that was the site of a Civil War battle in 1862.

c ANALYZE STRUCTUREIf the story were told in chronological order, what would you expect to happen next?

b POINT OF VIEW Note that the third-person point of view narrows from omniscient to limited. What sensory details alert you to this change in perspective?


revisit the big QUESTIONCan we escape the INEVITABLE?Discuss In lines 71–75, how does the main character think he can escape? What does this suggest about human nature in general? Possible answer: He thinks that he can untie his hands, take off his noose, swim in the water, and get to his home. This shows that even in the most desperate and hopeless situations, human beings continue to hope.

for struggling readersConcept Support: Analyze Structure After students complete Section I, help them add to the prereading chart introduced on page 603. Have students use their charts to gener-ate questions about Section I. Tell students to pause again after each remaining section to add to the chart and list more questions. Urge them to read on to answer their questions.

Clarify that in the prereading chart, the head-ing When refers to an event’s place in the story sequence, not to its historical period.

What Happens Whenon a railroad bridge in north-ern Alabama, a man is about to be hanged

action takes place at begin-ning of story

for english language learnersCulture: Clarify Explain that the story is set during the American Civil War. Point out clues that explain Farquhar’s allegiance to the Southern cause and therefore hint that he may be the man about to be hanged by Fed-eral (Union) soldiers. Explain that he lives in the Southern state of Alabama and is a slave owner. He is a secessionist (line 81), which means that he supports the South’s separat-ing from the Union.

c Model the Skill: analyze structure

Help students analyze the story’s structure by referring to lines 47–51 and explaining that when the sergeant steps aside, the “plank would tilt,” and the man would fall and thus hang. Also, note that in line 78, the sergeant steps aside.Possible answer: At this point in the story, you would expect that the man would be hanged.


b point of viewPossible answer: The sensory details that signify the change in point of view include the main character seeing the “swirling water of the stream” (lines 53–54) and the “piece of dancing driftwood” (line 54) that he thinks moves slowly. At this point, the narrator describes only the main character’s sights and thoughts.



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inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction. That opportunity, he 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, no adventure too perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian who was at heart a soldier, and who in good faith and without too much qualification assented to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war.

One evening while Farquhar and his wife were sitting on a rustic bench near the entrance to his grounds, a gray-clad soldier rode up to the gate and asked for a drink of water. Mrs. Farquhar was only too happy to serve him with her own white hands. 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.” d

“How far is it to the Owl Creek bridge?” Farquhar asked.“About thirty miles.”“Is there no force on this side the creek?”“Only a picket post7 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 tow.”8

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. e

IIIIIIAs Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead. From this state he was awakened—ages later, it seemed to him—by the pain of a sharp pressure upon his throat, followed by a sense of suffocation. Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward through every fiber of his body and limbs. These pains appeared to flash along well-defined lines of ramification9 and to beat with an inconceivably rapid periodicity. They seemed like streams of pulsating fire heating

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7. picket post: the camp of soldiers who are assigned to guard against a surprise attack. 8. tow (tI): coarse, dry fiber. 9. flash . . . ramification: spread out rapidly along branches from a central point.

d ANALYZE STRUCTURECompare lines 97–101 with the description in lines 1–21. What details connect these two sections of the story?

summarily (sE-mDrQE-lC) adv. quickly and without ceremony

e POINT OF VIEWReread lines 113–116. Explain what the reader knows that Peyton Farquhar does not. Which type of third-person point of view allows the author to give the reader details that are hidden from the characters?

poignant (poinQyEnt) adj. physically or mentally painful


Targeted Passage2

differentiated instructionfor struggling readersComprehension Support Point out that Bierce’s long sentences can be difficult to understand. Help students use punctuation to break them into manageable chunks. Have students practice on lines 82–91. Possible answer: Farquhar regrets that he did not fight in the war. He wants to find a way to help the Southern cause. He is willing to do anything he can, even if it is dangerous or dishonest.

2 Targeted Passage [Lines 92–116]This passage sets up the actions that may later get Peyton Farquhar hanged. • How do the Farquhars greet the visiting

soldier? (lines 94–96) • What does the soldier say about the Yanks?

What order have they posted? (lines 97–101)• What does Farquhar ask the soldier?

(lines 107–109)• What army is the soldier from? (line 116)

for english language learnersCulture: Clarify Explain that “Yanks” (line 97) are Yankees or Northerners—those fighting against the South. Clarify that the soldier who approaches Farquhar is dressed in the gray uniform of the Southern army and appears as a comrade to him. In fact, line 116 reveals that he is a Federal, or Northern, scout in disguise. Farquhar takes information from a man he would consider an enemy.


d analyze structurePossible answer: The details that connect these two sections of the story include the mention of the railroad bridge (lines 1 and 100–101), a hanging (lines 2–4 and 101), and the stockade (lines 19 and 99).

T E X T A N A L Y S I Se point of view

Possible answer: The reader knows that the soldier who gives Farquhar the information about Owl Creek Bridge is actually a Federal spy (line 116). The third-person omniscient point of view gives readers details that the characters are unaware of.IF STUDENTS NEED HELP . . . Clarify that a scout is a spy.

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the word• summarily: Ask students why they think

any civilian caught interfering with the railroad will be summarily hanged. Possible answer: The army hopes to deter people by relaying that they would have no trial or chance of escape.

• poignant: Point out that the Latin root word for poignant is pungere, which means “to prick.” When a feeling is poignant, it “pricks” at you emotionally or physically. Have students make a list of emotions they would consider poignant. Possible answers: melancholy, nostalgia


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him to an intolerable temperature. As to his head, he was conscious of nothing but a feeling of fullness—of congestion. These sensations were unaccompanied by thought. The intellectual part of his nature was already effaced; he had power only to feel, and feeling was torment. He was conscious of motion. Encompassed in a luminous cloud, of which he was now merely the fiery heart, without material substance, he swung through unthinkable arcs of oscillation, like a vast pendulum. Then all at once, with terrible suddenness, the light about him shot upward with the noise of a loud plash; a frightful roaring was in his ears, and all was cold and dark. The power of thought was restored; he knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream. There was no additional strangulation; the noose about his neck was already suffocating him and kept the water from his lungs. To die of hanging at the bottom of a river!—the idea seemed to him ludicrous. He opened his eyes in the darkness and saw above him a gleam

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oscillation (JsQE-lAPshEn) n. the action of swinging back and forth

ludicrous (lLQdG-krEs) adj. laughably absurd; ridiculous

Analyze VisualsWhose point of view does the image reflect? What details can you not see when limited to this point of view?


tiered discussion promptsIn lines 85–112, use these prompts to get stu-dents thinking about Farquhar’s motivation:

Interpret What is Farquhar suggesting he might do? What are his motives? Possible answer: Farquhar is suggesting that he will destroy the bridge. His motives are to help the Southern cause and become a hero.Synthesize Based on what you read about the Civil War in the historical essay (page 518), is it convincing that Farquhar would take such a risk with his life? Explain. Possible answer: Yes; Farquhar likely grew up with the ideal of the romantic hero. He longs for glory and imagines himself an unrec-ognized hero (lines 85–91). He also does not know that he has been tricked by a Federal scout and so does not realize the danger.

Analyze VisualsPossible answer: This image reflects Farquhar’s point of view, as he stands on the plank and looks downward. This point of view does not allow one to see the face of the person standing on the plank, where the rope is actually tied, or who else is standing nearby.

for struggling readersConcept Support: Analyze Structure Point out to students that Section III appears to con-tinue where Section I left off. After students add Section II information to their prereading chart, suggest that they also plot the impor-tant story events on a Sequence Chain. Help students begin with the details from Section II.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencySequence Chain p. B21

for english language learnersVocabulary Support Explain that Bierce uses opposites in his descriptive language to stress the intensity of Farquhar’s experiences. Point out contrasts between light and dark, heat and cold: “pulsating fire . . . intolerable tempera-ture” (lines 123–124), “fiery heart” (line 128), and “light . . . shot upward” (lines 130–131) versus “cold and dark” (line 132) and “in the darkness” (line 136).

for advanced learners/apAnalyze Realism Remind students that Bierce’s writings frequently include surreal ele-ments. As students read Section III, challenge them to determine whether this section is realistic or surreal and why. Have them identify important details of both types, then use these details to discuss why Bierce uses both realistic and surreal details in his short story.

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the word• oscillation: Point out that oscillation may

have come from the Latin oscillum, which was used by Virgil in the Georgics in refer-ence to Bacchus mask swinging back and forth in trees.

• ludicrous: Ask students to list synonyms for ludicrous. Possible answers: foolish, absurd


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of light, but how distant, how inaccessible! He was still sinking, for the light became fainter and fainter until it was a mere glimmer. Then it began to grow and brighten, and he knew that he was rising toward the surface—knew it with reluctance, for he was now very comfortable. “To be hanged and drowned,” he thought, “that is not so bad; but I do not wish to be shot. No; I will not be shot; that is not fair.”

He was not conscious of an effort, but a sharp pain in his wrist apprised him that he was trying to free his hands. He gave the struggle his attention, as an idler might observe the feat of a juggler, without interest in the outcome. What splendid effort!—what magnificent, what superhuman strength! Ah, that was a fine endeavor! Bravo! The cord fell away; his arms parted and floated upward, the hands dimly seen on each side in the growing light. He watched them with a new interest as first one and then the other pounced upon the noose at his neck. They tore it away and thrust it fiercely aside, its undulations resembling those of a water-snake. “Put it back, put it back!” He thought he shouted these words to his hands, for the undoing of the noose had been succeeded by the direst pang that he had yet experienced. His neck ached horribly; his brain was on fire; his heart, which had been fluttering faintly, gave a great leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth. His whole body was racked and wrenched with an insupportable anguish!10 But his disobedient hands gave no heed to the command. They beat the water vigorously with quick, downward strokes, forcing him to the surface. He felt his head emerge; his eyes were blinded by the sunlight; his chest expanded convulsively, and with a supreme and crowning agony his lungs engulfed a great draught of air, which instantly he expelled in a shriek! f

He was now in full possession of his physical senses. They were, indeed, preternaturally keen and alert. Something in the awful disturbance of his organic system had so exalted and refined them that they made record of things never before perceived. He felt the ripples upon his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck. He looked at the forest on the bank of the stream, saw the individual trees, the leaves and the veining of each leaf—saw the very insects upon them: the locusts, the brilliant-bodied flies, the gray spiders stretching their webs from twig to twig. He noted the prismatic colors in all the dewdrops upon a million blades of grass. The humming of the gnats that danced above the eddies of the stream, the beating of the dragon-flies’ wings, the strokes of the water-spiders’ legs, like oars which had lifted their boat—all these made audible music. A fish slid along beneath his eyes and he heard the rush of its body parting the water.

He had come to the surface facing down the stream; in a moment the visible world seemed to wheel slowly round, himself the pivotal point, and he saw the bridge, the fort, the soldiers upon the bridge, the captain, the sergeant, the two privates, his executioners. They were in silhouette against the blue sky. They shouted and gesticulated, pointing at him. The captain had drawn his pistol, but did not fire; the others were unarmed. Their movements were grotesque and horrible, their forms gigantic.

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10. racked . . . anguish: stretched and twisted with unendurable physical pain.

f CHARACTERIZATIONCharacterization refers to the techniques a writer uses to develop characters. With third-person limited point of view, Bierce can observe his main character from a distance, as he does in the first two parts of this story, conveying character externally through details of action and dialogue. In Part III, however, the point of view shifts to record the sensations and emotions of Peyton Farquhar’s inner life. Reread lines 143–160. What details does the author use to capture the panic of a man in danger of drowning? How do these details contribute to character development? Cite evidence from the paragraph to support your response.

RL 3


Targeted Passage3

differentiated instruction

revisit the big QUESTIONCan we escape the INEVITABLE?Discuss Do you think Farquhar has been able to escape? Use details from lines 143–160 to explain. Possible answer: It is difficult to tell. Many of the details suggest that he hasn’t really escaped but rather may be dreaming or having a near-death experience. For example, words such as “not conscious” (line 143) and “superhuman strength” (line 146), as well as Farquhar watching his “disobedient hands” (line 156) make the account seem dreamlike or like a near-death experience. However, there are also some details that describe a realistic escape, such as when he emerges from the wa-ter, finds the sunlight very bright, gulps air, and yells aloud (lines 158–160).

for struggling readers3 Targeted Passage [Lines 147–164]

This passage explains that Farquhar escapes and shows his heightened senses.• How does Farquhar get rid of the noose?

(lines 147–151)• How does Farquhar feel while in the water?

(lines 153–160)• What clues suggest that something strange

is happening? (lines 161–164)

for english language learnersRelated Vocabulary Explain to students that the narrator uses vivid sensory language to describe Farquhar’s pain as he is under the water and swims to the surface. Help students to understand these physical descriptions of pain: • brain was on fire (line 153), “head ached”• his heart . . . gave a great leap (lines 153–154),

“his heart was beating hard”

• body was racked and wrenched (line 155), “body was twisted by the pain”

• insupportable anguish (lines 155–156), “unbearable pain”

• his chest expanded convulsively (lines 158–159), “he had difficulty catching his breath”

• his lungs engulfed a great draught of air, which instantly he expelled in a shriek (lines 159–160), “he took a great gulp, then yelled”

T E X T A N A L Y S I Sf characterization

Read aloud lines 143–160, emphasizing the lines where the point of view shifts from third-person limited to first-person. Possible answer: The sudden wrenching pains vividly show Farquhar’s panic. This makes the character extremely real, as his fear grips the reader.Extend the Discussion What changes in Farquhar’s perceptions accompany this shift to first-person point of view?


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Suddenly he heard a sharp report and something struck the water smartly within a few inches of his head, spattering his face with spray. He heard a second report, and saw one of the sentinels with his rifle at his shoulder, a light cloud of blue smoke rising from the muzzle. The man in the water saw the eye of the man on the bridge gazing into his own through the sights of the rifle. He observed that it was a gray eye and remembered having read that gray eyes were keenest, and that all famous marksmen had them. Nevertheless, this one had missed.

A counter-swirl had caught Farquhar and turned him half round; he was again looking into the forest on the bank opposite the fort. The sound of a clear, high voice in a monotonous singsong now rang out behind him and came across the water with a distinctness that pierced and subdued all other sounds, even the beating of the ripples in his ears. Although no soldier, he had frequented camps enough to know the dread significance of that deliberate, drawling, aspirated chant; the lieutenant on shore was taking a part in the morning’s work. How coldly and pitilessly—with what an even, calm intonation, presaging, and enforcing tranquillity in the men—with what accurately measured intervals fell those cruel words:

“Attention, company! . . . Shoulder arms! . . . Ready! . . . Aim! . . . Fire!”

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presaging (prDsQGj-Gng) adj. predicting presage v.

Language CoachMultiple-Meaning Words Report (line 180) is a multiple-meaning word, a word with more than one meaning. In this context, report means “loud, explosive noise.” With a partner, identify the words in the paragraph that point to the appropriate meaning of this word.

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tiered discussion promptsIn lines 173–186, use these prompts to help stu-dents decide if details in this passage are real or fantastic:

Restate In lines 176–179, how does Farquhar describe the soldiers’ reaction to his es-cape? Possible answer: Farquhar describes the soldiers as shouting and gesturing, but not shooting. He says all but the captain were unarmed. Analyze Would you expect soldiers to respond this way to a prisoner’s escape? Why or why not? Possible answer: No, they would typically be armed, not unarmed (line 178), and they would shoot immediately at him, not wait (lines 177–178).Synthesize Use what you know about Far-quhar’s situation to decide if his descriptions here are realistic or fantastic. Possible answer: The men seem to behave as Far-quhar would want them to, which sug-gests that the descriptions are a fantasy. In addition, the words “grotesque and horrible, their forms gigantic” (lines 178–179) suggest fantastic images. Finally, Farquhar says that he could see the “gray eye” (line 185) of the shooter, which is unlikely, especially as the shooter misses Farquhar. All of these details suggest a scene that Farquhar hopes for or dreams.

for reluctant readersConnect to the Text Point out to students that “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” contains a description of a suspenseful action scene. Have students think of a suspense-ful action scene from one of their favorite movies or television shows. For example, they could think of a high-speed chase or a narrow escape from death. Remind students that these movie or television scenes always begin in a writer’s hands. Have students write a short paragraph describing their television or movie scene.

for english language learnersLanguage CoachMultiple-Meaning Words Answer: “sharp report,” “heard a report,” “rifle” Write the following sentences on the board, and have students determine which sentence uses the same meaning of report as is used in line 180. Our English report is due today. We heard the loud report of the fireworks.

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the wordpresaging: Ask students why they think the author chose to use presaging in this con-text. Possible answer: Presaging indicates a knowledge of some degree of future events. Using it here indicates the lieutenant is trying to “enforce tranquility” on his men.


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Targeted Passage

4

TargetedPassage

4


Farquhar dived—dived as deeply as he could. 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. Some of them touched him on the face and hands, then fell away, continuing their descent. One lodged between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably warm and he snatched it out.

As he rose to the surface, gasping for breath, he saw that he had been a long time under water; he was perceptibly farther down stream—nearer to safety. The soldiers had almost finished reloading; the metal ramrods flashed all at once in the sunshine as they were drawn from the barrels, turned in the air, and thrust into their sockets. The two sentinels fired again, independently and ineffectually.

The hunted man saw all this over his shoulder; he was now swimming vigorously with the current. His brain was as energetic as his arms and legs; he thought with the rapidity of lightning.

“The officer,” he reasoned, “will not make that martinet’s11 error a second time. It is as easy to dodge a volley as a single shot. He has probably already given the command to fire at will. God help me, I cannot dodge them all!”

An appalling plash within two yards of him was followed by a loud, rushing sound, diminuendo,12 which seemed to travel back through the air to the fort and died in an explosion which stirred the very river to its deeps! A rising sheet of water curved over him, fell down upon him, blinded him, strangled him! The cannon had taken a hand in the game. 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.

“They will not do that again,” he thought; “the next time they will use a charge of grape.13 I must keep my eye upon the gun; the smoke will apprise me—the report arrives too late; it lags behind the missile. That is a good gun.”

Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round—spinning like a top. The water, the banks, the forests, the now distant bridge, fort and men—all were commingled and blurred. Objects were represented by their colors only; circular horizontal streaks of color—that was all he saw. He had been caught in a vortex and was being whirled on with a velocity of advance and gyration that made him giddy and sick. In a few moments he was flung upon the gravel at the foot of the left bank of the stream—the southern bank—and behind a projecting point which concealed him from his enemies. The sudden arrest of his motion, the abrasion of one of his hands on the gravel, restored him, and he wept with delight. He dug his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly blessed it. It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble. The trees upon the bank were giant garden plants; he

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11. martinet’s: alluding to a strict disciplinarian or person who demands that regulations be followed exactly. 12. diminuendo (dG-mGnPyL-DnQdI) Italian: gradually decreasing in loudness. 13. grape: short for grapeshot, a cluster of several small iron balls fired in one shot from a cannon.

Language CoachFormal Language Read lines 210–211. Note the words “with the rapidity of lightning.” Now, compare those words with these: “with lightning-fast speed.” Which phrase do you find more formal? Consider both word order and word choice.

ANALYZE STRUCTUREThe structure of Bierce’s story, in which events are not told in chronological order, is similar to the narrative technique employed by Charles Frazier in his 1997 Civil War novel, Cold Mountain, which was made into a film in 2003. The novel alternates between the stories of the two main characters, lovers who are separated by war. What are other examples of twentieth-century novels, plays, or films that use this non-sequential method of storytelling?


backgroundNiagara Falls The “voice of Niagara” (line 199) refers to Niagara Falls, which is a massive waterfall on the border between New York State and Ontario, Canada. This reference means that the water was very loud in Far-quhar’s ears.

revisit the big QUESTIONCan we escape the INEVITABLE?Discuss In lines 204–211, read about and then evaluate Farquhar’s escape. Do you think he will succeed? Why, or why not? Possible answer: On the one hand, he seems to have made important progress toward escape. He is downstream away from the shooters (line 205), and feels energized by adrenaline (lines 209–210). On the other hand, his ability to think at lightning speed (line 211), and to swim while dodging bullets (lines 208–209) seems impossible. The escape seems less and less likely to succeed because it seems less and less believ-able. Instead, it seems more like a fantasy of events Farquhar wishes for.


This passage shows readers that Farquhar is spinning in the water. • How is Farquhar moving? (line 229)• What does he see as he moves?

(lines 226–229)• How does he feel while he is moving? How

does he feel when he stops moving? (lines 230–234)

for english language learnersLanguage Coach Formal Language Answer: Students will probably choose “with the rapidity of light-ning” as the more formal language. Reasons why might include the word choice of rapidity instead of fast, and the use of lightning as part of a prepositional phrase instead of a modifier. Write the following sentences on the board, and work with

students to revise them to include more formal language: This guy has loads of problems. I doubt he’ll be able to get himself out of this mess. Possible answer: The main character is in a dire situation. A safe escape seems increasingly unlikely.


A N A L Y Z E S T R U C T U R E

After students read the selection, have them discuss novels, plays, or films in which the narrative structure is non-linear. What is the impact on the reader?



noted a definite order in their arrangement, inhaled the fragrance of their blooms. A strange, roseate light shone through the spaces among their trunks and the wind made in their branches the music of æolian harps.14 He had no wish to perfect his escape—was content to remain in that enchanting spot until retaken.

A whiz and rattle of grapeshot among the branches high above his head roused him from his dream. The baffled cannoneer had fired him a random farewell. He sprang to his feet, rushed up the sloping bank, and plunged into the forest.

All that day he traveled, laying his course by the rounding sun. The forest seemed interminable; nowhere did he discover a break in it, not even a woodman’s road. He had not known that he lived in so wild a region. There was something uncanny in the revelation.

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14. music of æolian (C-IQlC-En) harps: heavenly, or unearthly, music.

interminable (Gn-tûrQmE-nE-bol)adj. endless

Analyze VisualsCompare this image with the description given in lines 237–240. What associations does each scene call to mind?


Analyze VisualsPossible answer: Like the place Farquhar describes, this image has trees that appear to be in a definite order (lines 237–238) and a light that shines through them (line 239). Both scenes remind readers of a new awakening, a hopeful dream, or even a glimpse of heaven.

for struggling readersForeshadowing Point out these references and help students recognize what these clues might foreshadow:• strange, roseate light shone through the

spaces (line 239)• æolian harps (line 240)• enchanting spot (line 241)• something uncanny in the revelation

(line 248)

Possible answer: The light suggests a near-death experience and the heavenly harps reinforce this suggestion. These clues fore-shadow Farquhar’s death.

for advanced learners/apAnalyze Character Behavior Challenge stu-dents to find textual evidence on pages 612–613 that Farquhar is actually aware that he is hanging (lines 219–222; 226–233). Ask them to write a brief essay outlining their findings and explaining why Farquhar might still be thinking positively instead of nega-tively at this point. Invite students to share their essays.

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the wordinterminable: Ask students to explain why the forest seemed interminable. Possible answer: The forest seemed interminable because it is difficult to see where it ends.


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By night fall he was fatigued, footsore, famishing. The thought of his wife and children urged him on. At last he found a road which led him in what he knew to be the right direction. It was as wide and straight as a city street, yet it seemed untraveled. No fields bordered it, no dwelling anywhere. Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested human habitation. The black bodies of the trees formed a straight wall on both sides, terminating on the horizon in a point, like a diagram in a lesson in perspective. Overhead, as he looked up through this rift in the wood, shone great golden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange constellations. He was sure they were arranged in some order which had a secret and malign significance. The wood on either side was full of singular noises, among which—once, twice, and again, he distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue.

His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it he found it horribly swollen. He knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air. How softly the turf had carpeted the untraveled avenue—he could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet!

Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene—perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the entire night. As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him. At the bottom of the steps she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of matchless grace and dignity. Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs forward with extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon—then all is darkness and silence! g

Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge. ! h

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ineffable (Gn-DfQE-bEl) adj. beyond description; inexpressible

g PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTSReread lines 270–279, and think about the main idea that is revealed by the changing point of view at the end. How do Peyton Farquhar’s thoughts relate to those expressed in the primary source “Letter to Sarah Ballou,” which you read earlier in this unit (page 594)? Remember that Sullivan Ballou was killed in battle about a week after writing the letter to his wife.

h ANALYZE STRUCTURE“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a classic example of a story whose plot is structured to deliver a surprise ending. Such endings have the power to overturn all previous notions about the story. What surprise endings or intriguing plot twists can you cite from other works?


revisit the big QUESTIONCan we escape the INEVITABLE?Discuss In lines 249–266, how is Farquhar really going to escape his situation? What clues suggest his likely escape? Possible answer: Farquhar is going to escape his present situation by dying. The pain he feels is actually the noose strangling him (lines 261–264).

selection wrap–upREAD WITH A PURPOSE Ask students whether Farquhar’s actions merit this punishment. Answers will vary, but students will likely think that the punishment is unfair.


This passage gives the final details of Far-quhar strangling and lets readers know that he has been dying all along.• What physical condition is Farquhar in?

(lines 261–266)• What is really happening to Farquhar

now? What is he visualizing or thinking about? (lines 268–279)

• How does Farquhar die? (lines 278–279)

for advanced learners/apAnalyze Plot Remind students that this story has an atypical plot in many ways, largely because of its unconventional sequence. Organize students into small groups, and have each group discuss the questions in the Analysis Frame: Plot. Encourage groups to share their answers with one another.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencyAnalysis Frame: Plot pp. D21, D28



g primary sourcedocuments

Ask students what is revealed by this change of point of view. How does this revelation relate Farquhar’s experience to Sullivan Ballou’s experience? Possible answer: Each man thinks about his wife and family before dying.Extend the Discussion How can relating a primary source to a fictional work legitimize themes and ideas in the fictional work?

h analyze structurePoint out to students that the surprise ending has become a commonly used plot device in short stories and novels as well as in films and television. As student cite examples of surprise endings, have them recall in each case how the storyteller may have structured the plot in order to achieve the maximum dramatic effect at the end. Possible response: The Sixth Sense

V O C A B U L A R Y

own the wordineffable: Ask students to explain how an emotion like joy is ineffable. Possible answer: Joy is ineffable when it brings happiness beyond description.


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After Reading

Comprehension 1. Summarize What is Peyton Farquhar’s background? 2. Recall How does Farquhar die? 3. Clarify Why did the soldier who visited Farquhar give him such detailed

information about the bridge?

Text Analysis 4. Make Inferences What is the Union soldiers’ reason for hanging Farquhar?

Cite evidence to support your inference.

5. Analyze Structure Review the chart you created as you read. How would the story be different if it were told in chronological order?

6. Examine Point of View Citing at least two examples from the story, explain how the shifts in point of view affect the level of suspense. What would be different about the story if it were told entirely from the third-person omniscient point of view?

7. Make Inferences about Character Development Bierce uses sensory details to suggest Farquhar’s state of mind. In each of the following episodes, what sensory details suggest that Farquhar’s perceptions may be unreliable?• on the bridge (lines 60–70)• in the river (lines 161–172)• reaching land (lines 231–240)• in the woods (lines 255–260)

8. Interpret Themes Reread lines 80–91. Based on Farquhar’s dreams of glory and his ultimate fate, what point might Bierce be making about • heroism • the realities of war • the dangers of fantasy

9. Evaluate Narrative Devices In your opinion, did Bierce intend Farquhar’s escape to seem believable? Cite textual evidence to support your view.

Text Criticism 10. Author’s Style Compare Bierce’s use of realistic and fantastic elements in

this story. Which label—realistic or fantastic—best describes Bierce’s style? Support your answer with details.

Can we escape the inevitable?As Peyton Farquhar awaited his fate on the bridge, his mind began to wander toward the possibility of escape. Was he giving rational consideration to escape, or was his mind merely “killing time”? Do you think his thoughts were useful or destructive? Why?


RL 2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text. RL 3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate the elements of a story. RL 5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

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Practice and ApplyFor preliminary support of post-reading questions, use these copy masters:

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MastersReading Check p. 126 Point of View p. 119 Question Support p. 127 Additional selection questions are provided for teachers on page 113.

answers 1. He is a wealthy Southern planter, slave

owner, and Confederate sympathizer. 2. He is hanged at Owl Creek Bridge. 3. He was a Union spy. He was trying to trick

Farquhar into committing a crime.Possible answers: 4. They hang Farquhar because he was caught

attempting to sabotage Owl Creek Bridge. Evidence includes the suggestive conversa-tion between Farquhar and the Federal scout (lines 102–112), the fact that he wants to be a war hero (lines 85–87), and the opening scene of the hanging (lines 1–15).

5. common core focus Analyze Struc-ture Students may say there would be no suspense or surprise ending if readers knew why Farquhar is being hanged and that he does not escape.

6. common core focus Point of View The shifts in point of view increase the suspense in the story. When the point of view shifts from omniscient to limited in lines 42–56, readers know only how Farquhar feels. This draws them into Far-quhar’s experience. In Section III, the point of view again shifts from omniscient to limited. This allows readers to experience Farquhar’s emotions and thoughts, cre-ates suspense about his fate, and supports the fantasy. Without the departures into omniscient point of view, readers would not recognize the fantasy.

7. Farquhar’s state of mind is suggested by his distorted perception of sounds and time while on the bridge, his absurdly acute senses while in the river, his odd perceptions of the surroundings and of heavenly harps when he reaches land, and the voices he hears and sinister perceptions he feels while in the woods.

8. Bierce suggests that heroism is a fool-ish dream; that war is treacherous and dangerous, not glorious or ideal; and that dreams can lead you into danger.

9. Answers may vary. Bierce uses many realistic details in Section I. The details get increasingly fantastic, which suggests by Section III that the escape is unlikely to be real.

10. Answers may vary. Realistic: military actions, conversation with Federal scout, description of scenes; Fantastic: hallucina-tory imagery, escape details

Can we escape the INEVITABLE? Possible answer: Farquhar was merely concentrating on pleasant thoughts before being hanged. Some students may say his thoughts were useful because they took his mind off his imminent death, while others may suggest that he could have used that time to consider a real attempt at escape.


RL 2, RL 3, RL 5


Vocabulary in Context vocabulary practiceDecide whether these statements using the vocabulary words are true or false.

1. A ludicrous TV show would probably make you cry. 2. A job that is performed summarily tends to take a long time. 3. An ineffable pleasure is likely to leave you speechless with joy. 4. Climbing a very steep ladder is an example of oscillation. 5. You would typically describe a standup comic’s performance as poignant. 6. Messages presaging happiness tend to make a fortuneteller popular. 7. If a school day seems interminable, it feels like it will never be over.

academic vocabulary in writing

An easily overlooked element of this story is the fact that Peyton Farquhar, a civilian, was “set up” by a Federal scout posing as a Confederate soldier. Write a paragraph from the perspective of the scout, justifying the deceit that resulted in Farquhar’s death. Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your response.

vocabulary strategy: the latin root ludThe vocabulary word ludicrous contains the root lud, meaning “play.” This root, which may also be spelled lus, has its origin in Latin, the language of ancient Rome. Lud or lus is found in a number of English words from a variety of content areas. To understand words with lud or lus, use your knowledge of the root meaning and the meanings of affixes, as well as context clues.

PRACTICE Choose the word from the word web that best completes each sentence. Consider what you know about the Latin root and the context of each sentence. If necessary, consult a dictionary. 1. In the _____ between the scenes, a violinist performed for the

audience. 2. He suffers from the _____ that he is a good golfer. 3. Though she dresses expensively, her wealth is more _____

than real. 4. As a ______ to the main act, a young, inexperienced band played. 5. As a result of the two guards’ _____, a prisoner escaped.

• conflict • create • element • emphasis • perspective

word listineffableinterminableludicrousoscillationpoignantpresagingsummarily

Go to thinkcentral.com.KEYWORD: HML11-616

InteractiveVocabulary

lud, lus prelude

ludicrousillusory

interlude

collusiondelusion


L 4b Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech. L 6 Acquire and use accurately general academic words.

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answersVocabulary in Contextvocabulary practice 1. false 5. false 2. false 6. true 3. true 7. true 4. false

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Practice p. 124

academic vocabulary in writingBefore students begin writing, have them make a list of the reasons why the scout might feel justified in his actions.

vocabulary strategy: the latin root ludFor each item, help students use their knowl-edge of the root and context clues to deter-mine word meaning. Answers: 1. interlude 2. delusion 3. illusory 4. prelude 5. collusion

RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy MasterVocabulary Strategy p. 125

Assess and ReteachAssessDIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION TESTS

Selection Tests A, BC pp. 173–176Interactive Selection Test on thinkcentral.comReteachLevel Up Online Tutorials on thinkcentral.comReteaching Worksheets on thinkcentral.com

Literature Lesson 10: Types of Point of ViewReading Lesson 6: Recognizing Sequence

and Chronological OrderVocabulary Lesson 7: Latin Roots: Active

Verbs

for english language learnersTask Support: Vocabulary Practice Have home-language group students create word webs with cognates for four of the English words in the WORD LIST. If their home lan-guage has no cognates for these words, ask students to identify the common suffixes in the WORD LIST and provide a general meaning for each one.

for advanced learners/apVocabulary in Writing Have students use at least five of the words in the WORD LIST to write a short paragraph that summarizes the ending of the story. As an extension, students might write from the point of view of an observer to the hanging.

Keywords direct students to a WordSharp tutorial on thinkcentral.com or to other types of vocabulary practice and review.

Interactive Vocabulary


L 4b, L 6


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Wrap-Up: Literature of the Civil War

Voices of the Civil WarNear the outbreak of the Civil War, writer Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, “All arts disappear in the one art of war.” In other words, the necessities of warfare—military, political, economic, and social—act somehow to discourage or diminish the creation of what might be termed “serious literature.” Nevertheless, fine nonfiction writing about pressing national issues emerged in the years prior to, during, and immediately following the Civil War. The selections beginning on page 558 include many forms of nonfiction: autobiographies, speeches, documents, letters, and diaries. Perhaps these forms served as better vehicles than poems or short stories might have for the people of the day who wanted to explore their personal responses to the war. In any case, the nonfiction here is valuable for several reasons:• It gives readers a glimpse into the events and culture of the writers’

troubled time.• It provides each writer’s personal response to what was happening

all around.• It presents a good overview of the many different factions that

made up the country at the time.

Writing to SynthesizeWrite an essay describing both the historical and personal insights you gained from reading the nonfiction in this unit. Consider• the historical facts you learned from the selections (important

figures, dates, battles, and so forth)• the personal concerns of the writers• what you can infer about the country as a whole from the many

voices of its writersConclude by making a comparison or analogy to our current events, concerns, and national mood.

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ExtensionSPEAKING & LISTENING Examine the image of Lincoln shown here. Based on your reading and your prior knowledge of President Lincoln, give a brief oral critique of how he is portrayed in this painting. Discuss the style of the work as a whole, Lincoln’s placement in relation to other figures in the painting, the colors used, and any other aspects you consider important. Be sure to use precise, formal language in your speech.

Lincoln at Gettysburg II (1939–1942), William H. Johnson. Gouache and pen and ink on paper, 19 3/4˝ × 17 1/16 ˝.

Wrap-Up: Literature of the Civil War

W 2 Write explanatory texts. W 2d Use techniques such as analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. SL 4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, such that the development and substance are appropriate to purpose. SL 6 Demonstrate a command of formal English when indicated.

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W 2 Write explanatory texts. W 2d Use techniques such as analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. SL 4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, such that the development and substance are appropriate to purpose. SL 6 Demonstrate a command of formal English when indicated.

Wrap-Up: Literature of the Civil WarThis Wrap-Up provides students with an opportunity to revisit ideas from the non-fiction literature in this section about the Civil War and to reflect on how writers of that era responded to the major issues of their time. Urge students to reexamine their own views about the Civil War in light of insights gained from the selections.

Writing to SynthesizeReview with students that synthesizing means putting different parts together to make a whole. Students must combine their historical knowledge and the inferences they have made about this time period when writing their essays. To help students write their essays, ask them to complete a Three-Column Journal with heads that correspond to the three bulleted items. Remind students that they should record as much as possible in their journals, but should plan to focus on only the best examples in their essays.

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencyThree-Column Journal p. B10

Extension• Suggest that students first write a list of

facts they know about Lincoln. Then have them consider these notes as they analyze the painting.

• Remind students to consider their knowl-edge of the time period as well as the title of the painting during their analysis. Explain that the critique should persuade listeners with a well-supported interpretation. En-courage students to write brief notes before giving their oral critiques.

for struggling writersWriting Support Have students circle some of the examples in their journals to write about and find textual evidence to support their statements and inferences. For example, in response to Harriet Jacobs’s slave narra-tive, students might identify and support her personal concern that slavery was immoral and should be abolished. From this, they can infer that slavery was a “hot topic” during this time period.

for english language learnersWriting Topic Sentences Provide these topic sentence starters for essay support:• One of the most important people during

the Civil War period was .• One popular opinion expressed by writers

during the Civil War was .• These writers’ voices prove that the country

was during the Civil War.

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Documents

Literature of the Civil War Focus and Motivate An Occurrence at … · 2019-03-28 · Bowers and Dod Grile. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Short Story by Ambrose Bierce Literature