silhouette of a man half submerged in water wiht a noose around his neck

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

by Ambrose Bierce

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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Questions and Answers

What are some examples of irony in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Why was Farquhar captured? Why did the Federal scout lie?

Comment on the shifts in the point of view in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."

What are the conflicts? Are they physical, emotional, moral, or intellectual?

What are examples of foreshadowing in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What is the exposition, rising action, turning point, falling action, and denouement of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Why does the Federal scout want Farquhar to burn the bridge in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What literary devices are used in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Part 2 of the story is a flashback. List its events in chronological order. Be sure to explain who visits Peyton Farquhar and what plan he conceives as a result of this visit.

What major events occur in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What happens at the end of the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Why was Farquhar hanged?

Explain Bierce's views of the war in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." How does he feel about it?

What does the metaphor "death is a dignitary" mean?

What is an internal and external conflict in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Is Ambrose Bierce biased toward one side of the Civil War? Does the narrator describe the Union soldiers more positively than Farquhar or vice versa?

What are some symbols in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

How might the impact of the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" be different if Bierce revealed the events in chronological order?

Did Farquhar actually burn the bridge?

How was Peyton Farquhar tricked by the scout into attempting to burn down the bridge?

What does the reader learn in section 2 of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" about the main character's home life, political loyalties and motivations?

What is the setting of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What does the pendulum symbolize in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Theme

Why, in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," does Ambrose Bierce not report the events of the story in exact chronological order?

What are some examples of naturalism in the story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Is there bitterness in Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What clues does the author of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" provide to show that Peyton Farquhar’s escape is only an illusion?

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," what point is Bierce making about military formalities?

How does Ambrose Bierce's use of foreshadowing or flashback influence "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," what is the function and placement of the flashback in section two?

What's ironic about Farquhar's agreement that "all is fair in love and war"?

What hints prove Farquhar's escape is an illusion and when does this illusion start?

How are the condemned man's perceptions of time and motion distorted in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Why is Peyton Farquhar anonymous until the second part of the story?

What effect does the present tense shift in paragraph 36 have in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What does Bierce's story imply about human psychology when facing death?

In which sections of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is an outside person narrating the action? In which sections of the story do we get to hear Farquhar’s thoughts?

Is "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" a true story?

"He remembered that grey eyes were the keenest." Explain.

What are the differences and functions of the three sections in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What are Farquhar's views on a soldier's life in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

What does the quote from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" reveal about Bierce's view on the military, its contribution to the theme, and the secret identity of the man on the bridge?

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," why does Peyton's watch tick so loudly?

What is the plot structure of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

How do Bierce's choices in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" create suspense?

In Part 2 of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," why does Farquhar ask many questions about the bridge?

Which event in part 2 of the story foreshadows Farquhar being lured into trying to blow up Owl Creek Bridge?

Where is racism present in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Does the ending of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" feel credible and powerful, or does it cheat the reader?