Owl Creek Bridge War

The journal entries reveals Deward Barnes crucial experiences that shaped him as a soldier, and makes the readers truly appreciate and understand these first hand accounts of a Canadian soldiers' experiences on the Western Front. Through reading Barnes' accounts, his dramatic experience of being shot, his participation in the firing squad that executed a deserter named Private Harold Lodge, and his transformation from a frightened soldier, to a a brave veteran, the reader witnesses how the individual experiences of a soldier shaped his character the longer he stayed in the war. Barnes provides memorable descriptions of his experiences on the Western Front as he illustrates why he did things, his reactions to doing them, and how he felt about it afterwards. One of the major themes in this source, that I can most definitely use in my essay, is his negative reaction to his participation in the execution of the deserter, which was the key experience in altering his character as a soldier. Furthermore, his experiences outside of battle, as well as in it, such as his more relaxed reactions to the cruelties of war, portrays a more mature soldier.

The battle of Kettle Creek occurred in February 14, 1779 in Wilkes County, Georgia. A militia force of 400 Patriots led by Andrew Pickens from South Carolina, Colonel John Dooly and Lieutenant Elijah Clarke from Georgia. In a surprise attack defeated a loyalist militia twice their size that was led by James Boyd. Savannah, Georgia was recently captured by the British on December, 29, 1778. Loyalist welcomed the British, while the Patriots prepared for battle.

After Ted Lavender was shot in the head, his compadres “were waiting for Lavender’s chopper, smoking the dead man’s dope”, and joking about his death (20). If this calamity had happened in civilized society, the reaction would have been one of horror, disbelief, or grief, instead of their attempts to make light of death. To distance themselves from the death, they would use “a hard vocabulary” like “lit up, zapped while zipping” and “greased” to pretend that the death they see and make is just in a play-not real (22). As a rule, soldiers are supposed to be the toughest of the tough, but their response to death shows the loss of morality. For example, when Kurt Lemon died, Rat tortured the baby water buffalo because he was extremely upset.

Man’s Worst Angel War is one of the most violent and primitive things ever done by man. In “My Brother Sam is Dead” by Collier and Collier, war is the focus point in the novel. The main characters consist of: Sam, Tim, and Mr.Meeker. Mr. Meeker is Sam and Tim’s father, and has certain views on politics that Sam doesn’t agree with, while Tim is unsure. Tim is torn between the gruesome realities of war and the fantasy of glory Sam is in love with.

When a federal spy disguised as a confederate soldier tricks Farquhar into risking his life to become the hero he had always dreamed of, Farquhar is put in his unfortunate situation. Farquhar inability to recognize the difference between a federal spy and a confederate soldier leads him to the decision that results in his untimely death. The story itself gives the readers a false sense of hope that Farquhar might actually escape his own death. Palmisano illustrates the author's deception when he writes"Bierce does not overtly inform the reader that Farquhar's escape is a hallucination but expects that the careful reader will realize the impossibility of events described in the final section of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". Bierce expresses his disdain for the deceptive tactics used during the civil war by causing the reader to feel remorse for Farquhar's death.

How do you cope with the reality of day to day life? I would like to think I handle the reality of day to day life moderately well like everyone else. However, I began to question myself once again as I read Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” This story, with its unexpected ending, had me rereading it several times to pull out key details that led me down the wrong path the first time.

In the short story “Chickamauga,” by Ambrose Bierce is a really graphic story that's main theme about life and death seems to be ironic. In the sense that the little boy liked the thought of war and victory after all he came from a family that conquests and where successful explores. After the little boy goes to out into the woods and gets lots he has this fable inside his head where he destroyed an entire army using a sword, and after any victory any good solider takes a nap by the river to cool off and get ready for the next battle. The next morning when the little boy wake up he come across the by the soldiers that have dismembered body parts but these soldiers are clawing almost looking like the living dead because they had scars ripped off

Works Cited Civil War Times. Curiosities. June 2003. 42,67. Web.

The story begins with Confederate farmer, Peyton Farquhar, staring down into the water, noose around his neck, surrounded by soldiers who are responsible for his unfortunate demise. In the moments leading up to his hanging, his reality and perception of time become distorted and, "A sound which he could neither ignore nor

The image that the reader creates to imagine the conditions of the men with “hanging...flesh...” give perspective to someone who may have never been exposed to the sights seen in war. Bierce accomplishes his purpose in showing how the images seen and recognized in civilian life show a far more glamorous portrayal of war compared to the reality that is vastly different from what is commonly known about war. The juxtaposition of ideas show how certain groups of people perceive war based on their experiences. Bierce’s use of juxtaposition throughout the story shows the development of two ideas of war, and how the two ideas grow to be different in many

The author compares the soldiers because he wants the readers

Finding out the differences within the similarities Ambrose Bierce’s short story ‘An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’ and “Mark on the Wall’ by Virginia Woolf show similarities and differences between each other. Three similarities can be shown between the two short stories of ‘An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’ and ‘Mark on the Wall’. The first similarity is the background settings. Both have a setting of a war, as written “wartime” and “God damn this war!” on each passage.

Soldiers were not viewed as brave men risking their lives, and the war was seen as an unnecessary event. This type of mentality is seen in the novel with the perceptions of the soldiers. The narrator expresses the view of the time period when he states, “They were soldiers’ coats. Billy was the only one who had a coat from a dead civilian” (82). The meaning behind this is very crucial because it establishes a definite division between soldiers and civilians.

Druse 's expression was as if it had been paralyzed from the moment the shot was fired. The sergeant 's look of bewilderment was soon replaced with a grim downcast. He spoke in a very hushed manner, "I 'll arrange for a proper burial immediately. " The gloomy atmosphere was broke by Druse 's abrupt response, "Don 't," he paused briefly as if he was contemplating, "he was a confederate soldier, so bury him like one. " The way he said it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself of the decision more so than his superior.

The details and the ending of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" make it real. The characters are fully described from their titles to their attires. All the scenes are detailed both geographically and temporally. Moreover, the soldiers, the bridge, the ceremony, and the death of Farquhar are in perfect harmony with a hanging scene, hence, the realism of this tale.