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LITERATURE CONNECTIONS

 "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" was unique for it's time period because of the use of flashback & flash forward sequences. This is a a technique we commonly see today in books & movies, but Bierce was one of the 1st to use this plot structure in American Literature. "Lost," an American TV show that aired in the early 2000s, centered around a plane crash on a deserted island in which some of the passengers survived. Sawyer, one of the passengers, was often pictured reading books that survived the wreck. In one episode, we see Sawyer very clearly reading "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Astute viewers recognized the inclusion of the book to be an "Easter Egg" - a clue the show creators were fond of hiding in each episode. The inclusion of Owl Creek Bridge added to the debate  - Did the passengers really survive or was the entire show a dream sequence or some sort of afterlife experience? Some people enjoy this type of plot stru
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THINKING QUESTION

  Bierce is definitely sending a message to the reader about his feelings concerning the war & his feelings about the military. He does this through his descriptions, certain plot elements, & statements in the story. Can you tell what Bierce's attitudes are by reading this short story? How do you think Bierce feels about the military & the war?
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LINE ILLUMINATOR

  "Farquhar dived—dived as deeply as he could.  The water roared in his  ears like the voice of Niagara, yet he heard the dull 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 downstream —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." Chapter 3 I want everyone to think about possible hints Bierce gives us in this passage that COULD prepare us for the ending IF
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 Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce Born  - June 24th, 1842 in Meigs County, Ohio Died - ??? in Chihuahua, Mexico
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