11SS_U4_occu136
5/6/01
4:43 PM
Page 120
A TSI Graphics—Prentice Hall Literature Gr.11 Selection Support R
Name _____________________________________________________
A T
Date ___________________
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
Build Vocabulary
Spelling Strategy When following the vowel i, the cluster gn at the end of a word or syllable makes that vowel long without adding a final e, as in sign and assign.
Using the Root -sumA. DIRECTIONS: The word root -sum- is Latin in origin and means “the highest.” Some Latin
phrases including this root are common in English. Given the meaning of the other words in
these phrases, write a probable definition for each one.
1. summum bonum; bonum means “good” __________________________________________________
2. summa cum laude;
cum laude means “with praise” ______________________________________
Using the Word Bank
etiquette
deference
imperious
dictum
summarily
effaced
oscillation
apprised
malign
ineffable
B. DIRECTIONS: Replace the underlined word or phrase with a synonym from the Word Bank.
1. Any citizen caught … will be immediately hanged.
2. The intellectual part of his nature was already erased.
3. circumstances of an urgent nature
4. in the code of military behavior
5. which had a secret and very harmful significance
6. He swung through unthinkable arcs of regular back-and-forth movement.
7. silence and fixity are forms of courtesy
8. A sharp pain in his wrist informed him.
9. with a smile of inexpressible joy
10. a part of the frankly villainous statement
120 Selection Support
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
11SS_U4_occu136
5/6/01
4:43 PM
Page 121
A TSI Graphics—Prentice Hall Literature Gr.11 Selection Support R
Name _____________________________________________________
Date ___________________
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
Grammar and Style: Semicolons in Compound Sentences
Compound sentences can be formed by linking independent clauses with a semicolon instead of a conjunction. A semicolon emphasizes a very close connection between the ideas in
the clauses; it can be a powerful stylistic writing tool.
No; I will not be shot; that is not fair.
A. Practice: Use a semicolon to combine each pair of sentences into a compound sentence.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The intervals of silence grew progressively longer. The delays became maddening.
4. The power of thought was restored. He knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen
into the stream.
B. Writing Application: Write a pair of compound sentences about what Peyton Farquhar
thinks is happening and what is actually happening. In the first version, link the two clauses
with a conjunction. In the second pair, link the two clauses with a semicolon. Both versions
should contain the same information.
1. compound sentence with conjunctions:
2. compound sentence with semicolon:
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
121
Unit 4: Division, Reconciliation,
and Expansion (1850–1914)
5. The captain had drawn his pistol, but did not fire. The others were unarmed.
11SS_U4_occu136
5/6/01
4:43 PM
Page 122
A TSI Graphics—Prentice Hall Literature Gr.11 Selection Support R
Name _____________________________________________________
A T
Date ___________________
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
Reading Strategy: Chronological Order
To make their stories interesting, writers often begin with an especially dramatic event and
then flash backward in time to supply the reader with necessary information. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author begins with Peyton Farquhar standing on the railroad
bridge about to be hanged. Then he follows with a flashback to tell how Peyton Farquhar got
into that situation. In addition, Bierce flashes forward to show events leaping forward in time.
As you read stories like this one, it is a good strategy to keep the chronological order clear
in your mind.
DIRECTIONS: In the “mental” flashforward, Ambrose Bierce gives the reader many clues that the
events are taking place in an imaginary future rather than in an actual present. Below are excerpts from the story. In the space provided, explain how each excerpt provides a clue to the
nature of the flashforward.
1. 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.
2. Suddenly he felt himself whirled around and round—spinning like a top. The water, the banks, the
forests, the now distant bridge, fort and men—all were commingled and blurred.
3. 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.
122 Selection Support
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
11SS_U4_occu136
5/6/01
4:43 PM
Page 123
A TSI Graphics—Prentice Hall Literature Gr.11 Selection Support R
Name _____________________________________________________
Date ___________________
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
Literary Analysis: Point of View
A writer’s purpose helps to determine the point of view from which a story is told. In “An
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” for example, Ambrose Bierce reveals the tragically ironic nature of war through the events surrounding one person—Peyton Farquhar. Limited thirdperson narration allows Bierce to explore Farquhar’s thoughts and feelings while preserving
the objective distance needed for the story’s ironic ending.
DIRECTIONS: Rewrite the following passages of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” from the
point of view indicated. Be prepared to explain how each point of view changes the story.
1. 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—
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.
First-person point of view ________________________________________________________________
2. As 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.
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
123
Unit 4: Division, Reconciliation,
and Expansion (1850–1914)
Third-person omniscient point of view ____________________________________________________