Ambrose Bierce

							Ambrose
 Bierce
1842 – 1914?????
                Ambrose Bierce
   Born in Ohio; grew up in Indiana
   10th of 13 children – all had names beginning with the
    letter A
   Joined the Union army at the outbreak of the Civil War
    at age 20 – wounded in the head
   Lived in San Francisco and became a famous
    contributor to local newspapers and journals; worked
    for William Randolf Hearst
   Tried gold mining / managing, but failed
                Ambrose Bierce
   Social critic, satirist -- Earned the name “Bitter
    Bierce”
   Thought to have had some connection with the
    assassination of President McKinley
   Wrote books such as The Fantastic Fables and
    The Devil’s Dictionary, in the new genre of the
    “grotesque”
   Famous for the short story “The Occurrence at
    Owl Creek Bridge,” which uses his experience
    from the Civil War
               Ambrose Bierce
   In his later years, he traveled to Mexico as an
    observer of the Mexican Civil War, along side
    Pancho Villa
   “Disappeared” on December 26, 1913. Some
    say he was shot by the Mexicans he was with so
    as to not reveal their position; others say he shot
    himself near the Grand Canyon. His
    disappearance was one of the most famous news
    stories of the time. His DOD is officially listed
    as 1914?
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” – pp. 423-429

   Why is Peyton Farquhar sentenced to hang?

   While they are preparing for his execution, what sound distracts
    Farquhar from thoughts?

   Explain Farquhar’s desperate escape plan.

   How was Farquhar trapped by the Federal scout who visited his
    plantation?

   What is the last scene Farquhar imagines before he dies?
     Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
                 video
   Part 1/3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jLxlyTrAC4
   Part 2/3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sWk2bY-
    Qj4&feature=related
   Part 3/3:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D__Q7G16cog&feature=related