An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

AmbroseBierce

Highlights of American Literature

edited by Dean Curry, based on a core manuscript by Carl Bode
  1. Imagine that you are Peyton Farquhar standing on the bridge about to be hanged. What thoughts would you be thinking? Write this as a short monologue in which you speak your thoughts aloud. Act it out in front of the class.
  2. Write an alternate ending to the story in which Peyton survives.
  3. Imagine that Peyton and his wife really embrace near the end. Imagine a dialog between them, write it out and perform it for the class.
  4. Write a similar short story to the Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge that shows the horror of war in a contemporary setting, perhaps a conflict in your own country.
contents ••• title page ••• author ••• pre-story ••• in-story ••• exercises ••• follow-up