Josh Bedard
Period 6
1. In Part 1, Bierce includes few details about the condemned man and does not reveal the reason why he is being hanged. How does this help create suspense?
The way Bierce creates suspense by elongating his sentences and not revealing the reason why the condemned man is being hanged.
2. In what ways are the condemned man�s perceptions of time and motion distorted as he is waiting to be hanged? Why are his distorted perceptions important?
His perception is because Bierce is foreshadowing his imaginary escape. When he sees the drift wood moving slowly down the river when before he said the river was moving quickly and when he heard the ticking of his own watch reminded him of a death knell.
3. What seems to be the narrator�s attitude toward Farquhar in Part II? What is the narrator�s attitude toward war?
The narrator�s attitude towards Farquhar in Part II is seemingly neutral overall, but admiring when the narrator gives detail on his home, family, and occupation which glorifies his lifestyle and makes him seem like a good family man and patriot, but the author doesn�t seem to admire Farquhar�s intelligence as a �soldier�. The narrator�s attitude toward war is that he doesn�t agree with war and no matter how war happens the outcome is always negative.
4. Considering the outcome of the story, what is ironic or surprising about Farquhar�s longing for the �larger life of a soldier?� What is ironic about the fact that Farquhar agrees with the saying that �all is fair in love and war?�
It is ironic about Farquhar�s longing for the �larger life of a soldier� because the first time he attempts to become a soldier he ends up dying. It is ironic that Farquhar agrees with the saying that �all is fair in love and war� because in his hanging was a result of a war.
5. What details in Part III suggests that Farquhar�s journey occurs in his mind? How is the journey connected with the plan of escape that occurs to him moments before he is hanged?
- He kept spinning more and more throughout the story, which portrayed him as he fell on the road,
- His neck started to hurt more and more as the story went on.
- This is connected because he is rolling down the stream, symbolizing him falling down the rope, and when it necks starts to hurt it is because the noose is getting tighter. It felt like his feet were not touching the ground, because, he was being hanged.
6. Explain whether you think the portrayal of Farquhar�s final thoughts and sensations is realistic.
- I think that the portrayal of Farquhar�s final thoughts and sensations is realistic because when you dream, it lasts about a few seconds; therefore it is probably the same right before you die.
7. Point of view refers to the vantage point from which the story is told. Why is the limited third-person point of view appropriate for this story? How might the story be different if Bierce had used an omniscient third-person narrator?
The limited third-person point of view is appropriate for this story because we do not know what characters are thinking which creates suspense. If it was in omniscient third-person, the story would be different because the reader would know what the characters are thinking and would not create a story.
8. How does Bierce�s use of flashback contribute to the effectiveness of the story?
Bierce�s use of flashback shows the character�s background which is the exposition and inciting incident. It also creates more suspense because he put it right before the climax.