Ambrose Bierce - An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce was a man with an unusual personality. He spent most of his life surrounded by war and death and in return, his stories and character reflected it. In 1861, he enlisted during the Civil War into the Union Army. During his term, he re-enlisted twice and was a part of some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. His writings reflected the war and fighting he had experienced so death became the center of most of his writings.
In his story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, it first tells us of a man with his hands tied behind his back and a noose around his neck. It is immediately evident that death is about to bestow this man. There are executioners, soldiers of the Federal Army, a sergeant and a deputy sheriff. Why they are about to hang this man isn’t immediately known. This man is Peyton Farquhar and he is about 35 years old and is a civilian. Farquhar is on a plank that is being held by two other men and without their weight holding the plank where it is, it would let Farquhar fall to his demise.
Farquhar stands with a calm look on his face, but he is thinking that if he could just get his hands free, he could jump to the river below and swim to safety. He then hears what he describes as someone hitting an anvil, but it turns out to be the ticking of his watch. As the story unfolds, it tells us that Farquhar was at home when a soldier came up and asked for a drink of water. As he wife fetches the water, he inquires to the soldier about the progress of the war. The soldier tells him that the Yanks are getting ready for another advance and are at Owl Creek bridge and if a civilian is caught interfering, he will be hanged. However, he was really a Federal Scout.
As the story tells of Farquhar falling to be hanged, it tells you that the rope had broken and as he falls into the river, he eventually makes it down river after being shot at, but he makes it to safety and walks all the way home. As his wife reaches for him, he feels a stunning blow to the back of his neck and then a blinding white light, then darkness and silence. It is then revealed that the details of his escape and return home was just a vision he had as he was falling from the bridge as he was being hung. His neck broke and then he was dead.
As I was reading this part, I couldn’t decide if what I was reading was real or not since it was already revealed in the biography that Bierce writing almost always involved death. As the last paragraph was read, I wasn’t too shocked. Even though I wanted him to be free and back home with his wife and children, there was the constant thought that death had to come to him somewhere. Even though I was a little disappointed that in the end he did die, I still liked the story. It had many vibrant details and was written with the perfect drawing that made me want to read more.

Joel C. Harris - Rabbit & Fox - Free Joe

Joel C. Harris was known for taking folk tales and myths and making them memorable by presenting them in a humorous ways through the character of Uncle Remus using the dialect of an uneducated slave. The people of this time were fascinated by local-color stories. His tales were also tales with lessons that showed it reader that bad actions had consequences. Many of his stories were taken from the blacks he had known while working on a Georgia plantation. He later worked 24 years on the staff of the "Atlanta Constitution"
This is clearly shown in “How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox” as Uncle Remus tales of how the Fox wants to kill and eat the Rabbit after the Rabbit has gotten caught up with the Tar-Baby. Though the dialect of this story makes it difficult to understand at times, it is clear that Rabbit has himself in a very sticky situation. Fox and Rabbit are apparently not strangers and have had conflict before as Rabbit taunts and aggravates Fox. When Fox finds Rabbit in this situation, he plans to eat him. Rabbit being cleaver and deceitful, taunts Fox once again. Fox gives Rabbit several different ways he plans to kill him. Fox first tells Rabbit he is going to fix up a brush fire and barbecue him. Rabbit comes back and tells him that is fine just as long as he doesn’t dare throw him in the brier patch. Fox then threats to hang him then drown him and even skin him. With each threat, Rabbit comes back with the same taunt. Rabbit tells him each threat is fine just as long as Fox doesn’t throw him in that brier patch. Fox then wanting to hurt Rabbit as bad as he could, he grabs him by his back legs and slung him in the bushes right into the brier patch. Fox quickly learns he has been deceived as he sees Rabbit up on the hill sitting cross-legged and gloating. Rabbit then hollers out at Fox that he was bred and born in a brier pat and then skips off.
The other story by Joel C. Harris called “Free Joe and The Rest of The World” was a very heart touching story of a slave named Joe who has been given his freedom to only find himself worse off. His former owner who has passed away had lost Joe’s wife due gambling and her current owner will not allow Joe to visit her. Since he is a free man, even the other black slaves dislike him due to jealousy and the white people are always suspicious of him. Joe finds himself alone except for his little dog Dan. Joe ends up at Micajah Staley and his sister Becky’s place which is next to the property of the Calderwood’s property where his wife Lucinda lives. From a big popular tree he would sit and sometimes he could hear his wife’s voice. Once day, his little dog went and got Lucinda and brought her to where Joe was. This became their meeting place until the other slaves found out and told on Lucinda and her owner shipped her off. Joe, not knowing what had happened, sat under that popular for over a month waiting for his wife. He slowly realized she would not be returning. One night, Dan wondered off and a pack of dogs killed him. Joe all alone sits day after day under that popular tree until the day he died. This was such a sad story with an unfortunate ending. However, I did enjoy the reading. I just wish it hadn’t had been so depressing.

Bret Harte - Tennessee's Partner

Bret Harte was born in Albany NY, and in 1854, he left and went out west which where his heart really desired to be. He had an eventful life with things such as he prospected for gold, and rode shotgun on a stagecoach for the Wells Fargo Express which was a very dangerous job. He was known as a genius at a very young age and could read well by the age of 6. These vibrant adventures were the drive and inspiration for his great writings. He quickly became a professional writer in California and in 1868 he became the first editor of “The Overland Monthly. He quickly became a well known writer and in 1871, he received $10,000 from “The Atlantic Monthly” for twelve poems and sketches and left California for Boston. After leaving California, his writing got to be repetitive so his contract was not renewed at “The Atlantic Monthly.” He began to have financial struggles so he began doing lecture tours and spent the rest of his years in England.
In his story of “Tennessee Partner”, he writes of a time in 1854 about two partners in crime. One was named Tennessee and the other was just known as Tennessee’s Partner. One day, Tennessee’s Partner decided to go find a wife. He didn’t get far before he found one. Shortly after, Tennessee seduced her and had her for himself. Tennessee’s Partner returned to Sandy Bar sad and alone. When Tennessee returned alone, his partner was to first to welcome him back.
One day, Tennessee robbed a man on his way to Red Dog. He took his knife, pistol and his money. He was later arrested and went to trial. Tennessee’s Partner was there on his behalf and instead of helping him, he only made matters worse by trying to bribe the judge. Tennessee was found guilty and taken out to Marley’s Hill and was hung. Tennessee’s Partner came with his donkey, Jenny, and a cart and took Tennessee’s body and placed him in a coffin. He then took him to his cabin and had him a funeral.
One night sometime later, Tennessee’s Partner rose up and had Jenny take him up to where Tennessee was buried. He gazes up to face his own death and as he passes over, he is greeted by his friend, Tennessee and they are once again, together.
In this story, Harte presents an old rustic story of the west that he held close to heart. Some parts of this story, the mood was depressing and almost too calm. At times, I expected a gun fight in a saloon or out in the street. But the characters personalities were shown in a much different light. Tennessee and his partner were partners in crime and partners in friendship. They held true to one another in trouble and death. It was inspiring to see the commitment bestowed by the two and heartwarming to see the friendship of Tennessee’s Partner as he gives Tennessee, who is seen as a cruel ruthless man, a decent funeral.

Sarah Orne Jewett - A White Heron

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909) was from New England and her father was a doctor who went daily and visited patients. As he did, Sarah would tag along as he visited his patients. Since Sarah was a sickly child, she didn’t attend school regularly so she would read her father’s books. Through these books, she gathered most of her education. She exposed herself to many different types of books and by 1863; she had decided to be a writer herself. Being fearful of being known, she used anonymous names since she was only fourteen years old when she began.
Through out her life, she watched the local people and wanted to record the lives and legends of the farmers and villagers that she lived around. By the time she was eighteen, she had published her first story and by 1869, at the age of twenty, she was accepted by one of America’s most respected journals which launched her career.
In her writings, she wanted to portray the lives of the men and women of her native state in the urban setting. Her stories show suffering, sympathy, kindness and sensitivity. She enjoyed writing about what seems as hopeless situations to in return show good for bad with compassion and hope.
One of her most praised writings was a fiction story called “A White Heron.” In this story, the main character is a young girl named Sylvia who spent the first with years of her life in the industrial part of the city, but has now moved to the country with her grandmother. She enjoys the outdoors and is at one with nature. As her grandmother puts it, she can tame squirrels, and draw birds just to feed them. She is a nature lover and knows the land she lives on well.
One day as Sylvia was out gathering up the cow to bring in for milking, she runs into a stranger with a gun that gives her a fright. He follows her home and invites himself to stay the night so he can rise early the next morning to hunt birds. Eventually Sylvia eases her nervousness of the young man and the next day she follows him on his quest seeking a white heron. Sylvia is fascinated with his knowledge of bird and is tempted to tell him of her knowledge of the white heron as he present ten dollars for the location of the white heron’s nest. Sylvia knows but doesn’t know what she should do.
That evening as they all turn in for the night, Sylvia’s thoughts are filled with a large pine tree that she believes if she could climb, she could see the ocean and locate the white heron’s nest. Her excitement sends her out dawn and she goes out to climb the tree to confirm what she already felt in her heart. She could see the ocean and she even sees the white heron soar through the air. As she is atop that tree, she is in awe of all the delight and wonder that surrounds her. As the young man and her grandmother wake to find her missing, they start to search for her as she is returning home. In her amazement, she keeps her adventure a secret and doesn’t reveal the white heron’s whereabouts.
This story is a beautiful story with a little suspense. It leaves you wondering if Sylvia’s fascination will overcome her and cause her to tell of the white heron’s location. This story also gives great details as to the forest and the mindset of Sylvia. When she is standing in the top of that pine tree, I could almost see her sights and feel her emotions as she gazed all around. Great story!

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - A New England Nun

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman lived during the time of the Civil War. As the war ended, she was about thirteen years old and during this time, the New England area she lived in became somewhat melancholy. As the war took lives, women were left behind without skills and many lost their will to live. However, there were those who were strong willed and became known as the New England spinsters. These women became the object of poetry writing, jokes, as well as writing music. These were the inspirations of the stories Freeman wrote. In her middle age, she married Dr. Charles Freeman from Metuchen, New Jersey.
She was a teenager when she published her first poem in 1881. By 1884, her career had officially launched and she was in heavy demand. Her main goals in her writings were to preserve the old character of New England. Her characters were written in a realistic fashion with strength, and straight forwardness.
In her story of “A New England Nun,” she writes of a woman named Louisa who has lived alone for many years as she has waited for her lover, Joe Dagget, for fifteen years to return after he had been “seeking his fortune.” As the story unfolds, Joe Dagget has been secretly seeing someone else and Louisa overhears the conversation between Joe Dagget and Lily Dyer as they discuss Lily Dyer leaving. Louisa in return breaks off the engagement and is pleased with this decision. She has spent many years alone and she is very quaint and enjoys her life of cleanliness and perfection. She spends most of her time doing needlework, gardening, obsessively cleaning and caring for her dog and canary. As the story ends, she is quite pleased with her life feeling a sense of peace in her solitude.
This was a story I really enjoyed. It was simple, yet refreshing. I like a story that I can relate to and understand. Even though Louisa was committed to Joe Dagget, she was still true to herself and done what was right. Joe Dagget was compassionate to her over their breakup and offered to stay with her if she wanted him to. This story had a lot of heart and compassion even in a moment that most of us would have been hateful and want to seek revenge. I would enjoy reading more by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson of Amherst, Massachusetts was a poet who lived from 1830-1886. During her life, she wrote nearly 1,800 poems, but she only published eight of them. It wasn’t until four years after her death that her other works of poetry became available for the public to experience. Her poetry was different than that of a “typical poet” because her poetry lacked rhyming and proper grammar. However, some found her poetry to have a drawing that made them want more.
She was from a prominent family. Her grandfather founded Amherst College, and both of her brothers were lawyers and served as college treasurers and trustees just as her father had. As her mother was seen as an invalid, this left her sister, Lavinia, to take care of their large home.
Emily lived a life of seclusion at home seen tending to her garden and their large home. As she would watch the passing world from her bedroom window, she would write poetry and letters. In many of her writings, it is said she wrote quite frequently to her women friends and these writings gave way to speculation that she may have been in loving relationships with some of these women; particularly her sister-in-law.
Her poetic subjects consisted mostly of death and her religious rebellions, yet at times, they reflected the love and despair that she apparently kept trapped inside. She also wrote many times about nature and its simple beauty.
In her poem #1545, it is her mocking perception of the Bible and how empty it seemed to her. However, as she compares it to the poetic writings of Orpheus, she notes in his writings there is no condemnation. She must have viewed the Bible as a book that only condemned and caused her disgust and shame.
In her writing structure, for me, there appears to be confusion. As I read them, I sometimes do not understand her meanings, yet others are quite obvious. Her vocabulary seems very extensive, but the writing structure causes me difficulty. Her letters to T.W. Higginson seem to have more details as to her intent. The one I found easiest to follow is the one she wrote on August 1862. She is apparently questioning her existence and is asking him for his reassurance. Even though she appears to be encouraging him to go to no trouble to come see her, I would say that with the emotional state she stayed in most of her life, she was at times, actually looking and yearning to be wanted, needed and justified to just be who she was.
Poetry is something I typically enjoy and most of us have tapped into at one time or another. I mainly like poetry that I can relate to that gives a sense of security and contentment. With Emily Dickinson, I didn't really enjoy them that much. They lacked the flow that I think is needed that makes poetry poetry. As I researched who she really was, she was apparently a very depressed, dark person who may have been living the life of a lesbian, but in the time she lived, such a way of living would have gotten a person killed, so she lived in her own prison. She rebelled against religion and lacked any personable skills. I know her works are now legendary, but for me, I can do without any type of writing that is depressing.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is an excellent literary writing full of excitement and adventure experienced by the main characters of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and a slave named Jim. The setting is during the mid-1800's and is focused along the Mississippi River. The different dialects used in this story are the Missouri negro dialect, the South-Western dialect, the "Pike County" dialect and four other varieties as well. The numerous footnotes help give details and understanding to some of the terminology and names used.
Huck Finn has been sent to live with Widow Douglas and along with her sister Miss Watson, they try to teach him how to be an upright citizen. They take him to church and teach him manners and such. Eventually, Huck's father, who is abusive and a drunkard returns to town after he learns that Huck has $6,000. After Huck returns with his father, he soon get tired of the abuse and ridicule and decides to fake his death and run away.
Tom Sawyer is Huck's best friend and his playmate that he gets in trouble with. Tom is an adventurous child with a very active imagination. He reads a lot of adventures and wants his life to imitate the stories he has read. This sets cause for Huck and Tom to not only find trouble, but to get out of the trouble as well.
Jim is a slave owned by Miss Watson. He believes in witches, spells and bad luck and when he tells a tale, he fills them with lots of detail and animation that is a little bit stretched. These stories entice both Huck and Tom. One day, Jim overhears Miss Watson talking and he believes that he and his family are to be sold and separated so Jim runs away.
As Huck and Jim find themselves together on Jackson Island, they end up making their way together down the Mississippi River searching for freedom. As their adventure sets forth, they encounter many people such as the King, the Duke, the Shepherdson's, the Grangerford's, the Wilks, the Phelps, and Buck whom he becomes good friends with. They encounter many conflicts as he and Jim take on the Duke and the King on their raft. The Duke and the King put on show and whatever it takes to con and take from people. This keeps them on the run until Jim is captured as a runaway slave.
As these adventurous characters set out to seek freedom, they come to think they will never find it. Eventually, Jim finds out that Miss Watson had died and in her will, she had actually set him free. Jim then tells Huck that his father is actually dead and that his body was in the house they came across floating down the river. Huck now realized that he is finally free himself. In the end it all worked out, until Huck realizes he is going to be adopted by Aunt Sally and she plans to civilize him which he has encountered before and isn't too pleased with.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." I found it comical and at times suspenseful. Many times I was quite eager to find out what was going to happen next. The dialect made this story quite interesting and challenging, but well worth it. I look forward to our next reading.

Hi! My name is Tina and I am currently working on my AA. In August, I plan to join a cohort at Appalachian University for Middle Grades Education. I currently work at Hudson Middle School as an Exceptional Children's Teacher Assistant. I am married and have 3 children and 2 step children. I work and go to school full time, so I don't have much time for many things outside of my academics other than church and its related activities. I am a born again Christian and my faith is Jesus is most important to me.
My reading interests are limited to middle school level material since that is the setting that I work and this level of reading is what I am exposed to. I am a realistic so when I do read, I prefer something that I can realistically relate to that has true purpose and meaning. Things like mythology, sci-fi, and any other thing that forces me to think outside of my natural world just doesn't interest me and usually frustrates me.
I look forward to this class already. Our first reading assignment is something I read over 25 years ago in high school. I don't remember all of the story, but I do remember that it was probably one of my favorite readings then and I know it will be again.