Research for Journal: An Occurrence at Owl Creek

What article did you choose?

I chose “Anatomy of a Classic” by Daniel E. Samide

Why did you choose this article?

I chose this article because Samide talks about the clever techniques that Ambrose Bierce used to write his story. Just like I found it extremely clever how Bierce used unique techniques to write the story, so did Samide think it was clever.

How would you have incorporated the article and analysis into your journal?

Well, Samide talks about important details and the techniques Bierce used like: the main character’s point of view, the sympathetic characterization, the setting, the plot and the realistic details. I would have incorporated this analysis into my journal by going into more detail of how the author used each technique to create an exciting story for the audience

What did you learn about research and critical analysis? What was easy, hard, etc.?

I learned that it is easy to find a critical analysis of pretty much any story just by using key words. This will also help me, as a critic, to come up with a broader idea of the story and will help me create my own critical analysis of the story.

Works Cited
Samide, Daniel E. “Anatomy of a Classic: Ambrose Bierce Cleverly Used some Key Literary Tools in Crafting His Civl War Tale ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.’.” Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.), vol. 118, no. 5, May 2005, pp. 42-44. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=16755866&site=ehost-live.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

This story had a sad ending because Farquhar did not have the results he hoped to have, which was surviving; and I personally was hoping that Farquhar survived the hanging so he could go back to his family. At the beginning I didn’t know what to expect from the story, but once I got into the climax of the story I was kept at the edge of my seat not knowing how the story was going to end. I do however like how the author added a flashback to the story to make it suspenseful and unexpected. By changing the traditional order of a plot, the author made the story unique and interesting. I also like the authors’ choice of words and feelings about the main character. When the main character was on the board, the author was successful in describing how tense the main character was feeling at that moment. Reading this story and studying the techniques the author used to write this story has inspired me to pay attention to every detail in the stories I will read in the future.

Story of an Hour

 

When we went over the story in class on Monday I saw it in a completely different way compared to how I saw it today once we went over the Freytag Pyramid. As we dissected the story in class, it was like a light bulb turned on in my head. I found the story to be more interesting now that I understood how the author built the plot of the story to be parallel to the structure of the pyramid. It was very cool how in the story when the main character is in the living room it reflected the expedition, then when she goes up the stairs it reflected the rising action, then the way the main character went from feeling sadness to a sense of freedom while in the upstairs room reflected the climax of the story, then when she came down the stairs it reflected the falling action and her sudden death reflected the resolution of the story. Although this was all explained within a matter of minutes, it is going to change the way I read any narrative from now on. It has definitely re-shaped the way I think and I will take into consideration the author’s use of each element to create a story.

 

Introduce Yourself

Hi, my name is Carmen but my family likes to call me Camie. I was born and raised in Brownsville TX, but soon after high school my family and I relocated to San Antonio TX. There I received my associate degree as a Pastry Chef, but because I could not find a decent paying job as a chef I turned to the education career. I began as a substitute teacher at a private Christian school and I immediately fell in love with the children.
I lived in San Antonio for seven years and I fell in love with the way the city flowed, but I recently moved back to Brownsville TX to get a teaching degree. I plan to move back to San Antonio as soon as I graduate to continue my life in the city.
I am a very odd human being. I am extremely passive, a perfectionist, very detail oriented, artistic, positive, cheerful and I am always determined to succeed in everything I do. I do not choose to be this way nor do I force myself to be so controlling or analytical; this is just the way God created me to be. I sometimes wish I could be more laid back and clear my mind of all worries but the unfortunate truth is that I can’t. Believe me, I’ve tried everything to relax like: yoga, meditating, oil infusers, soothing teas and long walks in the wilderness. Though these practices have not changed me they have definitely shaped me into who I am today. In my free time I do yoga, I go for bike rides, I watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix, I religiously watch the Today show every morning, I bake gluten free pastries for fun and I do arts and crafts. I must have 85% dark chocolate and coffee each day to give me an energy boost.
When it comes to writing, I tend to over analyze every single sentence because I try to create flawless writings being the perfectionist that I am. I’m not going to lie, I do get a little intimidated with every essay or writing assignment because I don’t want to create any errors. Every time I do a rough draft I more than likely end up changing everything about it for the final copy. My goal for this class is to be a little more at ease and feel more confident in my writing style. I did take composition II last semester, which helped me a lot to strengthen my writings, so I hope that helps me for this literature class.

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