Read the quotation from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." These pains appeared to flash along well-defined lines of ramificat
ion and to beat with an inconceivably rapid periodicity. They seemed like streams of pulsating fire heating him to an intolerable temperature. As to his head, he was conscious of nothing but a feeling of fullness—of congestion. These sensations were unaccompanied by thought. The intellectual part of his nature was already effaced; he had power only to feel, and feeling was torment. He was conscious of motion. Encompassed in a luminous cloud, of which he was now merely the fiery heart, without material substance, he swung through unthinkable arcs of oscillation, like a vast pendulum. Then all at once, with terrible suddenness, the light about him shot upward with the noise of a loud splash; a frightful roaring was in his ears, and all was cold and dark. The power of thought was restored; he knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream. The language and the pace of the narration in the excerpt help the reader understand that Farquhar wishes he had not survived. help the reader understand Farquhar’s experience and emotions. indicate to the reader that Farquhar feels a deep sense of relief. indicate to the reader that Farquhar was able to untie his noose before he fell.
help the reader understand Farquhar’s experience and emotions
In the excerpt from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the author Ambrose Bierce provides a detailed and slow paced account of Peyton Farquhar’s physical pain as he is suspended from the bridge and falls into the river. As a result, readers can sympathize with Farquhar and get to know his perceptions and despair at the moment of his execution.
