In three to five sentences, explain how Ambrose Bierce's use of foreshadowing or flashback influence "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."

you know what i think is really crazy to think about? this post is still active till this day and people are still commenting. not alot but its still happening. this entire question was asked 2013 which was years ago. it makes me wonder what the original poster asking this question is doing right now. they are long ahead in their late 20's now considering they were most likely around 17-18 when first posting this

Thanks guys, this really helped! Remember, it isn't cheating unless you're caught. That's why I win my bets!

Daniel, please tell me you didn't put your full name in a confession of cheating... please tell me thats a fake name...

Generations pass yet cheaters will always remain.

We see all the legends from before it’s like history of all the cheaters that leads up to us

it is crazy, the person who original posted this probably as a whole life now and here we are thankful as frick for them 😭

Another example of foreshadowing in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is to be found in what is going through Peyton Farquhar's mind as he is standing on the bridge with a noose around his neck waiting to be hanged.

He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. "If I could free my hands," he thought, "I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take to the woods and get away home."

Ambrose Bierce’s use of flashback influences “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge in a way that it makes the reader understand the background information and events that led up to the main conflicts in the story. One quote which really showcases this is when Bierce writes, “Peyton Farquhar was a well-to-do planter of an old and highly respected Alabama family. Being a slave owner, and like other slave owners, a politician, he was naturally an original secessionist and ardently devoted to the Southern cause.” (p. 134). Another use of flashback would be Bierce writes, “‘The Yanks are repairing the railroads,’ said the man, ‘and are getting ready for another advance. They reached the Owl Creek bridge, put it in order and built a stockade on the north bank. The commandant has issued an order, which is posted everywhere, declaring that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged…” (p. 135). We see at the beginning of the story that there is a mysterious man sentenced to death by hanging. What these quotes do very well, is look back on a past event of the victim’s life, which gives further context and development to understand what is happening in the current moment. When Bierce writes, “slave owner,” “a politician,” and “devoted to the Southern cause,” it shows readers who this character was as a person and what his background was. It also shows his loyalty to the South, and that he probably went against the Union soldiers who are intent on hanging him. Furthermore, the second quote shows readers why the main character is being hung, Bierce writes, “ any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged…” This helps readers understand the circumstances of the main character’s punishment. In many pieces of writing today, or works of media, flashbacks offer a way for people to obtain the idea the creator wants to get across, while avoiding straight exposition, and making it more visually digestible for the audience. It avoided having people explain to us what happened when instead they can show it the way it was, disconnecting from the moment and looking into the past.

Don't completely trust LockeJames's answer. I did a word search for "purple elephant" in the story but there was no mention of it.

Its crazy they probably have kids now and living their best life and here we are just trying to pass