The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is Gothic. The spooky atmosphere and superstitious premise are overt and give the story a strong mood. An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge is realistic. There are no exaggerations or numerous details that don't advance the plot or build characters, and it is written as though it were a record of actual events. Sleepy Hollow is written as though from a single viewpoint (probably Brom's,) and it is presented as being a real story. Owl Creek Bridge is told from several perspectives, including Peyton's. Since (spoiler) Peyton dies at the end, there is no way the account could have actually happened, as the only person who could have know of Peyton's delusions was Peyton himself.
Both stories have endings that are unhappy for the protagonist, and both have a twist at the end. Sleepy Hollow's twist (that Brom was pretending to be the headless horseman to scare off Ichabod) was implied, while Owl Creek Bridge's was stated specifically in the end.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Task 4
In chapter 2, a Union scout tells Peyton about an opportunity to sabotage Owl Creek Bridge, including detailed information about security and the Union camp there. Why would he tell Peyton this? Was he just trying to keep his cover or secretly a Confederate sympathizer? Or was he baiting Peyton, and if so, why?
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Task 3
Habit - He was a civilian, if one might judge by his habit, which was that of a planter.
Tow - It is now dry and would burn like tow.
Hemp - He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp.
Preternaturally - They were, indeed, preternaturally keen and alert.
Presaging - How coldly an pitiously - with what an even, calm intonation, presaging, and enforcing tranquility in the men - with what accurately measured intervals fell those cruel words:
Tow - It is now dry and would burn like tow.
Hemp - He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp.
Preternaturally - They were, indeed, preternaturally keen and alert.
Presaging - How coldly an pitiously - with what an even, calm intonation, presaging, and enforcing tranquility in the men - with what accurately measured intervals fell those cruel words:
Task 2
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge shares similar themes with the movie The Truman Show. They both focus on the main character's perception of reality being manipulated, they both offer the character both a happy lie and an unhappy truth, and they both end with the character leaving their fabricated worlds.
While the manipulation in The Truman Show is accomplished by a vast conspiracy over the span of Truman's entire life, Peyton is deceived by his own mind. His delusion only lasts a few seconds. Both characters depart from their lives to an unhappy reality. Truman finds that his entire life was a lie, and escapes his wife, friends, and job to the real world where he knows no one. Peyton was with his wife and children again before being forced back to reality by his death.
While the manipulation in The Truman Show is accomplished by a vast conspiracy over the span of Truman's entire life, Peyton is deceived by his own mind. His delusion only lasts a few seconds. Both characters depart from their lives to an unhappy reality. Truman finds that his entire life was a lie, and escapes his wife, friends, and job to the real world where he knows no one. Peyton was with his wife and children again before being forced back to reality by his death.
Task 1
"Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene - perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine... at the bottom of the steps [his wife] stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of matchless grace and dignity." (Chapter 3)
This passage comes just before the final plot twist is revealed. Up to this point, the fantasy has been coherent, unbroken, and extremely realistic. In the paragraph before this one, it begins to make the transition toward the delusive; his mind begins to note flaws in the construct of the dream, "Overhead... shone great golden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange constellations."
As his life draws to a close, his mind begins to skip over the less eventful parts of the dream, "Now he sees another scene - perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium" As opposed to the photo realistic realism of the rest of the story, Peyton's longing gives a rosy too good to be true tint to his reunion with his wife, and she is portrayed in a romantic, idealized style. The description of the setting is focused more on the mood than details, as the dream comes to an end and a stark reality to compare it to draws closer.
This passage comes just before the final plot twist is revealed. Up to this point, the fantasy has been coherent, unbroken, and extremely realistic. In the paragraph before this one, it begins to make the transition toward the delusive; his mind begins to note flaws in the construct of the dream, "Overhead... shone great golden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange constellations."
As his life draws to a close, his mind begins to skip over the less eventful parts of the dream, "Now he sees another scene - perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium" As opposed to the photo realistic realism of the rest of the story, Peyton's longing gives a rosy too good to be true tint to his reunion with his wife, and she is portrayed in a romantic, idealized style. The description of the setting is focused more on the mood than details, as the dream comes to an end and a stark reality to compare it to draws closer.
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