The coup de grace ambrose bierce. The Collected Works Of Ambrose Bierce Vol Ii In The Midst Of Life Tales Of Soldiers And Civilians By Ambrose Bierce 2022-12-25

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The term "coup de grace" originated in French, meaning "blow of mercy," and refers to a final, decisive blow or action that serves to end or resolve a situation, often in a dramatic or climactic manner. This concept is famously explored in Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," in which the protagonist, a Confederate sympathizer named Peyton Farquhar, is sentenced to be hanged for attempting to sabotage a Union train.

As Farquhar stands on the brink of death, he imagines a desperate escape, in which he manages to break free from the noose and flee through the woods, evading Union soldiers in a series of increasingly implausible scenarios. However, in the final moments of the story, we learn that Farquhar's escape was nothing more than a hallucination, and that the rope around his neck had snapped his spine, killing him instantly. The coup de grace in this case is not a physical action, but rather the realization that Farquhar's life and freedom were irrevocably lost.

Bierce's use of the coup de grace in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" serves to heighten the tension and irony of the story, as Farquhar's desperate struggle for survival is revealed to be a mere delusion. It also serves as a commentary on the futility of resistance against overwhelming odds, as Farquhar's fate is sealed from the moment he is captured.

The concept of the coup de grace is not limited to literature, however. It has been used in various contexts throughout history, from military tactics to euthanasia, as a means of bringing an end to a situation in a swift and decisive manner. While it may not always be a merciful act, it is often seen as a necessary one, bringing closure and resolution to what may have been a long and drawn-out process.

In conclusion, the coup de grace is a powerful literary device that can be used to bring a sense of finality and resolution to a story or situation. Through its use in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Ambrose Bierce explores the theme of resistance against overwhelming odds and the ultimate futility of such an effort. The concept of the coup de grace has also been applied in various real-world contexts, serving as a means of bringing an end to a situation in a decisive and often necessary manner.

Ambrose Bierce's The Coup De Grace

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

But look again—the man has detached himself from the dead animal. It is an army regulation that the wounded must wait; the best way to care for them is to win the battle. In no way could he do so. El moribundo encogió las piernas, y al mismo tiempo se llevó el brazo al pecho, sujetando el acero con tanta fuerza que los nudillos de la mano se le pusieron blancos. He would not even choose officers from his own command, but by some jugglery at department headquarters obtained them from other brigades.

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"The Coup de Grace" By Ambrose Bierce

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

The blade sank into the man's body--through his body into the earth; Captain Madwell came near falling forward upon his work. After some little time he cautiously raised his head, inch by inch, then his body upon his hands, spread out on each side of him, all the while intently regarding the hillock of clay. He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children. The rustle and murmur of their march had not awakened him. The rear battalions alone are in obedience; they preserve their proper distance from the insurgent front.

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The Coup de Grâce Summary

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

Not a look backward. A habit of the heart is not easily broken off. A half-hour later he returned to camp. Had anything in all this vast concatenation been overlooked Private Searing might have fired on the retreating Confederates that morning, and would perhaps have missed. To him it was a merry spectacle. It frightened and repelled him; instead of recrossing, in the direction whence he had come, he turned his back upon it, and went forward toward the dark inclosing wood. No había mucha sangre derramada.

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The Coup de Grace

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

It was defiled with earth and dead leaves. It was slow work, but not tedious; the danger made it exciting, but by no physical signs was the excitement manifest. Suddenly, directly in front of his line, he heard a faint, confused rumble, like the clatter of a falling building translated by distance. There is no hope except the hope against hope that the crest is clear. Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge. It suddenly occurred to his mind that the blackness was simply shadow and that the ring was in fact the muzzle of his rifle protruding from the pile of debris. We also learn that it's the victor of the battle -- the army holding the field afterward -- that counts the casualties and they were incentives to over-count the fallen foe.

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In "The Coup de Grace," what is Bierce saying about friendship? Does Captain Madwell do the right thing? Why or why not?

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

At intervals he moved his limbs; he moaned at every breath. The only visible wound was a wide, ragged opening in the abdomen. Most of the wounded had died of neglect while the right to minister to their wants was in dispute. It is also his habit if he is a good soldier. Its forefeet were upon a human body, its head was depressed and invisible. A private of the escort, with more ambition than brains, spurred forward to obey, and within ten yards left himself and his horse dead on the field of honor.

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The Collected Works Of Ambrose Bierce Vol Ii In The Midst Of Life Tales Of Soldiers And Civilians By Ambrose Bierce

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

They had marched all the previous day and night and were resting. The yellow grass is beaten down by the feet of infantry. The regiment was soon afterward forced back to the main line, and at the close of the battle was miles away. His friend was incoherent and in agonizing pain. Bierce was a Union Army infantry and topographical officer during the Civil War. His tears plashed upon the livid face beneath his own and blinded himself.

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"The Coup De Grace". "The Coup De Grace" is written by Ambrose Bierce. This essay describes how this story is a good example of naturalistic writing.

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

His eyes were bent upon the earth at his feet; his left hand hung loosely at his side, his right still held the pistol. What a price to pay for gratified curiosity! Out of an overlooked compartment fell a letter without envelope or address. The authorial intrusion in a Naturalistic stories are a big part of American literature. There had been no great effusion of blood. For countless ages events had been so matching themselves together in that wondrous mosaic to some parts of which, dimly discernible, we give the name of history, that the acts which he had in will would have marred the harmony of the pattern.

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The Coup de Grâce Themes

the coup de grace ambrose bierce

It was attacked and nearly surrounded in the forest, but stubbornly held its ground. He was enlisted and promoted, and things were so ordered that he now commanded a Confederate battery some two miles along the line from where Jerome Searing, the Federal scout, stood cocking his rifle. My errand here is to place it in your hands. This he thought would enable him to overlook a large scope of country in the direction that he supposed the enemy to have taken in withdrawing. Several Confederate officers and men came out to meet them, and with uncovered heads assisted them to take up their sacred burden.


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