The coup de grace ambrose bierce. "The Coup De Grace" By Ambrose Bierce, Sample of Essays 2023-01-01
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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.
The Coup De Grace by Ambrose Bierce
Having answered, he turned away his eyes and said no more. There had been no great effusion of blood. They had, indeed, grown up together from childhood. It went over the cliff. . Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with the gallant army that had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth, and he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction.
The burly commander is an equestrian statue of himself. 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. Esta vez no apartó los ojos. Articulate speech was beyond his power; it was impossible to know if he were sensible to anything but pain. The dust drifts away.
But the intrepid victor was not to be baffled; the spirit of the race which had passed the great sea burned unconquerable in that small breast and would not be denied. In my opinion, Bierce had several opportunities to add power and substance to the story; yet he simply went with a dry and unimaginative style. La mejor manera de cuidarlos es ganar la batalla. For that which we accord to even the meanest creature without sense to demand it, denying it only to the wretched of our own race: for the blessed release, the rite of uttermost compassion, the coup de grace. Among the fallen was Sergeant Halcrow. So pay careful attention to this story; some people make decisions, other people pay for them, with one notable exception. Nine men in ten whom you meet after a battle inquire the way to some fraction of the army—as if any one could know.
The investigator will encounter nothing less than a line-of-battle; there is no need of pickets, videttes, skirmishers, to give warning of our approach; our attacking lines will be visible, conspicuous, exposed to an artillery fire that will shave the ground the moment they break from cover, and for half the distance to a sheet of rifle bullets in which nothing can live. Invisible now from either side, and equally doomed by friend and foe, he stood in the shot-swept space, motionless, his face toward the enemy. That great soul whose beautiful body is lying over yonder, so conspicuous against the sere hillside—could it not have been spared the bitter consciousness of a vain devotion? It is now dry and would burn like tow. Entre él y el capitán Madwell reinaba una antipatía natural, que las circunstancias habían alimentado y fortalecido hasta convertirla en activa animosidad. The tense muscles of its lips, which had uncovered the teeth in a horrible grin, relaxed; the sharp, clean-cut profile took on a look of profound peace and rest. A algunos, que estaban demasiado lejos, se les enterraba donde habían caído.
Jerome Searing, though a private, did not serve in the ranks; he was detailed for service at division headquarters, being borne upon the rolls as an orderly. From the edge of the wood leading up the acclivity are the tracks of horses and wheels—the wheels of cannon. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Presently he lifted his face, turned it toward his dying friend and walked rapidly back to his side. The preparations being complete, the two private soldiers stepped aside and each drew away the plank upon which he had been standing.
It is not intended to relate in detail the progress and incidents of that ghastly contest—a contest without vicissitudes, its alternations only different degrees of despair. This officer was a wise man; he knew better than to tell an incredible truth. Its green was more vivid than that of the inclosing forest. La erizada eminencia del lomo se recortaba en negro contra el rojo poniente. The figure of the man sat the figure of the horse, straight and soldierly, but with the repose of a Grecian god carved in the marble which limits the suggestion of activity. Clearly, it was impassable.
There was little attempt at identification, though in most cases, the burial parties being detailed to glean the same ground which they had assisted to reap, the names of the victorious dead were known and listed. He saw nothing but a blurred and moving object, but the moans were more distinct than ever, interrupted at briefer intervals by sharper shrieks. A mounted officer would be a conspicuous mark, and I have long held the opinion that it would be better if you were dead. The Civil War was a devastating war where the Confederates, the South, fought for the idea that slavery should stay and should not be abolished and the Union, the North, fought for the abolishment of slavery. At some little distance lay his horse. At the first volley a half of the questioning line will fall, the other half before it can accomplish the predestined retreat.
Yet he stood there at the side of the dead animal, apparently lost to all sense of his surroundings. Two were hospital attendants and carried a stretcher. Among the fallen was Sergeant Halcrow. What, indeed, could the officer have done, being no surgeon and having no water? Yet he stood there at the side of the dead animal, apparently lost to all sense of his surroundings. The sufferer moaned and his lips moved convulsively. The sufferer moaned and his lips moved convulsively.
