An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge%0D%0Aby Ambrose Bierce%0D%0A%0D%0AA man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the ties supporting the rails of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners—two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At a short remove upon the same temporary platform was an officer in the uniform of his rank, armed. He was a captain. A sentinel at each end of the bridge stood with his rifle in the position known as “support,” that is to say, vertical in front of the left shoulder, the hammer resting on the forearm thrown straight across the chest—a formal and unnatural position, enforcing an erect carriage of the body. It did not appear to be the duty of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge; they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it.%0D%0A%0D%0ABeyond one of the sentinels nobody was in sight; the railroad ran straight away into a forest for a hundred yards, then, curving, was lost to view. Doubtless there was an outpost farther along. The other bank of the stream was open ground—a gentle slope topped with a stockade of vertical tree trunks, loop holed for rifles, with a single embrasure through which protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce%0D%0A%0D%0AQuestion%0D%0AUse the passage to answer the question.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnalyze the passage. What theme does this reveal?%0D%0A%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0AWar has horrible results.%0D%0AWar has horrible results.%0D%0A%0D%0ANature provides much beauty.%0D%0ANature provides much beauty.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt is important to respect authority.%0D%0AIt is important to respect authority.%0D%0A%0D%0AFear can be overcome.%0D%0AFear can be overcome.

Answer 1

The passage from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce reveals a theme that "War has horrible results." The scene depicts a man about to be executed, highlighting the grim and brutal realities of war. The description of the soldiers, the preparations for execution, and the atmosphere surrounding the event emphasize the violence and moral complexities inherent in wartime situations. The overall mood is somber and reflects the tragic consequences that war inflicts on individuals.