An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Journey Analysis

Eichelman Chaffin1
ENGL 1020-003
20 March 2015
The Poetry of the Journey A journey can be described as a series of events. The journey can happen over a long period of time or occur in the blink of an eye. No matter how, why, when, or where the venture occurs, it always incorporates a main character, and the venture becomes relevant to the main character. A journey is used to reflect on a character and emphasize their details in the stories “A Worn Path”, and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, and in the poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. To begin, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty follows Phoenix Jackson on her voyage into town. She is a very bland and unmemorable character as the story
This man is Peyton Farquhar and although much is said initially of his physical appearance, the audience is unaware of who he really is. Farquhar fantasizes of his escape and eventually rids himself of the restraints around his hands with what the author describes as “superhuman strength”(86). Farquhar’s exaggerated strength reinforces the idea that this is a man who will not go down without a fight. After freeing himself and free falling into the stream below him, Farquhar takes note of his surroundings. He notes the “veining in each leaf”(86) and the “prismatic color in all the dewdrops”(86). These details reveal that Farquhar is someone who admires the beauty in nature. As his thoughts deepen, Farquhar reminisces about his wife and family. These thoughts enlighten the audience on the fact Farquhar was a family man and his heart was filled with love. The journey exposes a man beyond his
Death is portrayed as a man driving a carriage and delivering people to their respective graves. In this poem death is said to have “kindly stopped”(2) for the character and in the journey he “knew no haste”(5). Instead of being grim and gray, the characters actions during his part of the journey show the character as a gentleman and bring him to life. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost details the pause of a person during travel. The traveler is accompanied by his companion, a horse. During their break the horse questions the travelers motives by “giving his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake”(9-10). These actions of the horse reveal that the horse is accustomed to a set routine and further enforce that the two have a history of traveling together often. As the poem continues, the traveler of the poem says he has promises to keep and miles to go before he sleeps. This

Chaffin3 reveals that he or she is someone who is determined to stay true to his or her promise. The poem reveals he or she is an experienced traveler that is determined and weary. To conclude, Frost, Welty, Bierce, and Dickinson each use a particular type of migration or journey to describe their own respective characters. Each character goes through a unique adventure that reveals something about themselves. The journey also reveals the characters as to whom they