Realism

Realism is a writing style that tries to give a story that has real aspects in it. It shows real parts of life "not as the author wants it to be in the present or the future, or imagines it was in the past."(Werlock) This means that the author shows the truth in his writings. The author does not make up things to be how they wish they would be. In the story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, the man is up to be hung(Bierce). This is a real part of life. In the day that the author is writing, hanging is what they did normally. While the man is on the rope, he has a day dream about seeing his family (Bierce). This day dream tells the reader what the author would happen to the man, but instead real life hits and the man is thrown over the bridge and killed (Bierce). That acts shows realism because the character did not widdle his way out of the situation and he was actually killed.

Romanticism replaced realism. Romanticim is an idea that people can create what they want. "In this sense realism is opposed to romance, which represents life as we would like it to be" (Quinn). This is true because Romanticism is all about becoming who you want to be a realism is finding the truth behind what is happening. The American Dream comes from self made man. A self made came around when Americans were given equal rights to have a chance to become rich. This also created the hero for realism. It did because the men who actually did become rich were a hero in a way. They were because it shows that anyone can become rich if they know how. Realism is a topic that addresses the issues of today's society. It does because it pertains to actual occurrences that happen. It does not sugar coat things to make a good story. Realism tells the truth and everything is for themselves.

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce; I Page 1." Page By Page Books. Read Classic Books Online, Free. Web. 18 Jan 2011http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Ambrose_Bierce/An_Occurrence_At_Owl_Creek_Bridge/I_p2.html

Quinn, Edward. "realism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com

Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/