“Peyton Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, of an old and
highly respected Alabama family. Being a slave owner and like other slave
owners a politician he was a naturally original secessionist and ardently
devoted to the southern cause” (p. 33).
The
author wrote this to describe Peyton so that the reader can get an idea of the
life style he lived and how he was just another typical white man that owned
slaves and had his own land. Throughout the story the author gives more and
more “personal” information about Peyton and the way he viewed things and the
things that truly meant a lot to him. There is a specific scene where a soldier
asked for a drink of water and both he and his wife were glad to provide that
for him. By this you can tell that both he and his wife were good people at
heart. When reading this story the reader becomes aware of the love that Peyton
Farquhar had for his family. He only cared about their wellbeing and put
himself at last. All of this contributes to the meaning of the story because it
shows that he was a normal man living his life and not harming anyone. The
reason why he was murdered was not an actual reason, just because the army
wanted to build railroads so that transportation could be a lot faster and
safer. But what amazes me the most is that even in his last moments of being
alive all he does is worry about his family, he doesn’t care at the fact that
he is about to be hung an killed he only cares about the fact that he won’t be
there to provide for his family.
In my
opinion the author did a great job describing the important scenes by giving
great descriptive words. I really like this story because it reminds me of my
dad. My dad is just like Peyton Farquhar he puts his family first and then
himself. He cares a lot about our wellbeing then his. He tries his best to be
not just a great dad but also to be a great husband and a great son and uncle.
Overall this was one of my favorite scenes because I was able to picture myself
in his shoes and to feel the way that he was feeling I thought it was pretty
amazing.
Interesting post here. I agree that Bierce helps the reader sympathize with this southern loyalist;however, I disagree that the reason he was killed was "the army wanted to build railroads so that transportation could be faster and safer. If you had evidence for this claim, I'd be interested in seeing it. My understanding of the story is that Peyton tried to blow up the bridge because it was a federally held bridge that would soon provide a route for the army to advance further into southern territory. This is another reason why incorporating evidence from the text (using TEA) is so helpful for both the reader and the writer. For the writer, it forces you to examine the evidence for your claims carefully and, perhaps, gain a deeper understanding. For the reader, evidence provide support even when, or especially when, you are skeptical of the claims being made. A great lesson to learn from here.
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