Hangings a Means of Execution Term Paper

hanging is a means of execution," this topic will be further elaborated and explained with the help of the examples from a short story written by Ambrose Bierce.This short story includes the subject which is "hanging," the examples from the story would be provided in the paper so as to back up the arguments which will be included in the paper.

Hanging has been utilized as a mode of execution for as long as man can remember, there have been more executions by this method than any other means. The procedure is simple; and yet there have been more botched executions by this method than by any other. Essentially, execution by hanging is strangulation, effected by restricting the executee's air supply at the neck, unconsciousness occurring between two and four minutes and death within ten, resulting in death by asphyxiation. This, however, is not humane." http://users.bestweb.net/~rg/execution/Protocol%20Hanging.htm

As far as the practice of hanging is concerned, we all know that hanging is used as a means of execution from many years and this method is followed by the people all around the world. A person is hanged if he had violated the commands of the law, if an individual has done a serious crime and if his crime is detected then such a person deserves a punishment for his crime. Hanging is a punishment through which execution of the criminals is done. The paper will provide the examples from the short story of Ambrose Bierce, but before the examples and illustrations from his story, a short biography of the author would be included in the paper.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF AMBROSE BIERCE:

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) was the author of supernatural stories that have secured his place in both the weird tradition and in American letters at large. Apart from a few well-anthologized ghost stories (notably, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"), Bierce is best remembered for his cynical but humorous Devil's Dictionary.Bierce was born in Ohio on June 24, 1842. He served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. He is noted for his tales of the Civil War, which drew on his own experience as a Union cartographer and officer.His first job in journalism was as editor for the San Francisco News-Letter and California Advertiser. His true love was satire in any form -- whether ghost story or fable, newspaper column or lyrical lambaste, fantasy or pseudo-lexicography. His works added a Western setting to Gothic fiction and, more importantly, developed the psychological aspects of horror first recognized by Poe." http://www.online-literature.com/bierce/

Ambrose Bierce is widely appreciated for his short stories because his stories are based on a message and a central idea for the readers to follow and understand. These stories signify the fact that Ambrose possessed an extraordinary sense of writing and wide imagination on which he developed the stories. Ambrose gained respectable position in the literary world because of his writings and his creative abilities. The stories of Ambrose are still read by the audiences who are interested in the stories based on superstition. "An occurrence at owl Creek Bridge" is an excellent work of Ambrose in which the author has described the protagonist as an unlucky individual who was to be hanged and executed. The story is although very short yet it has managed to provide the readers with the aspects, which are included in the process of hanging; it has further described the feelings and emotions of the individual who is to be hanged. Researches have shown that the filmmakers also appreciated this story of Ambrose and a film has also been made on "An occurrence at owl Creek Bridge."

EXAMPLES FROM "AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE":

Anyone who has ever read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is guaranteed to never forget it. The fine characterization of the unlucky protagonist, as well as the elegantly crafted style of the narrative, work together to produce the irony that so often characterizes Bierce's writing, and causes us to marvel at its composition. Not only is this a masterfully written story, told….....