As I sit here reading this story in the Monroe library in risk of being called a "Monroe Hoe" by my friends, I wonder what was Peyton Farquhar smoking and where could I purchase an eighth. One question I pondered right away was why am I reading this story and what does it have to do with truth. The last line of the story cleared up my wonders, and also presented multiple curiosities that in turn stimulated my thought process. Number one, why would Ambrose Bierce iterate this complex fallacy to then reveal the true nature of the events. I answered that question easily by realizing, "So he could have his story read in an English class geared towards truth and lies." Then I asked myself, "How did I fall for that?"
Bierce's use of vivid detail tricked me into believing every single word that he fed me, and I'm pretty sure I have read this short story before. I bought every word. Why wouldn't I. The point of a story is to make the reader believe what they are looking at. Bierce takes a chance on concocting this lie and it pays off. I never really even thought that I would be reading a story that was intentionally supposed to trick me. Ignorant or not, it was bliss when I read those last words. I suddenly wondered if M. Night Shyamalan co-authored this work. Interesting options arise when one tip toes the lines between truth and lie.
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