Part one of term paper
His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it he found it horribly swollen. He knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air. How softly th ...

Part two of term paper
... of his death. Bierce illustrates this optimism through the thoughts of Peyton, and each part links to the hanging. From paragraph 35, one can see that Peyton's neck was in deep pain and was swollen. Peyton thinks he is walking through the woods going on eventually to find his wife waiting at home. However, the jolting pain is simply coming from his neck that is enveloped by a rope dangling from a bridge. Bierce continues to describe the circle of black around his neck from the rope. Peyton cl ...