Hope In An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

Hope is a trait that all people have and need in order to move forward into the future. By being hopeful for a better tomorrow, one has a purpose and therefore, has a reason to keep on going in life instead of being trapped in the past. In the short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce writes about how a man on death’s row copes with his impending death by hoping and dreaming of the slightest possibility of escape. Next, in his speech Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln speaks of his hope for a reunited nation where the fighting between the north and south has ceased. Finally, in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass describes his hopes for a better future where no one would have to suffer
Frederick Douglass, who was a slave, wanted his freedom like many other slaves and when he was subject to such harsh slavery, he hoped to one day be free of his horrible life. By having this sense of hope within himself, Douglass was able to continue past his hardships until he was eventually free. Many times over, Douglass dreamed of escape because he was being more and more abused and eventually he preferred death over slavery, “It was a doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death if he failed. For my part, I should prefer death to hopeless bondage”(93). In Frederick Douglass’ words, he says that he would prefer to die than be enslaved which shows his strive to escape slavery. Through his eyes we can see the struggles of slavery and how many people did lose hope in the tight grasp of slavery, however, Douglas proved that his mental strength and hopes were stronger than the bonds in which he was kept. This shows his desire to die than be enslaved. His hope of one day becoming free allowed him to never give up and ultimately allowed him to reach his goal. By never losing hope, Douglass was able to carve a path for himself in the