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The Legend of Sleepy hollow
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The analysis of the legend of sleepy hollow
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Rylee O’Brien Ms. Daniel Language Arts 5-6 10 December 2017 Recapturing The Past A woman named Lauren Oliver once said, “Take it from me: If you hear the past speaking to you, feel it tugging up your back and running its fingers up your spine, the best thing to do-the only thing-is run.” When reading the story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, this quote is very relevant to the people of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane lives in a the small town of Sleepy Hollow, he falls in love with Katrina Van Tassel. While living there he encounters Brom Bones after discovering that both of them love the same girl. Throughout the story, the reader will witness the past brought up in extraordinary ways. In Washington Irving’s drama, “The Legend of …show more content…
Irving does this to help readers realize how caught up the society of Sleepy Hollow is with their past. Irving frequently brings up the Revolutionary war and how the headless horseman was a Hessian soldier from the war. When he writes, “The dominant spirit that haunts this enchanted region is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannonball in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War… The specter is known, at all the country firesides, by the name of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow” (Irving 2). This is an allusion to the Revolutionary war because the headless horseman was a hessian soldier. This explains the theme of supernatural because the Headless Horseman haunts their town and the main character, Ichabod Crane, comes across the ghost of him. Another major allusion in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is Ichabod's belief in witches. The author supports this when saying, “He was, moreover, esteemed by the women as a man of great erudition, for he had read several books quite through, and was a perfect master of Cotton Mather's 'History of New England Witchcraft” (Irving 4). Ichabod also believes in the supernatural past. His belief in witches supports the theme of supernatural within the book. Referring to the past using allusion develops different themes within the …show more content…
Irving uses imagery to help readers imagine the past and also impact the theme of supernatural. Irving writes, “The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; star shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols. The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head” (Irving 3-4). Once again, Irving makes a reference to the hessian soldier, the Headless Horseman, which brings back the past of the revolutionary war, he does this by using imagery in explaining what he looks like. This also ties in with the theme of supernatural. Irving also describes, “ There was a contagion in the very air that blew from that haunted region; it breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land” (Irving 1). This helps us readers imagine the atmosphere and the theme of supernatural within the town. The mentioning of the hauntings brings up the past once
The readings “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving and The Monster by Stephen Crane are to amazing readings. However, these two texts represent violence and conflicts in different ways, which shows that although they have the same concept their tactic for this same concept is used in a different approach.
Fifteen years separate Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown.” The two share an eerie connection because of the trepidation the two protagonists endure throughout the story. The style of writing between the two is not similar because of the different literary elements they choose to exploit. Irving’s “Sleepy Hollow” chronicles Ichabod Crane’s failed courtship of Katrina Van Tassel as well as his obsession over the legend of the Headless Horseman. Hawthorne’s story follows the spiritual journey of the protagonist, Young Goodman Brown, through the woods of Puritan New England where he looses his religious faith. However, Hawthorne’s work with “Young Goodman Brown” is of higher quality than Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” because Hawthorne succeeds in exploiting symbols, developing characters, and incorporating worthwhile themes.
The original story by Washington Irving starts out in a small town of Sleepy Hollow. Irving paints an image of bountiful crops, beautiful scenery, and prosperous landowners. Ichabod Crane was a local pedagogue, who taught at the local schoolhouse. He was known for his strict ways and yet he was very popular amongst the families of his students- especially the ones who had ?pretty sisters.? Ichabod enjoyed spending fall evenings with the old widows as they sat by a fire and told stories of ghosts and demons and other supernatural beings. One story that was always told was one of the legendary Headless Horsemen. The tale tells of a soldier who had his head shot off with a cannon ball. His ghost now roamed Sleepy Hollow on his horse, looking for his lost head. In place of his head, sits a jack-o-lantern, which had a fiery glow.
in creating his vision of the town of Sleepy Hollow and the headless horseman, Katrina,
The narration in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow functions as a way to give authority to the women of Tarry Town. This power of feminine is elicit by Washington Irving who gives respect and superiority to women indirectly, but yet evidently through third person narration. Furthermore through Katrina he parallels the power of Tarry Town’s women by illustrating their agency to beget the downfall of Ichabod.
“He was framed for great knowledge and skill in horsemanship, being as dexterous on horseback as Tartar (49).” I think this gives more insight on the possibility that Abraham was the “headless horseman” he had the skills to be able to ride naturally, fast, and be able to focus on scaring Ichabod. Brom bones acted suspicious when the story was brought up about Ichabod Crane leaving and why Ichabod left. “...was observed to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related, and always burst into a hearty laugh at the mention of the pumpkin; which led some to suspect that he knew more about the matter than he chose to tell
In the film Sleepy Hollow directed by Tim Burton does an excellent job of keeping you on your toes with this one. Especially since this is an older movie with older technology as well as set in the 18th century. Sleepy Hollows main character Ichabod Crane, played by the great Johnny Depp, is smart and brave but only when he has to be. To say the movie is supposed to be spooky it’s kind of funny. Ichabod Crane created new ways to solve crimes with forensic science. The ironic part is he is really scary to say he has to be around dead bodies. What makes it funny is how he always faints. It does not take much for Ichabod to faint. Not only is it funny and spooky Tim Burton has great symbolism in this film. Some of the symbols are the Holy Bible, the color white, a red cardinal, and the color black.
Benoit, Raymond. Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The Explicator. Washington: Heldref Publications, 1996. "
The traveler goodman Brown encounters with the serpentine staff is one supernatural element Hawthorne includes in Brown’s quest. "He had cast up his eyes in astonishment, and looking down again, beheld neither goody Cloyse not the serpentine staff, but his fellow-traveler alone." (Hawthorne 390). Hawthorne’s use of the traveler with the serpentine staff suggests goodman Brown’s own subconscious debate of evil within man and his innocence. All the “witchy” encounters the traveler leads goodman Brown to on his quest seem to only lead him further from finding himself than he was at the start. Washington Irving also uses a supernatural element with the infamous headless horseman in “The Legend of Sleepy
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short film about a particular town that is very sleepy; in other words, the town is very “dreamy.” This film is a depiction of the social instability during the time of the Market Revolution. Basically, the film shows that the town of sleepy hollow lacks a class structure within their society and shows the selfishness of the members that are just trying to make life good for themselves.
For instance, Ichabod is describe by Irving Washington as “he is exceedingly lank which leaves all readers note that he does not have enough to eat” (9).This is due to the fact that Ichabod don't make much money from school.On this, seeking to achieve his objective, Ichabod finds fear on his way.Ichabod’s eyes shows how many times he is scared. In fact, since the beginning of the story, Washington showsfear of Ichabod. Even if the schoolteacher (Ichabod) likes scary stories, he does not wish being in the story. After being invite by Katrina's father to an event, Ichabod meets on his way Abraham Van Brunt called Brom Bones, a strong man who will give him the fear of his life. Indeed, Brunt is another character also wanting to marry Katrina.After finding an obstacle in its path, Brunt use the weakness of Ichabod against of him, the fear. Brunt uses theHeadless Horseman, the spirit of a Hessian soldier to scare Ichabod. Ichabod is frightened by Brunt who practices the story of the Headless Horseman. Ichabod has the biggest scare of his life after believing to the fiction did by Brunt and he disappears the same night from the village.Finally, Readers can see that Irving Washington uses Ichabod's eyes color to reveal aspects of his
When comparing the book “The Legends of Sleepy Hollow” written by Washington Irving and the Movie “Sleepy Hollow” directed by Tim Burton, I found that the movie did a better job at telling an interesting story. A few aspects that were better than in the movie were the character development and the plot of the story. In the book Ichabod Crane was described to be a very dull character while, with the help of Johnny Depp, the movie made the character a much more interesting person. Although similar and different in their own ways the plots of the movie had key parts that were effective and entertaining. The all of the events that he added had a role to help tie the story together and lead to good ending. However both having their own strengths and weaknesses, I found that Tim Burton did a better job at telling the story of the Headless Horseman then Washington
The most famous Scottish tale of the headless horseman was when a soldier named Ewen was decapitated in a clan battle at Glen Cainnir on the Isle of Mull. The battle denied him any chance to be a chief of the clan, and even his horse is headless and there are accounts of him haunting the area. The Dullahan could have transferred to American folklore. The Headless Horseman is a fictional character from the short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. In this story a soldier in the American Revolution gets decapitated by a cannonball and his comrades bury him close to the battlefield. Every halloween night his ghost furiously looks for his head. In Indian Folklore it is called the jhinjhār and is actually viewed as a heroic figure. They are viewed to be warriors whose wrath and passion to protect the innocent motivate them to fight even after beheaded.
How does sleepy hollow relate to american romanticism? This story shows the fault in man. Mr. Irving makes you feel you are there. The story ends with an mysterious ending. It takes place both in a real and fairyland. This story is incorporated with myth and legend.
The legend of sleepy hollow was first published in 1820 and tampered with due to modernizing the language within the story. The author of this master piece, with hilarious dilemmas, is Washington Irving. His work isn’t what you may call an informative novel but a hilariously poised fiction having exaggerated characters cower over a horrific man beheading beast. Amongst the Character’s personal ambitions, in the sleepy hollow, they strive to accomplish the variation of true passion for love through what they believe is worthy of their desired woman. Irving successfully made the protagonist, being Ichabod Crane, appear ludicrous but scholarly and aghast of his own collections of various horror stories. Ichabod doesn’t only have personal issues but issues with other characters, such as: being for “love”, “anger”, or even “fear.”