Ichabod Crane's Suicide

In Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” protagonist Ichabod Crane is the focus of our study of the importance of critical thinking, particularly focusing on leadership. Crane was a school teacher, he was expected to be wise and a critical thinker based on him being a teacher, yet his actions say otherwise. Crane is susceptible to superstition and emotional manipulation. Crane being a school teacher is a complete contradiction to his actions and thought process, critical thinking plays an essential role in leadership. Critical thinking also allows leaders to make decisions based on reliable information, while also cutting out and questioning their biases and assumptions. Throughout Ichabod Crane’s journey, Irving shows us how poor

His failure to assess the situation and question the supernatural tales he hears leaves him vulnerable and easily able to be manipulated with fear which ultimately ends in his downfall. The best example of this occurs when he encounters the headless horseman. Instead of approaching the situation with a rational mind, he lets his beliefs in the legend cause him to react in uncontrollable terror, leading to his running and eventual disappearance. Now one would be frightened seeing that, but Crane is in the best position since he knows a lot about the tales of the headless horseman, he should have known how to handle him and what to do if he encountered the legend. This shows us how even though he has the knowledge on what to do, he does not react like a critical thinker and instead lets his emotions run

When we first started the task, I was leaning more toward doing what the majority of the class was doing, even though I had a different idea of what to do. When I was finally able to work up the courage to speak up after debating my own opinion and questioning myself, I finally spoke up and my plan for the project was ultimately proved to be more effective. This experience, I believe, helped reinforce the value of critical thinking for me and to always question things and think like a leader. I don’t remember who said this, but I heard a quote saying “Just because everyone believes something to be true doesn’t make it true” I believe this quote is a good way to define critical thinking. Now that I'm moving forward in a life where things become ever more confusing, I know to rely on critical thinking to navigate this confusing world. I believe by using critical thinking, I can become a better leader and help others question others and their opinions. By consistently questioning my assumptions, seeking out other perspectives, and researching my thoughts on the said subject, I believe I can become a better leader and an effective critical thinker. I am inspired evermore now by Ichabod Crane’s story, not because he was a good critical thinker, but as a powerful reminder of the dangers of neglecting critical thinking.