The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

Over the past few weeks of class, we have covered the first five chapters of our textbook, written by George Brown Tindell and David Emory Shi called, “America, A Narrative History.” Each chapter told the reader a narration of the history of America, as opposed to an expository version of America’s history. Each chapter had its own main idea over a portion of history, along with many details that cover the importance of the main idea. As a reader, one may obtain a deeper appreciation for the country 's history, prior to entering the class on the first day. The most important aspect of history, besides the battles that are fought, is the different cultures that make up today’s modern America.

Capitalism can be defined as “when monetary wealth was enabled to buy labor power” (Wolf et al. 77). By the time that “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was written, Capitalism was the dominant mode of production, and capitalist markets were spreading rapidly. This became especially true in the United States of America, which was heavily influenced by the British in matters of economy. Since capitalism was born in England, the influence of capitalism bled over into America while they were still under British rule (Wolf et al. 2670). However, by 1820, the year that “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was published, the United States fully adopted the capitalist mode of production, along with the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution. This embrace of the new economic system changed the ways of life for people in both New England and New York, along with the entirety of the country.

Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving are both enthralling writers. They both have unusual styles of writing but they are similar in some ways. The writers are comparable in the use of tone in their works. Irving‘s use of tone in his stories are typically optimistic, yet dramatic. Poe’s uses of tone in his stories are filled with horror and are also dramatic. Poe and Irving use different techniques to develop a complex meaning in their short stories. For instance, elements such as imagery, tone, and irony are placed in these stories contribute to make these stories intense.

In what ways and to what extent did the “American identity” develop between 1750 and 1776?

In Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” an allegorical reading can be seen. The genius of Irving shines through, in not only his representation in the story, but also in his ability to represent both sides of the hot political issues of the day. Because it was written during the revolutionary times, Irving had to cater to a mixed audience of Colonists and Tories. The reader’s political interest, whether British or Colonial, is mutually represented allegorically in “Rip Van Winkle,” depending on who is reading it. Irving uses Rip, Dame, and his setting to relate these allegorical images on both sides. Irving would achieve success in both England and America, in large part because his political satires had individual allegorical meanings.

1776, a non-fiction historical book, is written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough. The book revolves around the American Revolution, hence the title 1776, and it accurately shows the course of actions that have taken place in that year. 1776 is displays how America became an independent nation and what the individuals during that time had to go through to gain access to freedom and liberty. The Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, the nation’s most cherished symbol of independence, that same year on July 4. With education systems not going in depth of the year 1776, this paper is to show how this book has revealed so much of our country’s history in one year.

History is the framework of every nation. It describes what life was like in a nation, hundreds perhaps thousands of years previously. With history, many citizens are able to examine what lead to a crisis in a nation such as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 or the Civil War in the 1800s in the United States of America. Likewise, the moments of growth and economic success are looked at. From these past endeavors, the people can examine what went wrong and what went right and determine how they can stop themselves from making similar mistakes or act in a way that has been proven to work. In Eve Kornfeld’s “Creating an American Culture 1775-1800,” many different areas of national identity are discussed, including the beginnings of documenting the history of America as an independent nation. This was especially hard for Americans to create a singular national identity because there was bias in the early works, the different colonies or states were extremely diverse, and many intellectuals had different perspectives on the American identity.

It is not uncommon for one to grow up learning about the “heroes” from Europe who discovered the “New World”, known today as the United States of America. However, stories of these “brave heroes” often fail to depict the full story. Many of the new settlers came to America in search of a new and better life. As colonists continued to settle, the United States changed drastically. Two of the most dominant themes in colonial America until 1700 were freedom is not entirely free and the “New World” was new for everyone, not just Europeans and African Americans.

Over the past two centuries, America has seen some of its greatest highs in the Roaring Twenties, as well as periods in which the colonial experiment would seem a failure, such as the Great Depression. The U.S. went from that one country that revolted against British imperialism in the new world, to a nation that demanded worldwide respect with the military prowess and economic prosperity it expressed during and after the War of 1812. For the next two hundred years, the U.S. would go on to develop a new sense of identity, an identity that distinguishes us from the rest of the world, one that led us to persevere past the dark times, and onto new heights. This sense of Americanism has seen the ramifications of slavery, fought in twelve major

The creation of the American nation became what it is today from years of struggle in which the common people, as well as the Founding Fathers, played a vital part for independence. The promise of the Revolution, a nation based on the republican ideals of liberty, independence, and equality, was to some extent achieved. Yet the great principles of the Revolution have long shaped our thoughts of what it means to be an American. All the events leading up and after the American Revolution will have effects on the common people. The story of George Robert Twelves Hewes helps historians comprehend the part that the common people played in their struggle for freedom and republican ideals they wanted to achieve for the generations to come in the new nation.

“Is there a single trait of resemblance between those few towns and a great and growing people spread over a vast quarter of the globe, separated by a mighty ocean?” This question posed by Edmund Burke was in the hearts of nearly every colonist before the colonies gained their independence from Britain. The colonists’ heritage was largely British, as was their outlook on a great array of subjects; however, the position and prejudices they held concerning their independence were comprised entirely from American ingenuity. This identity crisis of these “British Americans” played an enormous role in the colonists’ battle for independence, and paved the road to revolution.

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.

"From the first day that the United States won its independance, thoughtful Americans have attempted to define the new national identity" that decolonization invited. Becoming an independant political nation forced citizens to suddenly devise a "community and character" (Finkelman, 63) worthy of this newborn America. It was believed that, once free from Birtish fetters, a unique American character would emerge automatically. But this was not so, and it was left up to the artits, politictians, scientists, businessmen and women, and every other citizen to contrive the American identity. Those who were most accomplished at scrutinizing the American identity and what it was, were the many authors and writers of the 19th century.

Irving Washington’s Rip Van Winkle is one of the most famous and acclaimed works as well as one of Irving’s biggest successes. Irving wrote it after the American Revolution and during that time is when America’s society was still developing and becoming it’s a government of its own. This short story shows how a new, thriving America had gained freedom, but then that freedom came with a price as it meant that the newly freed country would eventually have had to struggle to establish its own identity. In the story, Irving actually represented these feelings of uncertainly through the titular Rip Van Winkle.

Kent returns to the television throughout The Babadook using it as a tool to reflect Amelia’s current thoughts and feelings. When Amelia feels sexually aroused, it shows 1-800 sex line commercials and soft-core pornography. When the Babadook creature possesses Amelia it shows a dark and twisted version of George Méliès' fantasy films. At this moment in the film, the Great Martin speaks to Amelia’s feelings about life after a particularly hard day with Sam. For Amelia, life is indeed full of treachery. The Great Martin’s dialogue is spoken several times by Sam earlier in the film as he practices his own magic. It speaks to the dangers that are coming, but also the tragedy Amelia refuses to move past. The Great Martin brings shape to the Babadook.