Van Brunt's 'The Disappearance Of Our Teacher'

1) Prescribed Text – The Book Thief a. Compose a summary/synopsis of the text (plot/themes/characters/key concerns). (100 words only)

They fought over the affection of a woman, this women invited them both to a party. When he saw how much Ichabod and the woman talked, Brom Bones became jealous. Soon after Ichabod left the party to go home, Ichabod reasoned that he was being chased by The Headless Horseman, a legend from Sleepy Hollow in which a ghost chases riders before they get to a certain point in the town. The fear indicated while Ichabod was being attacked by what he perceived as a ghost, was further developed using diction to create a more realistic experience for his reader. Irving writes in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; “As yet his panic had given his unskilful rider an apparent advantage in the chase; but just as he had got halfway through the hollow, the girth of his saddle gave way, and Ichabod felt it slipping from under him.

Thomas L. Friedman the author of “My Favorite Teacher” discusses in that essay his teacher Hattie M. Steinberg, her influence on him, and how relevant her teachings would have been in this internet day and age. Friedman uses the repetition of his favorite teacher’s name and classroom number to connect and unify these ideas. For example, Friedman believes that many people have forgotten the fundamentals due to the internet so he uses the repetition of his teacher’s name and classroom to connect both ideas. He states this in the ninth paragraph “Among the fundamentals Hattie introduced me to was The New York Times. Every morning it was delivered to room 313….” In the following paragraph Friedman does the same thing using the repetition of his

In the story, Brom Bones, although he is not the main character of the story, represents more of the American Romantic hero than Ichabod Crane. Brom Bones demonstrates this role as a hero since he is physically fit and innocent in mind since he is not formally educated. The American Romantics valued people that did not have a formal education and were pure in mind. Conversely, Ichabod Crane demonstrates many values that were not cherished by the American Romantics. Ichabod Crane was a teacher and had a higher education that the American Romantics appreciated. He also did not have a higher purpose that he believed in, and was not innocent. This lack of innocence can be seen with the maxim Ichabod believed in, “spare the rod and spoil the child” (Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”). This quote focuses on his teaching style, where he was not a gentle person to children, but rather a harsh teacher. Moreover, he would go to live in the homes of the students “who happened to have pretty sisters, or good housewives for mothers” (Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”). Ichabod does not have the innocence or mentality that help to define an American Romantic hero, which is especially seen in how he does not appreciate nature as much as the American Romantics would. Rather than turning away from civilization and moving towards a deep inspiration and appreciation of nature, Ichabod embraces society. In this story, Ichabod appreciates Sleepy Hollow and wishes to stay there, thinking positively of the houses and luxuries that some of the people have. This is best demonstrated when Irving states, “When he entered the house, the conquest of his heart was complete” (Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”). The quote explains how Ichabod appreciates the house that he is in and does not want to leave such a place. Nature,

Over time, a change has occurred from the typical horror story to a violent and bloody legend. The original short story " The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow" is an example of a simple, yet mysterious fable in which Ichabod Crane acts as the protagonist. Ichabod becomes the victim of the feared headless horseman after believing the superstitious tales of this spirit preying in the night. The film that is supposedly based upon the tale provides a deceiving, yet compelling title of Sleepy Hollow, as one might assume that the film is a reenactment of the short story. The film and original tale differ in that the film has blood, gore and controversy while the story depicts a

Soon after he regained control of the horse, and crossed the bridge the Headless Horseman through his head at him knocking him off the horse. After that all that remained was his hat, a shattered pumpkin, and the horse and saddle, but no Ichabod.

Unfortunately, standing in Ichabod?s way was the handsome Brom Van Brunt, otherwise known as Brom Bones. Brom was a troublesome young man who was known for his pranks and troublemaking while riding his horse DareDevil. Brom was in love with Katrina as well and was severely jealous of Ichabod?s attempts to marry her.

Who should choose the books for the class to read, teachers or students? I support the decision to let students pick the reading for next school year. The first reason is that students will be more focused on the book because they like it. Next, students will get good grades because they have actually read it. Lastly, they understand it more because they picked their level.

“College for the Masses” by David Leonhardt is a great article that displays the many benefits among lower-income students attending a four year college. “Why Poor Students Struggle” by Vicki Madden displays many examples from hers and her colleagues experiences while providing statistics of the lower-income joining a four year college. The two articles both display the benefits of attending a four year college and that the education pays off. David’s article talked about the different education levels based on their test score before attending the university and the amount of income, while Vicki’s focused more on the income and the effects on grades of students while attending the college on low income. David also goes more in detail about the disadvantages of community college than Vicki’s description of community college. “College for the Masses”, in my opinion, had more intensive descriptions and examples on the benefits of starting in a four year university, rather than community college.

While becoming a valedictorian can be an honor to those who receive the title, others are debating whether or not valedictorians should continue to exist, or if it should switch from being exclusive to one person in a high school senior class to multiple high-achieving students with similar scores, GPAs, and effort shown throughout their high school tenure. In “Best in Class” by Margaret Talbot, the author emphasizes the idea that having only one valedictorian motivates students due to the prestige associated with the title, as shown through her use of logos and ethos throughout her essay.

“In the dark shadow of the grove… [Ichabod] beheld something huge, misshapen, black and towering...up in the gloom...some gigantic monster” and “summoning up, [from his trembling body] a show of courage...he demanded in stammering accents- ‘Who are you?’”. In the short story, the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, Washington Irving, tells the adventures of a schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, in the haunted town of Sleepy Hollow. There, he pursues the local beauty, Katrina van Tassel, competing with the town’s rowdy prankster, Brom Bones. As the plot intensifies, Ichabod’s superstition eventually leads to his downfall when he is chased by the legendary ghost of the Headless Horseman in a terrifying and vivid scene after a party at Katrina’s house. The next day, Ichabod has disappeared, his fate unknown. Throughout the story, Irving creates suspense with the use of imagery to build up a frightening scene in the reader’s mind and ambiguity to make them anxious as they feel a sense of mysteriousness as to what really happened.

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

[Ichabod] passes long winter evening with the Old Dutch wives... and listen to their marvellous tales of ghosts...

Throughout the show Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones are enemies due to the fact that they are pursing the same woman. There is also a narrator who helps to tell the story of the headless horseman. The purpose of this play was to add an interesting twist to the show of an already well known myth, and to entertain the audience. These things are what the story line of the play revolves around and are the main focuses in the show.

Brom Bones and Ichabod began a rivalry with one another as they fought over the heart of Katrina. They both spent their time with Katrina. Katrina, of course, loved the attention. She could not decide between the strong Brom Bones or the sweet Ichabod, so the feud continued. One night Katrina and her father had a party and all of the town showed at her house. Brom Bones and Ichabod were both ready to charm their way into becoming whom Katrina loved.