Ok, I just finished it... it's due tomorrow morning, I'm tired, so what you see is what you get. I was wondering if someone could just run through it a few times to check for grammar/spelling errors. If you want to criticize the content, fine I guess, but expect a smacking from my e-penis afterwards...


The images of consumption run rampant in the short story The Legend of Sleep Hollow. Most of such images revolve directly around our protagonist, Ichabod Crane. Crane, a native of Connecticut, was what became known as a “pioneer for the mind as well as the forest” (824). In simpler terms, he was a teacher. Our young, ambitious hero set up a shanty of a schoolhouse in the town, and quickly made himself into a presence in Sleepy Hollow. For a proper physical description of dear Ichabod, I turn to the author, Washington Irving: "He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it might have been mistaken for a weathercock perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew." (824). Ichabod is then later described as “… the genius of famine…” (824) as well as “… some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.” (824). It almost seems like an oxymoron, for the skinniest of skinny men to be accused of attempting to consume a town, however, with the assistance of Mr. Irving’s words, I will prove that through both literal and figurative means, Ichabod Crane’s sole desire was to consume the town of Sleepy Hollow, and all of it’s inhabitants. No, this essay will not detail cannibalism of any kind.

The first sign of Ichabods insatiable appetite arises when Irving is describing Ichabods way of life. “The revenue arising from his school was small, and would have been scarcely sufficient to furnish him with daily bread, for he was a huge feeder, and though lank, had the dilating powers of an Anaconda…” (824-825). He moved from house to house of his students, owning nothing of his own except a small cotton handkerchief and its contents, eating and living at the expense of everyone else. He didn’t just move into any students house either, he had specific targets, specifically the ones who had “… good housewives for mothers, noted for the comforts of the cupboard.” (824). While living with his students, not only did his appetite for the delicious country dishes grow, his appetite for the many stories and gossips of Sleepy Hollow also increased. With every house he visited, he feasted upon any and every tale that the villagers would share with him. The more he heard, the more fascinated he became with the town. The more fascinated he became with the town, the more he wanted to be a part of it.

Further on in the story, Ichabod visits Baltus Van Tassel’s mansion. While exploring the grounds, he wanders around, seeing what there is to see, and enjoying every bit of it. He quickly begins picturing himself owning all of the glorious property, with Old Baltus’ daughter, Katrina, on his arm. He eventually makes his way to the barnyard area, where there are animals everywhere. Ichabod is awestruck with fantasies of fantastically delicious dinners. Every animal he looks at, his “devouring mind’s eye” (828) pictures them roasted, in a dish, with an assortment of spices and sauces all around. It is very obvious to the common reader that Irving is representing the town and townspeople with the animals on Baltus’ farm. Irving even describes the animals with very militarist words, such as “squadron”, “fleets”, and “regiments”, which gives the reader the sense that they are very tightly knit, and that they know how to defend themselves. The most notable animal, the cock, is most fitting towards Brom. He is the leader of the town, who cares for and protects all of the inhabitants from outsiders. It’s almost fitting that Irving ends the paragraph with Ichabod feasting upon the representation of Brom that is “sprawled on his back, in a side dish, with uplifted claws, as if craving that quarter, which his chivalrous spirit disdained to ask while living.” (828). Ichabod, however, fails to see the animals in this light. He sees the town as simple a group of old fashioned pushovers who would love nothing more than to be governed by an educated boy from the city such as himself.

Approaching the end of the story, Ichabod is at Baltus’ banquet. This is an interesting part of the story as it describes both the figurative and literal aspects of Ichabod’s desires at the same time. For a solid seventeen lines, every piece of food imaginable that was at the banquet was described in succulent detail. Ichabod, of course, supplied nothing to the banquet but chose to eat more than his fair share. As Ichabods stomach grew large, his desire to own everything in the room around him grew just as proportionally. With every piece of Baltus’ food that Ichabod shoveled down his gullet, the desire and fantasies grew, coming to a head when Ichabod mentally declared that “… he thought, how soon he’d turn his back upon the old school house; snap his fingers in the face of Hans Van Ripper, and every other niggardly patron, and kick any itinerant pedagogue out of doors that dared to call him comrade!” (834). Ichabod had sat and eaten in Baltus’ mansion for only a few hours, and he was already making plans on how he would live his new life in his new house on his new plot of land with his new wife.

If these aren’t clear cut examples of someone attempting to consume a town, I really don’t know what would be. He marched into the town, and literally began eating anything and everything that he could get his grubby little hands on. Not long after arriving, he turned his efforts and his insatiable appetite towards the people of the town. He had a full house and he thought he was set, but as it turned out, the simpleton villagers were holding a royal flush and knew exactly what was going on. With some skillful planning and tactics carried out by Brom, Maltus, and Katrina, they chased him right out of Sleepy Hollow with his tail between his legs. If a town can resist change from the world for thirty years, what chance did a broom stick of a teacher from Connecticut really have?

If no one says anything, I'm going to assume it's perfect! :D

more like half of DHB is now asleep after reading the 2nd paragraph

It's an english essay... I'm sorry I didn't make it more exciting... <_<

I know, I just doubt that anyone is gonna read an essay in their free tmie *idunno*

Off topic, but someone is smashing a car outside my dorm window! That's funny!

Good work i didn't read it but its long so it must be good.

I read it all.....not bad, you back up everything you say with examples from the story....good job!! :)

I'm really not feeling it though. Normally when I write an essay it's just like "Bam! Owned! You know my point is right, bitch!". With this one it's more like "Well, umm, do you kind of see my point?". Maybe I'm being overly critical of myself because it's my first university essay. I dunno, I'm hoping for an A, but who knows.