Van Brunt's 'The Disappearance Of Our Teacher'

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.

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.

First off, the creatures of the night talk to Ichabod in the movie, and Ichabod does not talk to the horseman in the movie, but he does whistle like he does in the book. As he travels deeper through the forest the creatures of the night start calling his name, and that was not mentioned in the book. During the movie Ichabod starts laughing historically with the horse at the fact that the cattails were making the thumping sound, he never laughs like this while he is in the forest in the book. The book mentions the saddle falling off and Ichabod having to hold on to the horse’s neck for dear life, but in the movie the saddle never falls off and he still clings to the horse’s neck for dear life. The movie’s version of this chase is greatly exaggeration compared to the book. For example, the movie portrays Ichabod flying off his horse and landing on the headless man’s horse. The next morning was similar though because in both they found his hat and the shattered pumpkin, but the movie tells us that after he disappeared he married a window, and in the book it says he becomes a justice on the ten pound

Who will win Katrina Van Tassel’s heart? Will it be the tall lanky Ichabod Crane or the short stocky Brom Bones? Ichabod Crane is a well liked unattractive school teacher that uses kind words and songs to woo Katrina. Brom Bones is a very attractive egotistic farmer who uses his funny sense of humor and pranks to win Katrina’s heart. Both men try with different measures to show Katrina that he is the one for her.

I, Brom Bones, am pretending to be the headless horseman to run Ichabod Crane out of town. I am dressed in a old military uniform, with my black horse. My head is tucked under my jacket with holes cut in it for eyes. He took the love of my life from me, and I will do anything to get her back no matter what the cost. There is so much rage built up that I don’t know what to do with it, I have never experienced this kind of torture in my heart.

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.

“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.

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

“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.” Although the movie Sleepy Hollow is based upon the book The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, there are also distinctions which allow each to tell their own tale. Washington Irving’s short story inspired Tim Burton’s film but did not limit it. The foundations of the two are much the same but their story lines unfold diversely. Some of the similarities include the setting, characters, and plot points. Two of the many contradicting ideas are the character of Ichabod Crane and the conclusions. The similarities and differences of both accounts can be stated plainly

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.