Instead, people are valued for their merits, such as their book learning or their ability in teaching, activities requiring strength, or singing (Hoffman 7). In the period in which Irving based his story, few rural people were educated enough to teach. ... Perhaps more seriously, Ichabod's gullibility also opens into a political comment. ... In this light "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" can be seen to reflect concerns that also color the work of Charles Brockden Brown and James Fenimore Cooper, about the potential within a transient democratic society for people to be swayed by charismatic ...

• Word Count: 1590
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate