"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. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been
carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and
who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on
the wings of the wind. His haunts are not confined to the valley, but extend at times to the
adjacent roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great distance."
Irving, Washington (1899). The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/99004659.
What is the intended purpose of this reading?
O To explain why ghosts exist
O To entertain readers with a spooky ghost story
To educate people about the horrors of war
O To convince the residents of Sleepy Hollow to stay indoors after dark