Scarecrows have been used for a long time by farmers in various parts of the world. The purpose of scarecrows is as their name suggests – to frighten crows or other birds that eat farmers’ crops before the crops are harvested. Throughout history, scarecrows have generally been made to look like people standing in the fields among the crops. The hope is that if birds come near the field, they will believe that there are people in the field and stay away from the crops.
Scarecrows can be made from a number of materials. In the past, some scarecrows were carved from wood. Scarecrows today are often depicted as being stuffed with hay or straw, and having an old long-sleeved shirt, a hat, and a woven bag for a head. Sometimes they may even have a pipe. These straw scarecrows are mounted on tall wooden poles, so that they stand up high above the cornstalks.
Scarecrows are many times associated with Halloween, because of Halloween’s association with the end of the harvest season. In modern times, people might decorate their homes with scarecrows as part of their Halloween decorations. Although it is unlikely that they have a practical use, they are certainly a fun and colorful addition to a house in the fall season.
According to Wikipedia, certain types of scarecrows are still in use today, although they rarely have a human shape and aren’t made of straw or hay. More modern techniques may use noise or movement to scare away pesky birds.
The Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz – As Dorothy is traveling the yellow brick road to get to the Emerald City, she encounters the Scarecrow (the first of her three companions) who is stuck on a wooden pole in a field. Dorothy helps the Scarecrow get down from the pole, and the Scarecrow heads to the Emerald City with her, as he searches for a brain. At the end of the movie, Dorothy tells the Scarecrow that she’ll miss him most of all when she leaves Oz.
Scarecrow, a villain in the comic series Batman – The Scarecrow is the alter ego of Doctor Jonathan Crane. The Scarecrow uses drugs on his enemies in order to get them to hallucinate and become paranoid. The Scarecrow appears in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, and is played by Cillian Murphy.