ALLUSION - msmooresclasses - home

13 Pages·2009·0.08 MB·English

by  Kristen Bash

ALLUSION
Allusion means REFERENCE
Definition…
An allusion is a reference to an artifact,
be it a person, place, thing, event, or
quote. It must be well known and
identified by a large group of people,
and it is often a proper noun.
Misleadings
It can be a general statement or noun. WRONG…the allusion needs to
be specific.
My dad thinks he is the next president.
Not to be confused with facts or/and illusion
A fact is an allusion. WRONG…an allusion is a literary device created
so the audience has associations/ideas tied to the allusion. A fact is
actual truth/accuracy.
George Bush was our former President.
Illusion is the same as allusion. WRONG…an allusion is a reference.
An illusion is a misleading visual image
The magician performed an incredible illusion.
Allusions also
• increase the audience’s bond with the
author, as the author and the audience
become/are part of a select group who
understand the allusion.
• can create an instant bond.
• allow an author to honor his or her
influences or predecessors.
Allusion
literary device that stimulates ideas or
associations in the reader’s mind
relies on the reader being familiar to the item
being alluded to
commonly made to the Bible, nursery rhymes,
myths, famous fictional or historical
characters, literature
Allusions have the following
effects…
They stir up feelings in the reader in a
minimal amount of space. In other words,
they do the work so the author doesn’t have
to.
They train the audience--the audience must
figure out and understand the original
source.
Allusion
Often it does seem a pity that Noah and his
party did not miss the boat.
Yeah, you should dance like Michael Jackson.
It was not raining when Noah built the ark.
He has Scrooge syndrome.
Find the allusion…
“The day was young and I was looking
forward to the afternoon. I was
supposed to go out on a date, but my
plans were changed. All my siblings
were gone, but I had been in the house
slaving like Cinderella, scrubbing the
floors on my hand and knees, washing
clothes and dishes and making
everyone's beds.”
Identify…
The romance between that man and me was no Romeo and
Juliet, but we will sacrifice for each other in any situation.
Explain…
The writer is alluding to Romeo and Juliet
who had a very well-known and tragic love.
The point of this allusion is to show that
the love of the writer includes sacrifice, but
not to the point of Romeo and Juliet’s
sacrifice, which was their death.
Example…
Ice Cube’s line “people see me and they wanna know
how come I got a gat and I’m lookin’ out the window
like Malcolm”
These song lyrics refer to the picture of Malcolm X
looking out the window of his home holding a rifle to
protect his family from attacks. One must do a little
research to understand the reference and meaning
behind this allusion.