Allusion
English III
Allusion…What is it?
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A reference to a historical or literary figure or event. An
ALLUSION is an indirect reference to another idea,
person, place, event, artwork, etc. used to enhance the
meaning of the work in which it appears.
Often confused with illusion (which is a false
perception), an allusion is a literary term that refers to a
reference in one literary work to another literary work.
The Simpsons television show constantly refers to
(some may say, steals from) movies, music, literature
etc. In a scene where Principal Skinner is in his office,
he suddenly turns to his window and looks out at an old,
spooky house while he talks about a tormented
relationship with his mother. This is an allusion to the
Norman Bates character in the movie Psycho.
Examples of Allusion
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Another example of an allusion would be "The girl's love
of sweets was her Achilles heel," referencing the warrior
in Greek mythology, Achilles, who could only be harmed
if something hit his heel because he was dipped in
magic water as baby when his mother held him by a
heel.
Achilles' only weakness is his heel, so an Achilles heel
reference means a downfall or weakness, in this
example a weakness for sweets.
More examples…
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An example of an allusion would be "Sue did not
want to endure Eve's curse, so she opted for the
epidural" The allusion here is Eve's Curse, and it
represents God giving Eve the curse of painful
childbirth (Genesis 3:29)
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" The killer wore a mark of Cain as he stalked his
brother" - referring to the bible story: Cain and
Abel.
Final Example
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It has rained so long, it seems as though it
has rained for 40 days and nights. (This is
reference to Noah's Arc which is a wellknown event.)
Your task…
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View Pink’s “Stupid Girls” video. What are
some examples of allusion found in the
video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR4yQF
ZK9YM
Challenge yourself to find examples of
allusion in today’s reading assignment! We
will discuss it towards the end of class.