BIBILICAL/MYTHOLOGICAL REFERENCES
Make sure to annotate in the margin East of Eden as you read, noting the biblical allusions.
Knowledge of tales from the Bible and Greek mythology are considered essential to the full
understanding of European and American masterpieces of literature and to media literacy. This can be
accomplished through internet searches or by going to the Arcadia public library (the children’s section
has most of this material).
For each story or reference, include
 A plot summation (this can be bullet style or running story line)
 Don’t just download or copy the story – actually summarize it succinctly
 Note the salient points
 Character – identification of the major “players” in this story
 For example a brief description of the Greek god – powers, lineage
 Adam and Eve – Jehovah, Adam, Eve, Satan/Lucifer, archangel Michael, angels posted at the
gates, making sure to include an identifying description of who/what each is and the role s/he/it
plays
 One allusion
 Identify the source (eg. Seinfeld’s episode where Elaine and Kramer argue over who gets a bike,
resorting to Newman judging who is the proper and worthy owner)
 The match up: you may list or bullet
Baby = bike
Newman = Solomon
Etc.
 Analyze the allusion ( In this episode both Elaine and Kramer claim ownership of a child’s bike.
Elaine, unthinkingly, says she would give anything to get rid of a neck ache. Kramer then “adjusts” her
neck, alleviating the pain. He demands Elaine’s childhood dream bike that she has just bought from an
antique dealer. She refuses, saying she did not mean “anything.” Unable to resolve the problem, they
agree to allow Newman to decide. He holds “court,” deciding to solve this by cutting the bike in half;
Elaine thinks that is great while Kramer shrivels up, screaming, “NO, don’t destroy the bike. Give it to
her.” This is an allusion to Solomon, the wisest of the biblical judges who, when presented with two
women claiming one baby, decides to cut it in half. One woman agrees while the other is horrified and
relinquishes her claim. Solomon awards the baby to the woman who would relinquish it, saying the true
mother would never wish for the baby’s death. When Newman awards Kramer the bike because Kramer
has the true love of the bike, he approximates Solomon, wise and kind. This is ironic since Newman is
neither – he is in actuality a slob, judgmental, fat, etc. By making him Solomon, it becomes hilarious, a
juxtaposition of what should be and what is (as Sunil says, situational irony). This is the category that
garners you the most points - so be thorough.
 Sources
 Movies, Stories, Cartoons, Television, books, etc.
THESE MUST BE HANDWRITTEN; THEY CANNOT BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE
FORUM.
So – you may share information but you must all handwrite your own cards. Be aware that this can cause
major carpal tunnel syndrome if you procrastinate. There are 116 references. To do this alone is suicidal;
find responsible people to work with and share the load. Some stories are shorter than others; try to
balance the load. There is also some overlap. Do not procrastinate or you will be very, very tired.
FORMAT 5 X 8 card, hole punched, threaded onto a key ring, first card with your name/period is a
colored one.
Side 1 – the allusion
Side 2 –
a. the allusion,
b. the plot summary,
c. the analysis of how the allusion functions in the example and in what ways in enhances
the movie or book or what ever.
FORUM INSTRUCTION
Everyone in class will register for the forum; one person will be moderator with specific TAs
(seniors) helping). You will be assigned a specific number of allusions to research and complete the
above assignment. You will post your assigned allusion on the forum by the specified date. You will
submit to me on a specified due date a hard copy of your submission. This will constitute one grade for
the cards.
SAMPLES OF BIBLE CARDS
POOR SUBMISSIONS
Humorous submissions – BUT examples like this will NOT get you any points
1. Jezebel
Summary: Jezebel was a pretty, sinning woman who must have looked like Angelina Jolie because
she's pretty and sinful. Anyway, Jezebel is the wife of a King who makes their kingdom amazing
but they worship a bad god and the good and actual God gets angry at them. Now Jezebel is what
sinful women like Angelina Jolie are called.
Allusions: Angelina Jolie is sinful like Jezebel because she stole Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston in
that movie called Life.
Characters: Jezebel, Angelina Jolie, King, God, Baal
2. Michael's supafantastic bible cards:
[Concerning the Israelites & the burning bush]
they were really pretty sad and a lot of times they didnt really want to live because they were so sad,
making them not very good slaves but it was awright. One day, during his daily morning jogs,
Moses encountered a bush that was on fire.At first he was like oh my god but then he noticed that it
was indeed oh my god. God was communicating with Moses in order to tell him to free the Israelites
and lead them to salvation. After another forty years of suckiness, they founds the Promised land
and lived happily ever after.
3. imabundleofcrazy:
Exodus: The Israelites and their rule under the Egyptians, and their escape from the Egyptians. It
is a chapter in the Bible
Allusion: Exodia from Yu gi Oh sounds really similar and so I'm almost completely sure that they
have something in common, especially since he looks all Egyptian themed and all
4. Judas Kiss
Allusion: the rock band Kiss has the word Kiss in its name; I’m sure this is symbolic
5. The Temptation of Christ
Allusion: In Cave Story if you resist giving up your Polar Star to everyone, you can take it back to
the Lone Hermit and get a Pulse, which does a lot of Damage.
6. The story of Ruth
Allusion: In the X Files, the main guy is very determined
7. The 7 Virtues
Allusion: In the Matrix, somewhere in the credits or some obscure area in the plot, the virtues are
mentioned, probably by Neo to complete his Christ image
MORE APPROPRIATE SUBMISSIONS
1. Sword in the Stone
a. Summary: In the King Arthur legend, King Uther (Merlin’s original choice to lead England to a
righteous victory) misused his power and the sword that Merlin had given him. When he died, the
contention between the other nobles as to who should be king in his place left the country torn and
divided. In order to determine the rightful and proper heir to the throne and to “name” the king apparent
to unite Britain and lead her to victory over the Germanic invasions, Merlin (the magician) set up a “test”
by which the true king would be known. The true king, and only the true king, would be the sole person
able to draw the sword from the stone in which Merlin had placed it. Arthur, as a boy, does do this and
thus becomes King.
b. Allusion – In the movie It’s A Bug’s Life, the one little ant decides to lead his people (the other ants)
in a fight against invaders. He climbs to the top of the hill and sees a stick poking out of a stone or
hillock. He proceeds to pull it out and triumphantly wave in the air. This is an allusion to the story of the
sword in the stone: just as Arthur’s sword signified that he was the true king and leader, when the ant
pulls out the stick, he too is signifying that he will be the one to lead them to victory in their fight. The
allusion is heightened because the other ants all recognize the force of the leadership now bestowed upon
him.
Read to the bottom of the assignment for instructions on those marked with a double asterisk
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
**Difference between titans and gods
Daedalus and Icarus
Persephone and Demeter
Prometheus
Eurydice and Orpheus
Agamemnon
Achilles
Hector
Tantalus
Perseus
Theseus
River Lethe
Sisyphus
Bacchus
Creation story
Helen of Troy
Three Fates
Oedipus
Oracle
Narcissus
Pandora
Teiresias
Hercules
Jason and the Quest
Medea
River Styx
Cerberus
Midas
ARTHURIAN LEGEND
Arthur
Launcelot
**Elaine
**Galahad
**Gawain
**Percival
Merlin
Lady of the Lake
Sword in the Stone
**Logres
Holy Grail
**Joseph of Arimethea
Round Table
Last Battle
Mordred
**Morgaine (aka Morgana La Fey)
**Guinevere
Excalibur
Camelot
**Tristan and Isolde (Iseult)
BIBLICAL REFERENCE
(Most Old Testament references can be found in the books of Genesis and Exodus; most of the New
Testament references can be found in the books of Matthew and Luke)
Old Testament
The Creation
Adam and Eve
Noah and the Ark
The rainbow
War in Heaven
Lucifer/Satan
Jonah and the Whale
Solomon
Ruth
Joseph and the Coat
Elijah
Lot
Ten Commandments
Garden of Eden
Promised Land
Burning Bush
King David
David and Goliath
Moses (**long and essential)
Abraham and Isaac
Jacob and Esau
Tower of Babel
Samson and Delilah
Job
Jacob and the Ladder
Daniel in the Lion’s Den
Jezebel
Sodom and Gomorrah
Golden Calf
Original Sin
Exodus
New Testament
Birth of Jesus
Lazarus
John the Baptist
Judas Iscariot
Resurrection
Armageddon
Peter
Nazareth
Golgotha
The temptation of Christ
Jordan River
Virgin Birth
Kiss (Judas Kiss)
Ascension
Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-11)
Terms and “current” reformers
**Born Again
Straight and Narrow Path
Faustian bargain
**Martin Luther
**John Calvin
**John Wycliffe
Parable of the Prodigal Son
Sermon on the Mount
Last Supper
Crucifixion
Doubting Thomas
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Mary Magdalene
Gethsemane
Cavalry
Bethlehem
Desert (40 days and nights)
Trinity
Holy Ghost
Sacrament
Sins of the Fathers
7 Deadly Sins
**corresponding virtues
NOTE: if you set up an AP homework web site and work together with a group of reliable friends, this
will go much faster and easier. While you may not simply download the final summation and crossreferences, you can help each other find the original stories, decide what is essential knowledge, and
brainstorm together where you see references to these in popular culture. Use your individual areas of
expertise to help each other in a responsible, mature manner. College students do this all the time.
Some of the above will not lend themselves to allusions; for those you will need just to
summarize the story or reference and then leave the allusion part off the card.
These will be marked by a double asterisk