Fahrenheit 451 Allusions: WEB QUEST (Major Grade)
It’s All an Allusion
Due Date: November 17th
(A printed copy should be turned in to your teacher, and an electronic copy must be submitted to Turnitin.com
BEFORE the due date. There will be a 10 point deduction for each day the assignment is turned into turnitin.com
late!)
Allusion: an implied or indirect reference to something assumed to be known, such as a historical event or person, a wellknown quotation from literature, an event or person from the Bible, a famous work of art, or a reference to popular
culture.
An allusion is a form of comparison and can be used by a writer or a speaker to suggest ideas by connotation. The
effectiveness of any allusion depends upon the reader’s knowledge of the reference.
Bradbury likes to allude to other authors and texts in his novel as a way to write about writers (a topic he loves).
DIRECTIONS:
Become an expert on 10 of the listed Fahrenheit 451 allusions. Using the model on the back of this page, identify, cite,
and explain each allusion.
1. You MUST set up your findings exactly as indicated on the example. Be sure to specify the type of allusion
(mythological, historical, biblical, or literary), quote the line from the text that contains the allusion with an
internal citation included, and explain the allusion.
2. You must provide internal citations for the Fahrenheit quote (A) and the explanation of the quote (B), as well as a
properly formatted MLA citation from a database source, from an e-book, or from a credible website (website
that end its URL with .org, .gov. or .edu). No WIKI anything! You should visit several websites and cross‐
reference what they all indicate to ensure trustworthiness to your findings.
When researching, ASK YOURSELF: What does this allusion mean? Why would Bradbury stick it in the story
at this particular moment? What is the connection between the allusion and what is taking place in the story?
Other information to consider in the explanation/analysis, when appropriate:
 Why is the individual, event, or work of art/literature important?
 When was the individual born? When did the event take place? What was going on historically? When the
work of art/literature was first revealed to the world?
 What was the individual best known for, something political? Historical? Literary? Artistic? Scientific?
 What theme(s) does the work of art/literature emphasize?
 Where is the landmark located? Why is it famous? What happened there?
3. Provide the teacher with a printed, TYPED copy of your findings.
a. If you do not spell check your document and use proper grammar, you will lose points.
b. If you do not cite your online source(s), you will lose points.
c. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! Do not steal the intellectual property of another person (that means that you are
expected to cite and give credit to sources you use for this assignment).
4. A copy of this assignment must be submitted to Turnitin.com (see above).
Example of set-up to use for each allusion:
Example from text: The rivalry between the cross-town schools ended in bragging rights for the home team. The
defensive line was able to identify their opponent’s Achilles’ heel and defeat them by 40 points.
Their victory will resonate in the hearts of the students for years to come.
BELOW is the detail that you will type out for each allusion. You MUST set-up your assignment this EXACT way
A template, if needed, can be found on the Teacher Web under documents:
1. Allusion/Type: Achilles’ heel/Greek mythology
A. Quote from the text: “The defensive line was able to identify their opponent’s Achilles’ heel and defeat
them by 40 points” (Bradbury 11).
B. Explanation of allusion: In Greek mythology, Achilles’ mother Thetis held baby Achilles by his heel
and dipped him in the river Styx in an attempt to make him immortal, but she failed to dip him a second
time to make sure both heels were submerged. In doing so, she left Achilles with one vulnerable spot,
his heel. Achilles fought valiantly in the Trojan War, but he was killed when Paris shot him in the heel
with an arrow from behind (Long 108).
C. Source:
Long, Joanna Rudge. "Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words & Wisdom from Greek & Roman Mythology." The Horn
Book Magazine Jan.-Feb. 2012: 108. General OneFile. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
2. Allusion/Type: (continue with this set-up)
A. Quote from the text:
B. Explanation of allusion:
C. Source:
Rubric for Allusions Assignment:
Formatting: 10 POINTS
_____ 1. MLA Heading—Content and Spacing must be exactly like it is in your yellow syllabus that you were given at
the beginning of the school year. (2 points each)
_____ 2. Centered Title—DO NOT BOLD, UNDERLINE, OR USE LARGER FONT THAN YOUR
CONTENT). Name of the novel is ITALICIZED! (2 points each)
_____ 3. Margins—Do not change your default margins! (2 points each)
_____ 4. Answers for each allusion must be numbered, lettered, and bolded according to the example. (2 points each)
_____ 5. Font—11 or 12 Times New Roman (2 points each)
Content: 50 POINTS
_____ 4. Allusion/Type (10 points total—1 point for each entry)
_____ 5. Quote from the text (10 points total—1 point for each entry)
_____ 6. Explanation of the allusion (30 points total—3 points for each entry)
Research: 40 POINTS
_____ 7. Internal citation from the novel (10 points—1 point for each quote from the book)
_____ 8. Internal citation from the source used for your explanation (10 points—1 point for each internal citation)
_____ 9. Correctly formatted MLA Citation (20 points—2 points for each MLA citation—It must be completely
correct in order to receive full credit. That means all punctuation, order of items, hanging indention, and spacing must be
done correctly! USE YOUR PINK PACKET FOR GUIDELINES)
***GUM mistakes (grammar, usage, and mechanics)—1 point will be deducted from the final grade for each GUM
error—check your work before turning it in for this test grade!!!!