Allusions

Allusions

By Kimberly Pearson

Allusions

An allusion is a brief mention of something or someone well known, often from mythology, history, or literature. An allusion lets you reference ideas from an entire story in just a few words.​

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6th ELA

References books, poems, fairy tales, nursery rhymes

Literary

​Literary and Philosophical References

• Gospel of John (1.How I Came To Life.5)

• The Hobbit (1.Padawan.40-42)

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1.The Cheese Touch.5; 4.Sides.15)

• War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy (2.The Padawan Bites the Dust.11; 2.Breakfast.26, 36; 2.Out with the Old.3)

Pop Culture References

• "Wonder," Natalie Merchant (Book Epigraph)

• Star Wars (throughout the book)

• "Space Oddity," David Bowie (2.Epigraph; 2.Major Tom.1; 8.The Emperor's Guard.13)

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (2.High School.5)

• "Beautiful," Christina Aguilera (3.Epigraph)

• "Beautiful Things," Andain (7.Epigraph)

References important moments in history​

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Example: Keeping a tight budget felt like living through the Great Depression.​

Historical

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References well-known religious parables (stories from the Bible, Torah, Koran, Buddhism, or other sacred and spiritual texts, often that teach a lesson)​

Religious

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References mythology, or stories dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people

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These stories helped ancient civilizations make sense of the world around them. (Greek, Roman)​

classical

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References pop culture, including celebrities, movies, music, social media influencers

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MEMES are a modern day allusion!​

Modern

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Here, Lila alludes to the fairy tale "Cinderella," in which Cinderella must leave the ball before the coach that brought her transforms into a pumpkin. The allusion shows that Lila must depart immediately.

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​"I'd better get home before I turn into a pumpkin!" Lila remarked.

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Multiple Choice

In one of Aesop's fables, a shepherd boy lies all the time, falsely claiming that a wolf is coming to eat his flock. When a wolf actually comes, the boy cries for help, but nobody believes him.

What is the meaning of the allusion below?

Martha warned her youngest son not to cry wolf while playing with his older brother.

• To howl very loudly and angrily.

• To raise an unnecessary alarm.

Multiple Choice

In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, the rich Ebenezer Scrooge values money more than people.

What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?

Mr. Melton is a Scrooge, so we stopped asking him to give money to our club.

• A person who is greedy.

• A person who is shy.

Multiple Choice

In his novel Moby-Dick, Herman Melville writes about Captain Ahab. Ahab searches for and talks about one thing only: a white whale.

What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?

The detective spent years chasing his white whale: a bank robber who was never caught.

• An object or person that one always thinks about.

• A clever thief who manages to escape.

Key to the solution...

An allusion references ideas and events from its original source. Look at the underlined part of the source to better understand the meaning of the allusion.

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In his novel Moby-Dick, Herman Melville writes about Captain Ahab. Ahab searches for and talks about one thing only: a white whale.​

The allusion white whale means an object or person that one always thinks about.

Multiple Choice

In his novel Lost Horizon, James Hilton writes about Shangri-La. Shangri-La is a beautiful, peaceful valley in the mountains of Tibet where everyone is happy.

What is the meaning of this allusion in the sentence below?

For me, Yosemite National Park in the summer is Shangri-La.

• A crowded place

• A perfect place

Multiple Choice

In one of Aesop's fables, a country mouse enjoys eating fancy food with its cousin in the city. After dogs chase them, the country mouse decides that country life is better than city life.

What is the meaning of the allusion below?

After a week at a fancy Chicago hotel, Anna decided that she was more of a country mouse.

• Someone who prefers silence over noise.

• Someone who prefers safety over riches.

Multiple Choice

In a J. M. Barrie book, the character Peter Pan runs away to Neverland. There, he stays young and free of worries forever.

What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?

My eighteen-year-old brother, who refuses to get a job, is a modern-day Peter Pan.

• A person who likes spending time with family.

• A person who will not act like an adult.

Multiple Choice

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy finds herself in an unusual place that looks nothing like home. She says to her dog, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

What is the meaning of this allusion?

As a man fed his zebra nearby, Kendall said to Emma, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

• We're in an unusual place.

• We're outside the United States.

Multiple Choice

In classical mythology, Hercules is the son of a god and has amazing strength.

What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?

It took a Herculean effort, but Malik moved the giant branch out of the road.

• very strong

• very brave

Fill in the Blanks