Irony and Allusion

What is allusion?

• an indirect reference

• the repetition of the same sound in words

• a word whose sound suggests its meaning

• an exaggeration or overstatement

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

In the biblical story of David and Goliath, a young boy takes down a giant using only a slingshot. Alluding to this story when describing a battle most likely implies that

• one fighter is large and the other is not.

• the two fighters are equally matched.

• the bigger fighter will probably win.

• one fighter’s name is David.

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

To spot an allusion, a reader must first use

• the internet.

• a dictionary.

• another book.

• prior knowledge.

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which line from Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” contains an allusion to the Bible?

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief.

So dawn subsides to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

• “So dawn subsides to day.”

• “Then leaf subsides to leaf.”

• “So Eden sank to grief.”

• “Nothing gold can stay.”

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CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

True or False: Allusions are fully explained by the author of a text.

• True

• False

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

An artist may allude to

• mythology only.

• books and movies only.

• Shakespeare’s works only.

• literature, history and pop culture.

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

West Side Story is a musical about a young man and woman who fall in love despite being from warring gangs. Which of Shakespeare’s plays does it allude to?

• Richard III, which tells the story of King Richard, who killed his brothers and nephews to seize the crown of England

• King Lear, in which a king gives his land to two evil daughters while disowning his one loyal daughter

• All’s Well that Ends Well, in which a young woman pursues a young man who doesn’t love her back

• Romeo and Juliet, in which two teens from enemy families get married and die for their love

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Using allusion can improve your writing because it

• helps convey urgency or excitement.

• adds another layer of meaning to the text.

• adds to the diction of the text.

• helps keep the plot original.

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CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

What are the sources for the allusions in the following lines of Flocabulary’s “Allusion” song?

• the Bible

• mythology only

• literature and mythology

• pop culture, literature and the Bible

Napoleon Bonaparte built a huge empire, but it fell apart after he lost the battle of Waterloo. Knowing that, what does the allusion to Waterloo in these lines of Flocabulary’s “Allusion” song mean?

But if you met your Waterloo, don’t be a Scrooge,

Just look it up and learn something brand new.

• If you lose a battle, then you lose the war.

• Don’t feel defeated if you don’t understand an allusion right away.

• Finding allusions is like fighting a war.

• Finding allusions is always easy, unlike battle.