Allusions Making References

What Is an Allusion? An allusion is a reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, or science. good Samaritan World Series Cupid’s arrows sour grapes Camelot Gettysburg Address Albert Einstein

Responding to Allusions Recognizing and understanding allusions can make reading more interesting and enjoyable because you connect your knowledge of the reference to the text respond emotionally to the reference and connect those emotions to the text

Recognizing Allusions Look for direct references as you read. direct quotations from speeches, people, or works titles of books, songs, art, or other works

He definitely was no Sherlock Holmes. © clipart.com names of peoples, places, and events

Recognizing Allusions Look for indirect references as you read. paraphrased statements from speeches, people, or works descriptions of people, places, or events

She didn’t have snakes growing out of her head, but her stare could stop me in my tracks and turn me into stone. © clipart.com

Researching Allusions To fully understand an allusion and how it relates to the text, you may need to do some additional research. Check for footnotes that contain more information about the allusion. Refer to dictionaries, encyclopedias, or other reference books.

Ask others—teachers, librarians, family, and friends.

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. _____________— An allusion may refer to an event from history. _____________— You should only look for direct references to people, places, or events as you read. What Have You Learned? True False

________— Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference books are good places to look for information about an allusion. True

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