1. Allusions
a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance
does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers
expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

2. Shrek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIazx4OeWYc
Why did the movie Shrek allude to Peter Pan? In other words, what was the purpose of the allusion?

3. I Wanna be a Billionaire
by Travie McCoy
I wanna be a billionaire so frickin bad
Buy all of the things I never had
I wanna be on the cover of Forbes Magazine
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen
Oh every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights, yeaaah
A different city every night oh I swear
The world better prepare for when I’m a billionaire
Yeah I would have a show like Oprah
I would be the host of
Everyday Christmas give Travie a wish list
I’d probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt
and adopt a bunch of babies that ain’t never had s***
Songs
Why did Travie McCoy allude to these various pop-culture references?

4. Literature_The House on Mango Street
“The Monkey Garden” AND the Garden of Eden in the Bible
The character Minerva and the Roman goddess of wisdom (irony)
The three sisters and the fates in Greek mythology

6. Choose an allusion from this list that you are not familiar with.
Classical Allusions
Biblical Allusions
Jason and the Golden Fleece
Icarus
Achilles (and his heel)
Narcissus
Cupid
Cassandra
Pygmalion (Greek mythology)
Tantalus
Job
The apple (in the Garden of Eden)
The snake (in the Garden of Eden)
Jonah
Judas
Ishmael
Goliath
The Lion’s Den

7. Research and Fill in Presentation
Slide 1: Summarize the story (bullet points)
Slide 2: Associative words that an allusion to this story would add
Slide 3: Possible Themes from Story
Slide 4: Why we should know this allusion
In other words, where is this allusion used in the world around us, in literature, in the media, etc.
Slide 5: List of websites used

8. EXAMPLE

9. Slide 1: Overview *Who? What? When? Where? How?
Samson (Biblical Allusion)
Israelite warrior and judge
Very strong
Derived strength from long hair (and from God)
Killed thousands of enemies
Loved Delilah
Told secret to Delilah
Delilah betrayed him and cut hair
He was taken captive by the Philistines
Got revenge but also destroyed himself

10. Slide 2: Associations (from your brain. )
Slide 2: Associations (from your brain!) *What high quality L2 words could use of your allusion add to a story or a song?
Betrayal, disloyalty, unfaithfulness, duplicity, treachery
Trust, faith, belief, confidence
Promise, commitment, assurance, pledge

11. Slide 3: Themes What universal messages does the story behind your allusion reveal?
Love can be destructive.
Women can betray men.
Stay true in your commitment to the divine..
Revenge may require the individual to pay the ultimate cost.

12. Slide 4: Prevalence of Allusion In other words, where is your allusion alluded to?
Song Lyrics
The Grateful Dead: “Samson and Delilah”
Regina Spektor: “Samson”
Visual Art (see picture to the right)
Literature
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontte
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Pop-Culture
Doc Samson in in Marvel Comics’ The Incredible Hulk

13. Slide 5: Sources https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samson