AllusionsMaking 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 AllusionsRecognizing 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.

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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.

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Researching AllusionsTo 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

The End