Introduction
Allusions
What are allusions? An allusion is a reference to well-known people, places, and things from myths, history, or literature.
An example of allusion would be: "Jenny hoped to meet her Prince Charming at the school dance." This is an allusion to when Cinderella met Prince Charming at the royal ball and they fell in love. Not all allusions are this obvious, though. Sometimes, we need to research the person, place, or thing being alluded to, so we can understand the meaning of the allusion.
Task
Your Turn!
Disney movies are full of allusions! They contain many references to people, places, myths, literature, or events outside of the movies.
Sometimes, the movies themselves may be allusions to another literary work. For example, the movie Frozen is inspired by a novel written by Hans Christian Andersen called The Snow Queen.
Other allusions may be found in a statement a character made in the movie. For example, in Hercules, when Meg says about Hercules, "He comes on with his innocent farm boy routine, but I could see through that in a Peloponnesian minute," she alludes to the Greek Peloponnesian War that actually did happen in history that began and ended very quickly.
Activity: Find a Disney movie that contains an allusion and write a short entry on it.
Process
Instructions
1. Find a partner.
2. Together with your partner, research on the Internet: "Disney movie allusions."
3. Discuss an allusion you find and write a short entry about it. Include the following in your entry:
- Identify the movie
- Identify the allusion in the movie (a statement made by the character, what the movie as a whole alludes to, etc.)
- Give a short summary of the person, place, historical event, piece of literature, etc. that is alluded to.
- Include a Works Cited page.
Evaluation
Rubric
1. Entry identifies a Disney movie. (5 pts.)
2. Entry identifies allusion in the movie (either the movie as a whole or a statement made by a character). (5 pts.)
3. Entry clearly summarizes facts of the well-known person/people, place, thing, event, literary work, etc. that is alluded to. (10 pts.)
4. Entry includes Works Cited page (5 pts.)
Conclusion
Allusions: The Easter Eggs of Literature
Allusions can be like Easter eggs in a literary work. Sometimes, they are obvious to see, and other times, they are subtle. As you read, watch movies, or even have conversations with others, listen for key expressions and figures of speech that allude to an outside reference. If you do not have prior knowledge of who or what is being alluded to, you can research it on the Internet or ask your teacher. Have fun on your "Easter egg hunt" for allusions!
Now you should be able to:
1. Define and explain allusion.
2. Identify allusions in sample texts.
Credits
Images and GIFs
“Free Frozen Clip Art.” Blogspot.com, Blogspot, frozenclipart.blogspot.com/.
Littlehale, Kristy. “Literary Allusion.” Storyboardthat.com, American Associations of School Librarians, 5 July 2016, www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/literary-allusions.
“Search Clipart: Search Free Clipart #1.” Clipartpanda.com, Clipart Panda, www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/search-free-clipart-1-60894722.
Walt Disney Animation Studios. “Disney Animated GIF.” Disney.tumblr.com, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 11 Dec. 2014, disney.tumblr.com/post/79475249172/henchmen-need-encouragement-too.
Teacher Page
Lesson Information
Moree, Rachel, and Glickman, Steve. “The Magic of Allusion and Themes.” Cpalms.org, CPALMS, http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceStudentTutorial/Preview/128704
This lesson aligns with standards: "LAFS.8.RL.3.9 :Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new. Belongs to: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas" (Moree).