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ALLUSIONS
Presentation by Robert Kobrin
WHAT IS AN ALLUSION?
Allusions are one of the most popular literary devices. According to The
Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric Second Edition, an
allusion is a “brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to
a work of art”.
EXAMPLES OF ALLUSIONS
The “Beasts of England” song in Animal Farm alludes to the
Soviet Union national anthem
Excerpts from Beasts of England
“Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzel's
Shall be ours upon that day.”
“For that day we all must labour,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,
All must toil for freedom's sake.”
These passages allude to the communist ideas and manifesto of the time. The
communist propaganda often put Communism in an overwhelmingly positive
light, but Beasts of England also mentions how everyone must work for the
benefit of the farm.
Juliet alludes to Echo, a nymph from Greek mythology, when
stating “Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies” in Act II Scene
2. Juliet alludes to Echo because she has been repeating the
phrase “My Romeo” and makes the connection between
repeating the phrase and Echo’s curse.