Transcript Allusion

Allusion
A reference in a literary work to a
person, place, or thing in history
or another work of literature.
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Specific examples of allusions can be
found throughout Dante’s Inferno. In
a passage, Dante alludes to the
Greek mythological figures, Phaethon
and Icarus, to express his fear as he
descends from the air into the eighth
circle of hell. He states:
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I doubt if Phaethon feared more - that
time
he dropped the sun-reins of his father's
chariot
and burned the streak of sky we see today
or if poor Icarus did - feeling his sides
unfeathering as the wax began to melt,
his father shouting: "Wrong, your course
is wrong" (Canto XVII: 106-111).
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Allusion is used to explain or clarify a
complex problem. Note that allusion
works best if you keep it short and
refer to something the reader /
audience is familiar with, e.g.:
famous people
history
(Greek) mythology
literature
the bible