Allusion Project

AP English Literature

AP English Literature Allusion Assignment:


I. Allusion Research Jigsaw: An allusion is a reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history. This is an important literary concept that you will encounter repeatedly in poetry, drama, and fiction (Foster spends time addressing this as well). With allusions, authors can engage the reader in making associations and creating meaning. However, if you are unaware of allusions you will miss some of these meanings. This is not okay for an AP student!

You will be assigned to a group and need to learn the following allusions well. You may read whatever sources you wish: children’s tales, the Bible, encyclopedias, or reference books. I highly recommend Edith Hamilton’s Mythology (there are copies in class) as a good overview of Greek and Roman myths. There are also hundreds of books on the bible, and if you are up for originals of texts check out Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For Arthurian information only use credible websites (not personal pages). Britannia.com is a good site to start at for Arthurian character and story information. A good place to start for fairy tale research is at the Internet Public Library Pathfinder on the topic: http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48473. Biblical Allusions Group 1	Greek and Roman Mythology Group 1
Creation Adam and Eve Cain and Abel David and Goliath Moses (birth to the promised land) Abraham and Isaac Tower of Babel Jonah and the Whale Samson and Delilah Solomon Job Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors Armageddon	Prometheus (and Io) Narcissus The Golden Fleece Orpheus and Eurydice Daedalus (and Icarus) Cupid and Psyche Pygmalion and Galatea Daphne (and Apollo) Perseus Theseus Hercules
Biblical Allusions Group 2	Greek and Roman Mythology Group 2
Daniel in the Lion’s Den Elijah Jezebel Sodom and Gomorrah Birth of Jesus Parable of the Prodigal Son Lazarus John the Baptist Last Supper Judas Crucifixion and Resurrection Doubting Tomas Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse	Oedipus (including Sphinx) Antigone The Trojan War (including the fall of Troy, Achilles, Hector, Paris, Helen, and the Trojan Horse) Midas Bacchus Agamemnon, Orestes, and Electra (also known in whole as The Oresteia) Leda and the Swan Pandora Odysseus/Ulysses (know who he is, do not study The Odyssey)

Allusions Group 3 (Song of Solomon) Corinthians         Rebecca (Reba) Hagar Pilate Ruth Mary Magdalene Flying Africans Emmitt Till Birmingham Bombing The Number 7 Flight Red White Blue Green Circe	Mythological Group 3 1.Pandora’s Box 2. Echo and Narcissus 3. The Birth of Zeus and the Defeat of Cronus 4. The Labors of Hercules 5. Pyramus and Thisbe 6. The Judgment of Paris 7. Aphrodite and Adonis 8. Atlanta the Athlete of Greece 9. Clytemnestra’s Revenge on Agamemnon 10. The Creation of the World and Mankind
Biblical Allusions Group 3 Sampson and Delilah Jonah and the Giant Fish David and Bathsheba Daniel and the Lion’s Den Writing on the Wall Seven Deadly Sins 12 Tribes of Israel The Good Samaritan The Prodigal Son Jesus in the Wilderness	Mythological Group 4 1. Apollo and the Python 2.. The Nine Muses 3. Hera Gives Birth to Typhaon 4. Achilles’ Heel 5. Athena and Poseidon Vie for Athens 6. Pygmalion and Galatea 7. Psyche Gazes at Sleeping Cupid 8. Faithful Penelope 9. Hippolyta and the Girdle

 

In addition to creating a handout for each one of your classmates, please prepare a Power Point Presentation to accompany it. Your presentation must follow the directions below:

1.       It cannot be read verbatim

2.       It must be in 6x6 format

3.       You must include at least three short video clips & one song.

4.       It must cover the following information per allusion:

EX: Biblical - The Flood

Who: God, Noah & Family

Plot: The world had gotten full of evil and God decided to flood it and kill everyone off. He told Noah to build an ark and sent two of each animal to him. When the 40 day/40 night rain started, God told Noah and his family to take all the animals into the ark, seal it and wait. He did. Eventually the water receded and Noah sent a dove out 3x to see if land was back. The 1st time, nothing happened except the dove returned; second time the dove brought back an olive branch, and the 3rd time it didn’t return so they knew it was OK to open the ark. God sent a rainbow as a promise that he would never again destroy the earth by flood. Noah and his family repopulated the planet eventually.

Point: Story exalts obedience and disparages evil – shows that even God has a limit to his generosity and forgiveness. Answers some geological oddities like seashells in mountains.

Other: symbol of a dove with olive branch for peace comes from here, as does the rainbow as a symbol of unity and calm after a storm and the idea that the 3rd time is the charm.

5.       Each person in the group MUST participate in the presentation.

6.       You must include a Q&A session following the presentation.

7.       Due Date: NOVEMBER 11, 2013 (Presentations will begin on this day, so be prepared)