Question

Tell what type of allusion is used in each sentence below then explain each italicized allusion in each sentence.

1. The bully Mike parts the crowd on the playground like the Red Sea.

2. Sometimes Callie's mom seems to live in an Ivory Tower when it comes to her teenage daughters

3. Something between a siren and a harpy, Jessica seems to be Justin.

4. Meeting Magan's dad for the first name, Ken feels like the sword of Damocles. His forehead beads up with sweat and his palms get all moist.

5. Due to having failing grades, Mike's being at home in the same room with his parents is like the Cold War.

6. Even though Carissa does a great job sticking to her diet, chocolate cake is her Achilles heel.

7. Christian is the Bart Simpson of the class. he never can be taken serious.

Answer 1

1. Red Sea - refers to the parting of the Red sea, in the Bible. (division)

2. Ivory tower - allusion to a sheltered isolation. (away from ordinary life)

3. Siren and a harpy - refer to mythical creatures. (dangerous creatures)

4. The sword of Damocles- refers to an acient moral parable. (something bad seems very likely to happen to you)

5. Cold war - reference to the relationship between US and Soviet Union after WW II (unfriendliness without fight, but with threats)

6. Achilles's heel - reference to the mythological hero. (a weak point in a person)

7. Bart Simpson - allusion to the sitcom The Simpsons ( mischievous boy)