If you’re looking to develop your understanding of allusion, you’re in the right place!

So, what do we mean by allusion?

An allusion is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work. If the reader picks up on the allusion and understands the reference, then they will understand the point the writer is trying to make. If a reader doesn’t understand – or maybe doesn’t even notice – the allusion, that extra depth of meaning will be lost.

Let’s turn to some of our favourite artists of. They’ll show you exactly what it means to make good, effective use of allusion…

ACTIVITY 1

This video will give you an overview of the protest song, ‘Baraye’…

This was filmed in Australia…

Coldplay: ‘We Pray’

"And so We Pray
For someone to come and show me the way
And so We Pray
For some shelter and some records to play
And so We Pray
We’ll be singing Baraye
Pray that we make it to the end of the day."

In Persian, the word baraye means ‘because of’ or ‘for the sake of’, and Coldplay must be writing with specific reference (allusion) to one of Iran’s most popular musicians, Shervin Hajipour. Why? When Coldplay sing ‘baraye’, what can we infer about their intention? How should we feel?

Coldplay also sing:

“Pray Virgilio wins”

ACTIVITY 2

Holly Humberstone: ‘London is Lonely’

"Started feelin' like I'm livin' in the upside down."

If you’ve watched ‘Stranger Things’, you’ll be on Holly Humberstone’s level immediately. The ‘upside down‘ is a terrifying place, a place that’s difficult to get out of – certainly, if you get trapped there, you’ll need some good friends on board to help you escape. In Holly’s song, London is like the upside down. If you don’t quite get the allusion, the image will still make an impact – it still conveys a sense of life being topsy-turvy, but you won’t quite get the full unsettling meaning behind the singer’s reference point.

By referring to London as the ‘upside down’, what exactly is Holly Humberstone suggesting about the city and her own feelings? Use the thoughts in the paragraph above to get you kick-started. Spiderdiagram/bulletpoint your thoughts. Or draw a picture inspired by the allusion and annotate it with your ideas.

ACTIVITY 3

Mckenna Grace: ‘You Ruined Nirvana

But the worst thing that you ever did
You ruined Nirvana
And I can't forgive you for that

If you know anything about Nirvana, you might well understand what they represented and the kind of ideals that Kurt Cobain stood for. By saying her ex has ruined Nirvana, McKenna is kind of saying that this person has damaged all the other things Nirvana symbolise. If she can no longer listen to Nirvana, what does that really mean? When Nirvana gets taken away from her, what else gets taken away? Spiderdiagram/bulletpoint your thoughts. Or draw a picture inspired by the allusion and annotate it with your ideas.

ACTIVITY 4

My Chemical Romance: ‘The Foundations of Decay’

He was there, the day the towers fell 
And so he wandered down the road 
And we would all build towers of our own 
Only to watch the rooms corrode

September 11th. Or 9/11. Everyone knows the date. My Chemical Romance remember the day the planes flew into the Twin Towers as well as anyone. What did the falling of those towers symbolise? How does that moment link to MCR, then, deciding to build ‘towers’ of their own? What feelings are in play here? Spiderdiagram/bulletpoint your thoughts. Or draw a picture inspired by the allusion and annotate it with your ideas.

ACTIVITY 5

Foxes: ‘Sister Ray’

"We could make tonight one of those Sister Ray kinda nights."

You can research what The Velvet Underground were describing in their own ‘Sister Ray’ song here. Only when you get a sense of The Velvet Underground’s own Sister Ray kind of night can you take a guess at what kind of night Foxes is planning to have! What kind of night do you think Foxes’ might have? What feelings might she expect to experience over the course of that night?! Spiderdiagram/bulletpoint your thoughts. Or draw a picture inspired by the allusion and annotate it with your ideas.

ACTIVITY 6

S3RL featuring Dorian Electra & Nikolett: ‘Notice Me’

"Hear my siren song."

In Greek mythology, the sirens were dangerous creatures who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and mesmerising voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Based on this quote, what kind of relationship might someone expect to have with the singer/speaker of ‘Notice Me’? What kind of challenges might face the person being encouraged to hear that siren song? Spiderdiagram/bulletpoint your thoughts. Or draw a picture inspired by the allusion and annotate it with your ideas.

ACTIVITY 7

Taylor Swift: ‘cardigan’

“I knew you
Tried to change the ending
Peter losing Wendy”

Why does Taylor Swoft reference Peter Pan? What can we infer about her intention? How should we feel? The fanmade video directly below should speak loudly enough for the context.

ACTIVITY 8

What people/characters/buildings/bands stand for something important to you? Write a poem that makes use of allusion.

ACTIVITY 9

Find some allusion within the texts you’re reading/studying. Research the person/place etc. referenced. Why does your author make that refrence? How does understanding the allusion help us to understand the message being conveyed or the character concerned?

You could start with:

  • Marilyn Monroe (‘Blood Brothers’)
  • The Bridge on the River Kwai (‘Blood Brothers’)
  • Doctor Zhivago (‘Blood Brothers’)
  • Dian (also called Diana), the Roman goddess (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Queen Mab (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Prince/King of Cats (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Laura (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Dido (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Cleopatra (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Helen (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Thisbe (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Cynthia (‘Romeo & Juliet’)
  • Damon and Pythias (‘Jekyll & Hyde’)
  • Cain (‘Jekyll & Hyde’)
  • juggernaut (‘Jekyll & Hyde’)
  • Koran (‘Tissue’)

Now have a go at writing about your experiences as a teenager with a little help from the inspirational Taylor Swift!