Allusions Assignment

Many literary works in the western tradition, especially poems, allude to mythological and biblical figures and stories that were well known to all literate people through much of our history. Below you will find a two-part assignment that is designed to help you familiarize yourselves with some of the most prominent of these. Part I - Complete each of your identifications (see below) in a word file. Make sure that you use the same format as the sample that is provided below. Please write in complete, coherent sentences and proof-read/spell-check your entries. When you have all eight in final, clean-copy form, e-mail them to me. These will be graded for 10 points per identification, and they must be sent to me by the end of the school day on Friday September 28. EXAMPLE: Cerberus – In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the hound of Hades (God of the underworld) who had three heads, a dragon-tale, and snakes down his back and mane. He permits all spirits to enter the underworld, but none to return. He is the origin of the term “hounds of hell” (i.e., Vincent Price in Michael Jackson’s Thriller). Cerberus is overcome several times in mythology and literature, and so symbolizes both the horror of death and hell and the triumph of light over dark, goodness over evil, and reason/cunning over brute force. Abraham and Isaac - CC Absalom - JD Achilles - MG Adonis - AH Agamemnon - MP Antigone - CS Atalanta - MW Atlas - CA Cain and Abel -WF Cassandra - BM Cupid and Psyche - PM Daedalus and Icarus - JM Daniel (in the lion’s den) - NS Daphne - CC David and Bathsheba - JD Dionysus (Bacchus) - TD “Eye for an eye…” - MG Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - AH Garden of Gethsemane - MP Good Samaritan - CS Hercules (12 labors of) - MW Herod - CA Hyacinth - WF Jacob and Esau - BM Jacob’s ladder - PM Jezebel – JM John the Baptist - NS Jonah - RS Judas Iscariot - CC Laius -JD Last Supper - MG Lazarus - AH Leda (and the Swan) - MP Lot/Lot’s wife - CS Magi - MW Mammon - CA Mary Magdalene - WF Medusa - BM Midas - PM Minotaur - JM Moses – MS Narcissus - RS Nero (fiddled while Rome burned) - CC Noah and the flood - JD Odysseus - TD Oedipus - MG Pandora - AH Persephone – MP Perseus - CS Pharisees - MW Philistines - CA Pontius Pilate – WF Procrustes - BM Prodigal Son - PM Prometheus - JM Pygmalion - NS Pyrrhus - RS Rachel and Leah - CC Romulus and Remus - JD Salome - TD Samson and Delilah - MG Scylla and Charybdis - AH Sermon on the Mount - MP Sisyphus - CS Sodom and Gomorrah - MW Solomon (the wise) - CA Styx (not the band!) - WF Sword of Damocles - BM Tantalus - PM Theseus - JM Tower of Babel - NS Trojan horse - RS Uranus - RS Zeus - TD Part II - Find three poems in Western Wind and, in your composition book, write reflections on/responses to them, focusing on the way the poet interprets the myth or that way the allusion contributes to the meaning of the poem. I will collect composition books for the first check/assessment on Wednesday 10/2 Part III - AP students, you will have an out of class paper as part of this little unit as well. That assignment will be forthcoming and will be due sometime next week.