OAT S2 RD2
Baptism (Rebirth)
Story: When one is born anew as a child of god. Cleansed from sin.
Example: Beloved emerging from the water shows her being reborn.
Muse:
Definition: A group of 9 ancient goddesses, daughters of Zeus. Goddess of inspiration. Believed where poets, authors, and artists receive their inspiration from.
Example: In the beginning of Homer's, The Odyssey, Homer is asking for inspiration and is directly talking to a muse.
Hercules:
Definition: Son of Zeus, very strong, and wields a bow and arrow or club. Most known for fulfilling the 12 labors assigned to him.
Example: Hamlet says that his uncle is as related to his father as he is to hercules. Saying that his uncle and father are not alike at all.
Passover:
Definition: One of the most significant holidays in Judaism. Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Moses demanded their freedom and when Pharoah denied, God sent the 10 plagues with the final killing all but the Israelities.
Example: In Beloved, the escapees of 124 shared a celebratory feast among the community.
Mary Magdalene:
Definition: A woman who was healed of evil spirits by Jesus and who saw the risen Christ. Depicted as a sinner who finds redemption through faith.
Example: In Crime and Punishment, Sonya is seen as a character very similar to Mary Magdalene. One example is when she follows Raskolnikov to the police station on his way to turn himself in. Just as Mary follows Jesus as he walks to be crucified.
Aphrodite:
Definition: Greek God of love, beauty, please, and all aspects of sexuality.
Example: In The Iliad, a woman is described by comparing her to Aphrodite, saying that her looks had to have come from aphrodite.
Olive Branch:
Definition:A symbol of peace. Was seen in the story of Noah’s Ark when a dove brought an olive branch, signifying the end of a destructive time.
Example: In Hamlet, before Hamlet and Laertes duel, Hamlet admits his guilt for killing Polonius. This is essentially extending the olive branch and trying to make peace.
Pillar of Salt:
Definition: Comes from the story of Lot’s wife. She disobeys God’s command and looks back at the destruction of Sodom, turning into a pillar of salt. She symbolizes regret and the inability to move forward.
Example: In Beloved, Sethe try’s multiple times to make up for what she did to Beloved but is never truly forgiven. Leaving her unable to move on.
Leviathan:
Definition: A sea creature often portrayed as a serpent or dragon. Symbolized evil and Israel’s enemies which were to be slain by God.
Example: Leviathan is used to refer to Moby-Dick in relation to his mysteriousness and power.
King Midas:
Definition: A story for greed. King Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold but soon realized this was a curse because his food would turn gold.
Example: In Great Gatsby, Gatsby discusses how he wants more knowledge on wealth. This reflects Midas because he already has more than most people but is still wishing for more.
Mecca:
Definition: Holiest City is Islam, located in Saudi Arabia. Birthplace of Muhammad where Muslims believe he was first faced with the Quran. Only Muslims can enter and many face Mecca while praying. It is often used as a metaphor for a place that is highly desired.
Example: In Great Gatsby, Gatsby's Mansion is an Allusion for Mecca. It is seen as a place where people seek wealth and status.
Buddha:
Definition: The term is most commonly associated with Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism, who is often referred to as "the Buddha", 4 noble truths, eightfold path
Example: In Fahrenheit 451 the character Montag can be considered an allusion to Buddha. Like when Buddha was young, Montag was unaware of what was happening in the world. Montag changed his view of things after a young girl gave him knowledge like after a young girl gave Buddha rice
Psyche:
Definition: Goddess of the soul and the wife of Eros
Example: In Ode to Psyche by John Keats includes an allusion to psyche that serves two purposes in the context of the work: Psyche was a gorgeous woman, and this allusion serves as a way to continue talking about this woman’s good looks, while simultaneously insinuating that Poe and this woman are soul mates, as Psyche is the goddess of the soul
Prometheus:
Definition: Stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, for punishment he was bound to a stake on a mountain where an eagle eats his regenerating liver every day
Example: Frankenstein is a modern retelling of Prometheus’ story because Frankenstein’s monster suffers consequential punishment for defying the will of the gods—social ousting by continuing to defy God’s path of mortality. Mirroring the myth of Prometheus, who was chained to a rock, where an eagle consumed his regenerative liver as a punishment for stealing fire from the gods as an act of rebellion against Zeus.
Moses & Burning bush:
Definition: The story of Moses and the burning bush comes from the Bible, Exodus 3:1-15. God’s chosen people, the Israelites, have become enslaved by the Egyptians, and God, hearing their prayers, chooses Moses to deliver the people out of slavery and into the promised land. God speaks to Moses through a bush which burns but is not consumed by the fire, commissioning him to be the vessel through which God frees the Israelites
Example: Grapes of wrath- Jim Casey is used to represent the ‘burning bush’ allusion through his dedication to God. The connection lies in the fact that Moses also had a dedication to God shown by when he led the Israelites out of Egypt like God told him to through the burning bush. Additionally, Jim Casy refers to himself as a burning bush since he inspires others to do things much like how the burning bush helped convince Moses to lead
the Exodus
4 Horsemen of Apocalypse:
Definition: The Four Horsemen are figures that represent Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. They are summoned in the first four of the seven seals that, when opened, are meant to symbolize the end times and the wrath of God.
Example: In Beloved, when schoolteacher comes to 124 this is an allusion to The Four Horsemen signifies that, to Sethe, returning to slavery and forcing her children to go through that is the equivalent to the end times and the apocalypse. It makes an already horrible situation worse by allowing the reader to better understand both how bad Sethe’s headspace is and why she took the actions that she did.
Good Samaritan:
Definition: Originating from the gospel of luke, jesus tells the story of luke in chapter 10 of the new testament. A jewish man travels to jericho when he is beaten to near-death by robbers on his journey. A jewish priest and a levite both passed him and did nothing. A samaritan (member of a group historically despised and marginalized by jews). The Samaritan stops to care for the
injured man in an act of mercy and compassion. Coining the term “good samaritan” as an outside figure helping with no payment or involvement.
Example: In Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Bishop Myriel, a Parish priest, demonstrates behavior illustrating a good samaritan when he forgives Jean Valjean for stealing his silver. He even gives him candlesticks out of mercy. The act of mercy transforms Valjean and makes him more compassionate and prompts him to help others in the story. This aligns with the parable by portraying redemption through selfless kindness. ( Les Miserables Volume I: Fantine, Book II: The Fall, Chapter XII)
Handwriting on wall:
Definition: In the book of Daniel, Belshazzar (crown prince of Babylon) often ruled as regent or ooregent due to his father’s prolonged absences. During a feast, the Babylonians and ate and drank from the holy vessels of the Temple. Belshazzar sees a hand writing on the wall, with the words; “mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.” Calling upon Daniel to interpret it, Daniel discovers it to be judgement from the God of Israel, fortelling the fall of Babylon. Daniel tells Belshazzar that because he has not given honor to God, his kingdom will be given up. Belshazzar was killed that night, and the kingdom was overtaken by the Persians.
Example: In To Kill a Mockingbird, a local black man named Tom Robinson is accused of sexually assaulting Mayella Ewell, a white girl. The story is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. ● Atticus Finch is assigned to take the case as Tom’s defendant, and he agrees to do so despite the overwhelming odds against him. ● Atticus sees the “writing on the wall” but takes the case anyway.
Sisyphus:
Definition: Sisyphus was a king of Corinth, and cunning trickster who was sentenced to an eternity of pushing a large stone up a hill in Hades. His punishment was do to his tricking of Hades, lord of the underworld, when he came to take his soul to the afterlife and trapped him in his closet. And in result of his trapping death, no one was able to die.
Example: In the poem “Yet Do I MarvelIn this poem Sisyphus serves as an extended metaphor for the continued, humdrum suffering of mankind. Cullen seeks to question why God allows suffering and utilizes the tale of Sisyphus to explain the absurdity of such a punishment. To Cullen humanity is condemned to ceaseless, repetitive work which is ultimately futile. Every day on pushes the boulder of a job, love, purpose. All these boulders eventually slide down the mountain. Everything you work for in life decays to nothingness sinking to where you began.
Medusa:
Definition: Medusa was initially a beautiful priestess of Athena who, after being violated by Poseidon in Athena's temple, was transformed into a monstrous Gorgon with snakes for hair, whose gaze could turn people to stone.
Example: In “Medusa” by Sylvia Plath Plath utilizes the allusion to Medusa to emphasize the
deteriorating relationship that she has with her mother. The grueling myth that is Medusa helps to build up the imagery. The narrator loved her mother but felt stifled by her so in the poem she depicted her mother as an inhuman monster, in this case the gorgon Medusa. It also shows how the speaker felt trapped by her just as Medusa was trapped in the curse that Athena placed upon her, the line “bottle in which I live in” shows how her mother kept her from her freedom just as Athena kept Medusa from hers further emphasizing the
Achilles:
Definition:a central figure in Greek mythology, renowned as a powerful warrior in the Trojan War, and known for his invulnerability except for his heel, which became his fatal weakness.
Example: In Crime and Punishment, Svigrigailov is about to kill himself when he meets a man named Achilles. Their argument draws a comparison between Svidrigailov and the Greek hero. At first, Svidrigailov seems untouchable because of his complete disregard of anything but his own desires. However, he realized that he has an Achilles heel when he cannot get Dunya and he decides that he cannot live alone forever.