Allusion In Poetry

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Allusion and symbol are used in prose and poetry to add meaning, but the way it is used and where it is used are what make it most effective. Different authors use dissimilar allusions to make varying points. They will use allusion and symbol to say a lot in a little bit of time. An example of allusion is found in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost. In the last three lines it says: “So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.” Eden is referring to the fall of mankind in Garden of Eden in Genesis. According to literarydevices.net says that “humans are often their own downfall”. This adds depth by to the poem by alluding to what happened when Adam and Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden. Since that happened nothing is eternal and everything on earth doesn’t bring pure joy. “The Masque of the Red Death” contains many instances of symbolism. The use of symbolism is prevalent in this tale. In Poe’s tale each room stands for a part of life. The blue room stands for birth, the purple room stands for maturing, the green one represents bodily growth, and the orange room symbolizes adulthood. Later, the tale goes on with more rooms such as; the white, violet, and black rooms which represent old age, imminent death, and death …show more content…

In line 41 it says, "Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door....", which alludes to Pallas the Titan god. According to talesbeyondbelief.com, Pallas is the Titan god of warfare (1). Also in line 89 it alludes to Jeremiah 8:22. It talks about Gilead which is a city known for it’s herbs and balms (The Raven Shoutouts. 1). These allusions add depth. It brings out better understanding for the reader. If a person catches these allusions they will grasp a better connection and be able to see what the author is trying to get at. Poe used classical and biblical allusion in these lines of “The Raven” to connect with the

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