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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Key Examples in There Will Come Soft Rains
Allusions
Explanation and Analysis—Evil Baal:
The narrative’s brief mention of Baal provides a subtext for its critique of unthinking technological reliance. While describing the McClellan house’s elaborate cleaning apparatus, the narrator traces the fate of the “offending dust”:
There, down tubes which fed into the cellar, it was dropped into the sighing vent of an incinerator which sat like evil Baal in a dark corner.
Related Themes:
