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Allusions in The Hunger
Games
Allusion DefinitionBasically...it’s when literature makes a reference, a brief mention, a shout-out to another work outside of itself. It could allude to:
● other literature● songs, pop culture● myth, religion● art● history
Why do authors use allusions?Allusions connect literature to other literature (or art or music or history or whatever). They enrich meaning.
Plus, they are a form of intertextuality, so they help books talk to each other...and help us talk to each each other.
Remember Theseus & the Minotaur?
King Minos punishes Athens by sacrificing their children for his Minotaur to eat.
WHY? Reminds them Minos can destroy them any time he wants.
The Capitol’s real message with hosting the Hunger Games: “Look at how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.” (19)
But remember…
A hero (Theseus) gets fed up and
STOPS this horror by defeating
the Minotaur.
So what’s that mean for our
Hunger Games hero?
Let’s try another allusion...
“‘You’re all they’re talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District 12!’ says
Haymitch.”
Allusion: “Star-Crossed Lovers”➔ A phrase used to describe a relationship that is
thwarted because of outside forces➔ Originates from the astrological idea that the stars
controlled people’s fates➔ Usually has a negative connotation, as in the lovers are
preordained to be unlucky or doomed
Romeo & Juliet
“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”
- Shakespeare
Why would Katniss and Peeta be called star-crossed lovers?
Why might this be a good “angle” for them to take in the Games?
“...the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail...spilling
over with the things that will give us life here in the arena.”
Allusion: Cornucopia ➔ Origins in Mythology
◆ The infant and incredibly strong Zeus breaks off the horn of his nurse (who was a goat). The horn becomes a magical source of neverending nourishment.
◆ Hercules creates a cornucopia after fighting a river god and breaking off his horn.
➔ In North America, the cornucopia is associated with Thanksgiving and the harvest.
Why is it both appropriate and humorous to call the horned structure in the arena a
“cornucopia”?
Panem
Allusion: Panem Et Circenses➔ A Latin phrase meaning “bread and circuses”➔ Originated by Juvenal, a Roman poet from the first and early second
century AD➔ A political strategy in which the government offers the people pleasures,
like food and entertainment, in order to keep them happy and distracted from what the government is doing
Why do you think the author picked Panem as the name of this dystopian nation?
How does this phrase apply to the Capitol?
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