Research Paper

Have you ever heard lines from a popular movie used in everyday life? Perhaps someone turns as he is leaving a room and says "I’ll be back" in his best Arnold voice. Imagine what you would think if this happened but you hadn’t seen of heard of Terminator. You would have no idea what this person was alluding to or why he was talking in a funny voice. Allusions are a kind of shorthand we use to communicate emotions and feelings in an instant.

One reason why reading literature is important is that certain works form a collective body of knowledge that is shared among educated people around the world. As a result, allusions to great literary works are often found in modern novels, films, television shows, songs, and other works of art. For example, if a character in a film says "To be or not to be," most viewers will recognize that he is quoting Shakespeare. Those who are familiar with Shakespeare will know that this quote is found in Hamlet: Act III, Scene I. Because Hamlet is part of this "collective body of knowledge," it is important for us to study this work so that we are not left out when allusions to this work surface in new places.

Assignment:
Premise: Because an allusion is an important way to communicate sometimes complicated concepts in a short space and time, close examination of an allusion should yield a wealth of knowledge about what an author is trying to say in a particular work.

Step 1: Find an allusion. This could be a quote or a reference to another work. Investigate songs, books, plays, television shows, and movies.

Step 2: Determine the source of the material contained in the allusion. For example, if you are watching a movie and a character says "To be or not to be," the source would be Hamlet.

Step 3: Research both the works pertaining to the allusion and those responsible for producing them for anything that would inform your understanding of the allusion and its purposeful inclusion in the more modern work.

Step 4: Write a paper which examines the significance of the allusion. Argue that understanding the allusion in its original context helps the reader to understand the author’s intentions in the more modern work, and/or argue that understanding the allusion in its new context helps the reader to understand the source material.

Format:
The Research Paper itself should be 8-10 pages long. In addition, you should include a title page and a works cited page according to MLA guidelines.

Section I—An introduction which states your purpose and names the two relevant works.

Section II—A summary of the modern work (that work which contains the allusion).

Section III—A summary of the source work.

Section IV—An explanation of the allusion (what it is and how it appears) in the modern work.

Section V—An explanation of the allusion as it appears in its original context (assuming the allusion is to a particular line, character, scene, or other element of the work).

Section VI—Relevant information gleaned from your research, including biographical and critical analysis, that helps to establish the connection between the two works and the intentional nature of the allusion.

Section VII—An argument that understanding the original context of the allusion helps the reader to understand the modern work.

Section VIII—An argument that understanding the modern context of the allusion helps the reader to understand the source material.

Section IX—A conclusion which re-asserts the importance of recognizing the allusion and addresses the merits/demerits of the two works discussed.