Allusion

An allusion is not the same as an illusion! If you have ever watched "The Simpsons" it is full of allusions, which are references to an event or object outside of the current context. The allusion will only make sense if you have prior knowledge of the particular reference. In short, an allusion is a reference to something else. A synonym for allusion is reference.



For example, if you hear Bart Simpson say something like, "I have a dream, that one day my children will not have to go to school and deal with Principal Skinner", then you know that he is alluding to, or referencing, Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech" which we are all familiar with.


Get it?? Don't have a cow man!!

Metaphor

Definition: A figure of speech that compares two unlike things, without using the words “like” or “as.”

Example: He was a sleeping bear she dared not wake.

Simile

Definition: A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”

Example: It's as hot as a firecracker!

Imagery

Definition: A word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses (sight = visual, hearing = auditory, touch = tactile, smell = olfactory, taste = gustatory. Sometimes imagery can appeal to two or more senses at one time.

Example: "I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem..." (Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins) This is an example of visual imagery. It made me visualize smooth, glassy water and the grace with which a talented waterskier glides over it. Poetry can be smooth and graceful and enjoyable too.