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AP Literature Allusions Flashcards

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7389739698Albatross around one's neckAlludes to the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is used to talk about an unfortunate person having to carry a burden on their shoulders.0
7389855086"Balm in Gilead"This is an allusion to the Old Testament in the Bible. It means healing or the need to be healed.1
7389922621Big BrotherThis is an allusion to George Orwell's book, Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is used as a warning ("Big Brother is watching you.") since it refers to a ruler or government that invades a citizen's privacy.2
7389961989Cain and AbelThis is an allusion to a story in the Bible. It means enmity, or feeling hostile towards someone, between people.3
7390297319CamelotThis is an allusion to a legend. It means a place or a time of ideal happiness.4
7390048833Carpe DiemThis phrase means seize the day and is an allusion to Robert Frost's poem "Carpe Diem."5
7390063379CassandraThis is an allusion to Greek mythology. When someone is referred to as a Cassandra, it means that they repeatedly predict an incident that leads to misfortune, but no one ever believes them.6
7390179288Catch 22This is an allusion to Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22. It means an absurd or no-win situation.7
7390261655Cheshire CatThis alludes to the cat with an enormous grin in Alice in Wonderland. If someone is called a Cheshire cat, it means they have a big, visible, long-lasting smile.8
7390347650Crown of ThornsThis is an allusion to the Crucifixion of Jesus. It means a painful burden someone has to bear or something that ridicules or disrespects someone.9
7390453340Daniel in the Lion's DenThis is an allusion to a story in the Bible. It means extreme bravery.10
7390547922FalstaffianThis is an allusion to Shakespeare's character Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV. It refers to someone who is full of wit and sexual humor.11
7390575431Florence NightingaleThis is an allusion to a person in history. If someone is compared to Florence Nightingale, it means they are compassionate, caring, and determined.12
7390672224Hobbit-likeThis is an allusion to J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, the Hobbit. It is used to describe someone who is like a hobbit (short, hairy, and big feet).13
7390882406Holden CaulfieldThis is an allusion to a character in The Catcher in the Rye. To pull a Holden Caulfield means to go on a trip with no set goal in mind.14
7390993601"It's Greek to Me"This is an allusion to a Shakespeare story. It means that all foreign languages sound the same because they are unintelligible.15
7391077531JudasThis is an allusion to a person in the Bible. It is used to describe someone who back stabbed or betrayed someone else.16
7391133110KafkaesqueThis is an allusion to the writings of Frank Kafka. It is used to describe craziness.17
7391200472Land of LilliputThis is an allusion to Gulliver's Travels. It is used to describe something small or irrelevant.18
7391265932LuciferThis is an allusion to a fallen angel from the Bible, better known as the devil. This is used to describe someone who is devil-like and dark.19
7401295134Manna from HeavenThis is an allusion to a story in the Bible. This is used as a way to say that people need to work for what they want because they will not receive it for free like the Israelites received their free manna.20
7518676863MephistopheleanThis is an allusion to a demon in the Christian world. It is used as a description towards the devil or towards devilish deeds.21
7518724875MuseThis is an allusion to the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne in Greek Mythology. This is used to describe someone who inspires an artist to do what they do.22
7518760639Oedipus ComplexThis is an allusion to Sophocles's Oedipus. It is defined by Freud as the attraction that a child feels, typically during the ages of 3-5, towards the parent of the opposite sex.23
7518827695Pandora's BoxThis is an allusion to Greek Mythology. This is commonly used in the phrase, "Don't open Pandora's Box," which means to do something that might seem insignificant, but that ultimately has large long term consequences.24
7521013397PanglossianThis is an allusion to Volitaire's book, Candide. It is used to describe someone who is blindly or misleadingly optimistic.25
7521050559ProcrustesThis is an allusion to Greek Mythology. He would invite people to his home, and when they went to bed, he would either cut off their legs if they were taller than the length of the bed or stretch them out until they were the length of the bed if they were shorter. This is used to describe someone who always tries to make something fit their criteria.26
7521176225Prodigal SonThis is an allusion to the Bible. This is used to describe someone who does not live up to the expectations of his parents or guardian(s).27
7521241705PrufrockThis is an allusion to the poem "The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. It is used to describe someone who is timid or shy or someone who is indecisive and has many unfulfilled desires.28
7521305387PuckThis is an allusion to A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. It is used to describe someone who is silly and clever or mischievous.29
7521331773PygmalionThis is an allusion to Roman Mythology. It is used to describe a man who creates a perfect woman for himself based on his standards and falls in love with her.30
7521391667ScheherazadeThis is an allusion to a female Arabian storyteller who narrated the stories of the Arabian Nights. It is used to describe a woman who is a great storyteller.31
7521418779Scylla and CharybdisThis is an allusion to Greek Mythology. They are both monsters, one being a 6-headed monster and another being a whirlpool. It is used to tell someone they are between two dangers or two mistakes, so even if you avoid one, you'll still end up at the other.32
7521447822Siren's SongThis is an allusion to Greek Mythology. It refers to something that is hard to resist.33
7521476400Star-Crossed LoversThis is an allusion to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It is used to describe a doomed relationship.34
7521500887Summa Cum LaudeThis means "with highest honor" and is used to indicate the level at which a student's academics are at. This was done in Europe since the Middle Ages and did not start in America until 1869 at Harvard.35
7521529577SwiftianThis is an allusion to the satirist, Jonathan Swift. It is used to describe something satirical.36
7521598363Sword of DamoclesThis is an allusion to Greek Mythology. This is used to describe a situation in which something bad is bound to happen soon.37
7521643521Trojan HorseThis is an allusion to Greek Mythology. It is used to describe something that may appear beneficial, but is actually malicious.38
7521662432"Water, water, everywhere"This is an allusion to lines from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." It is used to describe a situation where someone is surrounded by plentiful things but cannot use any of them.39

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