Allusion, Metaphors and Symbolism

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Allusion, Metaphors and Symbolism

• Trying to understand Cristina Garcias Dreaming
  in Cuban

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Allusion

• A reference to a person, object or event that
  occurred or existed outside the context of the
  book
• It is usually a reference to something historical
  or literary
• Be prepared to look up allusions you do not know,
  if necessary

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Allusions can be difficult

• A writer has to assume the reader will recognize
  the allusion.
• Ex. It had rained for more than a week. She
  hoped that the rain would stop before she had to
  begin constructing an Ark.
• - Clearly this is an allusion to Noahs Ark and
  the Biblical Flood, but the reader has to
  recognize it for it to have meaning.

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WEEPING
In this poem, there are allusions to Cyrano de
Bergerac and Don Quixote. Both are references to
literary characters who fail at their goals. In
this poem, the speaker is comparing himself to
these two tragic and sad characters.
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Example from the novel

• Celia returns to her post and adjusts the
  binoculars. The sides of her breasts ache under
  her arms. There are three fishing boats in the
  distance- the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa
  Maria. She remembers the singsong way she used
  to recite their names. (4)
• What is the author alluding to in this example?
• What is her purpose?

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Metaphor

• A direct comparison between two seemingly
  unrelated subjects
• ex. My father is a bear in the morning.
• Here, father and bear seem to be unrelated
• The first object is described as BEING the second
  object
• The first object is my father. He is described
  as BEING the second object, a bear

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There are lots of types of metaphors

• Similes (use like or as to make the
  comparison)
• Ex. Your eyes are like the sun.
• Extended Metaphors (A metaphor that continues
  with more comparisons that relate to the
  original)
• Ex. All the worlds a stage/ And all the men and
  women merely players/ They have their exits and
  their entrances.
• Mixed Metaphors (mixing up of two metaphors)
• Ex. Casey stepped up to the plate and grabbed
  the bull by the horns.

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Example from the novel

• Celia passes by a theater in Old Havana and
  recognizes two of her half brothers standing by
  the entrance. She stares at them, twin ghosts,
  and nervously pats her throat. A fluttering like
  a steady motor whirs in her breast. (91)
• What is the metaphor and what is the simile?
• What meaning is created from each one?

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Symbolism

• A symbol is an object, image or sign that is
  related to the thing it represents- a symbol
  means more than what it is.

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What is the difference between an image, a
metaphor and a symbol?

• Image A shaggy brown dog was rubbing his back
  against a white picket fence.
• The dog is no more than it is
• Metaphor Some dirty dog stole my wallet at the
  party.
• The dog is not what it is
• Symbol You cant teach an old dog new tricks.
• The dog is what it is, and MORE

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An example from the novel

• Felicia volunteers again for night duty. In the
  dark, in the moonless jungle, the fissures are
  not so visible, the hypocrisies and lies less
  disturbing. Her eyes, she decides, could get
  accustomed to this darkness. Perhaps she should
  have lived in the night all along, with the owls
  and bats and other nocturnal creatures. Herminia
  told her once of the gods that rule the night,
  but Felicia cannot remember their names. It was
  to these gods that the slaves had prayed to
  preserve a shred of their souls. It had
  strengthened them for the indignities of their
  days. (109)
• What is the symbol?
• Explain how it is more than what it is.

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Works Cited

• Allusion. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30
  Nov 2005 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allusiongt
• Garcia, Cristina. Dreaming in Cuban. Ballantine
  Books New York, 1992.
• Metaphor. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30
  Nov 2005 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphorgt
• Perrine, Laurence. Sound and Sense An
  Introduction to Poetry. 6th Ed. Harcourt Brace
  Jovanovich, Inc. New York, 1982.
• Garcia Lorca, Federico. Weeping. Federico
  Garcia Lorca Poems. Classic Poetry Series.
  PoemHunter.com - The Worlds Poetry Archive. 2004
  lthttp//www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/frederico_
  garcia_lorca_2004_9.pdfgt