Task #2

Context

One of the key details you will learn about in Foster's text is the importance of allusions in literature. The most common allusions in Western literature are:

1. The Jewish and Christian Bibles

2. Greek and Roman Mythology

3. William Shakespeare

4. Fairy Tales (i.e. The Brothers Grimm)

Many of these are religious stories, even the Greek myths, but our goal is not to understand them from the perspective of faith or belief. Rather, we want to recognize the symbols and meaning embedded in the stories since those are what our authors will incorporate into their work.

The more knowledge we have about these stories, the more we are prepared to recognize allusions when they emerge. This will give us a deeper sense of the literature we are reading and the author's intent behind including such allusions. 

With this in mind, you should prepare an information page about a major Greek/Roman Myth or Jewish or Christian Bible story that you can share with your peers.

Directions

1. Claim a story from the list below by emailing me (nathan_fleeson@g.gcpsk12.org) your top 3 choices. I will notify you which one you are assigned.

   1. Each story can be claimed by 2 students max. You should develop your information sheet independently, even if you have the same topic.

   2. Note: These stories are short. Usually not more a few pages.

2. For your chosen story, you should:

   1. Summarize what happens in the story and its meaning or lesson.

   2. Pull out any key symbols or characteristics. What item(s) would instantly make you think of this story?

   3. Find an allusion to your selected story in a popular culture text (songs, tv shows, film, etc.). Give an analysis (1 paragraph) of how the allusion helps enhance our understanding of the popular culture text.

3. Make a copy of the template below to fill in the information.

Accessing Stories

Greek/Roman Myth: The top resource for learning about Greek and Roman myth is Edith Hamilton's book, Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Dr. Fleeson has many copies of this available to borrow.

Jewish and Christian Bible Stories: The academic standard for studying Bible stories is the New Revised Standard Version. This is the translation that Religion scholars will cite when they are not doing their own translation work. You can access it here.