—>Allusion is a noun (person, place, or thing) that means ‘an expression designed to call something to mind without directly stating it’ or ‘an implied or indirect reference.’ Allusions are often made by using a character or literary reference to describe someone/something.
—>There are two types of these allusions: external and internal. External, such as in the following two examples, make reference to something outside of the work (book, movie, etc) while internal make reference to something within the work. Internal allusions could most easily be described as ‘call-backs.’
Example (1): Don’t be such a Grinch!
This is an allusion to ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas.’ The sentence describes a person as grouchy and anti-holiday like the Grinch character without directly calling them grouchy or anti-holiday and without directly mentioning the name of the book/movie.
Example (2): Coffee is Tom’s Kryptonite.
This is an allusion to Superman’s one weakness. The sentence tells us that in a similar fashion, Tom’s only weakness is coffee without directly mentioning Superman or his world.
—>An allusion can also be used without literary reference. Think about wanting to impress something without directly stating it, such as being in a room with kids and not wanting them to understand the full implications.
Example: I’m glad to see you’ve turned into an honest businessman.
This is an allusion to the man’s past dishonesty.
—>The verb (word that relays an action) form of allusion is allude. It means ‘to indirectly suggest,’ ‘to call attention to,’ or ‘to hint at.’
Example: I mentioned his bad habits to allude to him being a bad father. The soldier alluded to his integrity by sharing a war story.
—>Illusion is a noun (person, place, or thing) meaning ‘a false idea or belief,’ ‘something that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses,’ or ‘a deceptive appearance or impression.’
Example: The optical illusion made it appear that the man was levitating. I have no illusions about the danger we’re in. Our family’s closeness is merely an illusion that most believe.
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