Allusion in "Crossing the Bar"

Question 14: Point out and explain any allusions.

"Crossing the Bar" discusses the journey of life to death of the speaker and how he desires for it to be. He alludes to God a couple times in the work. He first suggests the presence of God in line 2: "And one clear call for me!" God was calling on the speaker because his time was approaching. In line 15 the speaker says he "hope[s] to see [his] Pilot face to face..." In this line "Pilot" was written as a proper noun which suggests that he was referring to a literal being of importance. Pilot was an appropriate title for God because the pilot controls and navigates, similar to how God creates and sustains life. The speaker desires to meet his "Pilot" because he knows how much power He had over his entire existence.

Allusion in "February"

Question 14: Point out and explain any allusions. What is their function?

In "February" the speaker alludes to the game of hockey in line 20. "He shoots, he scores!"

The goal of hockey is to shoot the puck into the net to score a point. It is a common sport during the winter months in which the speaker is currently engrossed in. This reference to hockey is alluded to in order to relay another message to the reader. The phrase in line 20 is stated to give an example of the "game" men play to "score." The speaker feels that scoring is all that men care about. This could also possibly be taken more literally because through the fact that many (but not all) men like spending the weekends watching sports instead of helping around the house. This would add to her argument that men are careless individuals.

Allusion in "The Convergence of Twain"

Question 14: Point out and explain any allusions. What is their function?

In "The Convergence of Twain," I found that God was alluded to twice within the poem. The first was within stanza VI, referring to God as the "Immanent Will." The second was within stanza XI, referring to God as the "Spinner of the Years."

VI

"Well: while was fashioning

This creature of cleaving wing,

The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything..."

XI

"Till the Spinner of the Years

Said 'Now!' And each one hears,

And consummation comes, and jars two atmospheres."

Using Immanent Will to refer to God suggested that the Titanic sinking was God's will, immanent in that it could not be changed or prevented. Referring to God as a Spinner of the Years creates the image of God spinning or weaving individuals and events in and out of life throughout time as a seamstress spins thread into some form of clothing, blankets, etc. All the events serve as part of a bigger picture. God intended for the crash to happen and it cannot be explained other than that God has a plan.

6. Allusion

So Chapter 6 got pretty intense there for awhile.. Frances did not exactly take her breakup from Robert well. At the café she made quite the scene in front of Jake. On page 57 during her long speech, Frances made an allusion to a statement found in the Bible. "...we that live by the sword shall perish by the sword." In other words, Frances believed that she should have known this breakup was coming, since she had previously made Robert fire his secretary when they first started dating. It was now her turn to be let go, and she obviously did not take it very well. Especially since she compared this situation to a fatal one.