Graphic Organizer to Help with Allusions

I've worked with the other pre-AP teachers to come up with a graphic organizer to help you structure your thoughts about the allusions you've found and then write your responses for the project. (We'll be using this, or something similar, during the school year whenever we look at literary and/or rhetorical devices, as well.)

Here's the graphic organizer with an explanation of what to do in the various sections.

And an example of how to fill it out.

Using the example, above, we could compose the following paragraph* about Agatha Christie's choice of name for her detective Hercule Poirot:

In choosing the name Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie makes an allusion to the mythological character Hercules. Hercules was known for his strength; Poirot, however, is a short, out-of-shape, egg-shaped man. On the other hand Poirot is unmatched when it comes to intellect. The two men are both very strong, just in very different ways. By using irony Christie is able to make Poirot the opposite of Hercules, yet still have them share something in common. Poirot is able to overcome “Herculean” trials with the power of his mind. Instead of flexing his muscles, he merely has to flex his “little gray cells” and great mysteries are solved.

Download and print blank graphic organizers to help you complete the summer assignment.

* Note: This example lacks title and chapter/page & paragraph information and would not receive full credit in a summer project...