Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Allusions of Grandeur

I was thinking about how I was going to teach my students allusion, when suddenly an idea hit me like a blast from the gun of Optimus Prime himself: I would teach allusion by writing a short story filled with them. Top that, Socrates!

So I started typing up the sheet when suddenly I got stuck—like Augustus Gloop in the pipe. I just couldn’t think of a single allusion. I usually have the Midas touch when it comes to these kinds of stories, but this time, the well of inspiration was as empty as a theatre showing a double bill of Daddy Day Camp and Balls of Fury. (Oh, the horror, the horror.)

I became Ahab, obsessed with finding an allusion. I asked my wife, but she only said, “What am I a clown? Am I here to amuse you?” So, I called up one of my colleagues, but he said, “I’ll only give you one for the low price of one meeeelllion dollars. Deal or no deal?” I’ve never seen anyone who was such a Scrooge with his allusions.

With the speed of a Seeker during a Quidditch game, I called another one of my colleagues, even though talking to him is about as pleasant as giving Jabba the Hutt a sponge bath. He fancies himself as some all-powerful Oz, but he’s usually just full of sound and fury.

When I asked him for an allusion, he replied testily, “You want the truth about allusions? You can’t handle the truth about allusions!” I had to hang up, thinking to myself that I should have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

Wanting to remove this albatross from around my neck, I called another teacher and asked for help. When I told him I wanted to write a story filled with allusions, he said, “Hey, not a bad idea! Do you mind if I use your allusions, too?”

Now he’s going to come up with his own allusion story! I couldn’t believe he could be such a Judas! “Et tu, Brute!” I muttered then hung up the phone.

Finally, feeling this Atlas-like burden weighing down on me, I simply sat down at my computer and typed: "Coming up with an allusion is harder than snagging the Golden Fleece from Jonah, the Prince of Demark."

There, that should do the trick.

6 comments:

V. atatlanta said...

This is gold, Jerry, pure gold!

I found your post through the magic of Google, and thank you, Mark, for this witty and illuminating post!

Kelli (a 7th grade English teacher)

Tammy Gillmore said...

Thanks to you my students better understand and appreciate allusion...and your sense of humor! Between all of us...they understood all that you alluded to!

I just had to share this with them!

Thanks!

Nilda said...

My class understood many of the allusions. Thank you for being so innovative.

ariddle said...

This is awesome!! Thank you!!

The Way-Too-Busy-To-Be-Blogging Mrs. Clark said...

This is pure genius :) Thanks for making my Monday easier!

Wiley said...

Thanks for this great idea, my dear Watson. You have rescued my forsaken ship wrecked castaways from allusion "Hell-O." Their personal narratives will no longer be passengers on the Titanic. "Good job, my good and faithful (servant)."