Allusion a Day

1. Allusion a Day Write a sentence with: Loaves and Fishes Write what you know about: Magnum Opus

2. Magnum Opus This phrase is Latin for �great work.� Incidentally, the plural of opus is opera.

3. Magnum Opus This phrase usually refers to the greatest work produced by a writer, composer, or other artist. Ex: Many people consider �Starry Night� to be Vincent Van Gogh�s magnum opus. Ex: In E. B. White�s novel Charlotte's Web, Charlotte refers to her web, in which she weaves tributes to Wilber the pig, as �my magnum opus.�

4. Allusion a Day Write a sentence with: Magnum Opus Write what you know about: Janus

5. Janus Janus was the Roman god of gates and doorways. Thus, he was associated with entrances and beginnings. Our month of January is named for Janus He is usually depicted with two faces, one looking forward into the future, and one looking backward at the past

6. Janus Calling someone a �Janus� can be either a positive or negative statement. It can refer to the wisdom and knowledge of a person who sees everything, or to the two-faced, hypocritical nature of a person who presents two different appearances. Thus, Janus represents duality in several ways.

7. Janus Ex: One investment company calls itself �Janus�, implying that their firm has the big picture on investments�learning from the past and projecting the future of the markets. Ex: Appropriately, Shakespeare�s villainous, hypocritical character Iago swears by the god Janus. Iago pretends to be Othello�s friend, but he is determined to bring about Othello�s downfall.

8. Allusion a Day Write a sentence with: Janus Write what you know about: A chip on one�s shoulder

9. A Chip on One�s Shoulder In earlier times, young boys would place a wood chip on their shoulders and dare anyone to knock it off and thus start a fight. This way a way of showing how tough they were.

10. A Chip on One�s Shoulder A person with a chip on his or her shoulder is one who is inclined to be resentful or who seems to be looking for an excuse to fight. Ex: Ever since he was passed over for top fry cook, Bob walks around the Krusty Krab with a chip on his shoulder. He takes offense to anything that is said to him. Talk about a chip on her shoulder! I told Connie her hair looked really nice today, and she said, �Are you saying it usually looks terrible?�

11. Allusion a Day Write a sentence with: A chip on one�s shoulder Write what you know about: Noble Savage

12. Noble Savage This is a concept in Western philosophy, particularly associated with the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rosusseau, who believed that people were born good and innocent and that influences from civilization cause them to lose this goodness and innocence.

13. Noble Savage A �noble savage� is a person who has not been corrupted by society or civilization. Ex: In his campaign for political office, the candidate attempted to convince voters that he was a noble savage as far as Washington was concerned. He would not play the political games like those who had been in Washington for a long time. In Brave New World, John is portrayed as the noble savage. He is brought to London, where he is repulsed by the impersonal, technological, amoral society in which he finds himself.

14. Allusion a Day Write a sentence with: Noble Savage Write what you know about: Between Scylla and Charybdis (lesser of two evils)

15. Between Scylla and Charybdis From Greek mythology, Scylla was originally a sea nymph who was loved by the sea god Poseidon*. Out of jealousy, Poseidon's wife Amphitrite poisoned the waters in which Scylla bathed. This turned Scylla into a six-headed beast with three rows of sharp teeth in each head. When ships passed close by her, she struck out to grab and eat unwary sailors. Charybdis was also a sea nymph, as well as the daughter of Poseidon. Zeus* transformed her into a dangerous whirlpool across the strait from Scylla. Ships sailing the strait were almost certain to be destroyed by one of the monsters. 

16. Between Scylla and Charybdis To be stuck �between Scylla and Charybdis� refers to a situation in which one has to choose between two equally unattractive options.  Ex. When the people on Survivor are trying to decide which rancid,raw item to eat, they are stuck between Scylla and Charybdis; they don�t want to eat either option.

17. Allusion a Day Write a sentence with: Between Scylla and Charybdis Write what you know about: Burning Bush

18. Burning Bush In the Book of Exodus, God speaks to Moses from a miraculous burning bush, a bush that burns, but is not consumed. He commands Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand that Pharaoh free the Israelites, and he tells Moses to lead the people to the promised land.

19. Burning Bush A �burning bush� refers to a medium through which the voice of absolute authority speaks. Ex: When it comes to investing money, I consider him to be the burning bush. Everything he has ever told me to do has paid off beyond my wildest dreams. Ex: When I continued to pester my mother about going to the beach with my friends on spring break, she said the answer would remain no�unless she heard different from a burning bush.