Allusions are used to engage the reader and also provoke a message to run through the reader’s head to make the connection. Allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a person place or event. Using allusions convey long statements into short ones.

1: an implied or indirect reference especially in literature

a poem that makes allusions to classical literature

;  also  : the use of such references

2: the act of making an indirect reference to something : the act of alluding to something

Example:

“We are not here to play, to drift”(Atwood, p156). This example from Oryx and Crake is when Snowman parents wanted him to be tough and nonchalant so he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. He heard this quote in his younger days when he was in school.

Common mistake with Allusion and Illusion:

Allusion and illusion may share some portion of their ancestry (both words come in part from the Latin word ludere, meaning “to play”), and sound quite similar, but they are distinct words with very different meanings. An allusion is an indirect reference, whereas an illusion is something that is unreal or incorrect

Allusion.Merriam-Webster.com2017. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allusion. ( 21 April 2018)

Atwood, Margaret, 1939-. Oryx And Crake : a Novel. New York :Nan A. Talese, 2003. E-book.

Examples of Allusion.2018 http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-allusion.html. (21 April 2018)