Literary Term Of The Day!
The literary term of the day for today, Sept. 9 2008, is
“Allusion.” Merriam-Webster online provides this definition:
- : an implied or indirect reference especially in literature; also : the use of such references
- : the act of alluding to or hinting at something
Here’s a brief example of an allusion.
In Sarah Palin’s convention speech, the Vice-Presidential candidate ad-libbed this joke:
I love those hockey moms. You know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.
Now, Barack Obama alluded to Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin by saying the following:
You see, Obama knows that his campaign has been in trouble ever since Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech at the RNC convention. It was at the convention that Palin made the immensely popular and well-received “hockey mom” joke. In an attempt to make Palin look silly, Obama indirectly referenced, hinted at, i.e. he alluded to, her convention speech.
Does this make Obama sexist?
No. Palin mentioned the lipstick to which Obama alluded. It would only be sexist if Obama had somehow implied that Palin, as a woman, is unqualified for the job for that fact alone. He didn’t. But he obviously alluded to Palin with the “pig” comment.