Allusions In Literature

There are few works that truly stand alone when it comes to literature. As such, many allusions to other works are brought up whether explicitly or unbeknownst to even to author An allusion is an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. However, in the poems “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer” by John Keats and “When I Consider How My Light is Spent” by John Milton, the authors explicitly allude to specific works to incite an intentional response that differs from the original content of the poem.
In John Keats poem, “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer,” Keats alludes to another author, George Chapman, and specifically to Chapman’s Homer. Chapman's Homer was almost a literary myth in the sixteen hundreds because of its rare and exclusive nature. With all the buildup and
In this case the story he uses is from the most popular book in the world, the good book, the Bible. The primary allusion which Milton makes is to the “Talents”(line 3) which in biblical times meant sums of money. However, with the denotation which “Talents”(line 3) hold now, a special skill or ability, Milton uses the Biblical allusion to explain that it is deathly for talent to be wasted. In extension Milton makes a case that his own talents are so grand that they must not be wasted, comparing this loss to death.
In summation, both Milton and Keats utilize allusion to connect their own feats or abilities with some grand achievement or a work of wide renown to emphasize their own image and importance. This form of what is essentially bragging, seems to link to the utmost form of narcissism. Such that only the achievements of greatness and works of the most popular book in the world can scratch the surface of their inward grandeur they wish to