When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- The Bible (Throughout)
- The Black Dispatch (6.14, 6.62; 23.1, 23.13, 23.21)
- Gulliver's Travels (7.20)
- Alice in Wonderland (7.20)
- The Wizard of Oz (7.20)
- Little Women(7.20)
- Paul Laurence Dunbar (7.27; 22.2; 28.4)
- Shakespeare (13.1)
- Book of Psalms (13.1; 15.8; 26.8)
- Langston Hughes (13.1; 22.2)
- "The Lord's Prayer" (22.2)
- "The Night Before Christmas" (22.23)
- James Weldon Johnson (23.24)
Historical References
- "Negro National Anthem" (7.2)
- Crispus Attucks (7.10)
- American Revolution (7.10)
Pop Culture References
- "I'll Fly Away" (hymn) (8.6 and throughout rest of Chapter 8)
- Simon Says (13.4-8, 13.12-15)
- "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" (22.26)
- "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" (22.29, 22.31)
- "Deep River" (26.4, 26.8, 26.15, 26.20)