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.
Biblical References
- Archangel Michael from Rev. 12:7-8—"angel wid de sword" (2.52)
- Isaac and Rebecca from Gen. 24—"at the well" (5.98)
- St. Paul (6.148)
- Methuselah from Gen. 5:27—"old as Methusalem" (7.12)
- Saul (7.27)
- David (7.27)
- St. Peter—"walkin’ de water lak ole Peter" (11.17)
Literary References
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland—"grinning…like a pack of chessy [Cheshire] cats" (9.7)
- Dante, Inferno—"the ninth darkness where light has never been" (11.83)
Historical References
- Civil War, slavery (2.56)
- General Sherman (2.58)
- Eatonville, Florida—the first all-black American community (5.35)
- George Washington (6.60)
- Abraham Lincoln (6.60)
- Booker T. Washington (16.22-27)