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
- Island of the Blue Dolphins (8.7: 15.10)
- Emily Dickinson (22.6)
- Robert Frost (22.6)
- Countee Cullen (22.6)
- William Blake (22.6)
- Homer (32.19, 32.20)
- Langston Hughes (32.19, 32.20)
Historical References
- Cassius Clay a.k.a. Muhammad Ali (1.1, 1.8, 1.12; 7.21; 11.4)
- President Kennedy (1.11)
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (7.21)
- Huey P. Newton (7.28; 14.10)
- Malcolm X (11.4)
- Abraham Lincoln (11.5)
- Bobby Hutton (11.5; 20.1: 31.9)
- Harriet Tubman (21.26)
Pop Culture References
- Sleeping Beauty (2.11)
- Peter Pan (8.7)
- Nat King Cole, "Unforgettable" (8.25)
- Flipper (12.19)
- The Mike Douglas Show (18.12)
- The Monkees (18.16)
- Shirley Temple (31.2)