Insights Hidden in Sight

A Part of the Learning Through Thought Literature Workshops

Here is a true story gleaned from watching TV.

In one scene of a popular show, after participating in a brutal murder, the characters required a ‘cleaner’  – to get rid of the evidence.

An accomplice told the murders that he knew a guy named ‘Bachman’ who would do the cleaning.

I was delighted to see that this “cleaner named Bachman” was portrayed by the author Stephen King.  I admired how cleverly that allusionAn allusion (not to be confused with an illusion) is a literary device where a writer or artist makes an More was inserted by the scriptwriters and wondered how many other viewers recognized it. 

How many people know that Stephen King used to write under the pseudonym Richard Bachman? Among his fans it’s common knowledge, but to anyone else the reference probably went without notice.

Many viewers may not have even recognized Stephen King, the author, as the actor portraying the character Bachman. But would that even be considered acting? Pretending to be someone on TV who you’ve pretended to be in real life? That’s awesome.

I don’t think anyone would call this a false connection or apopheniaApophenia is the term used for the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. We tend to use it More.

I was able to see these connections, because of prior exposure.

The reference wasn’t accidental. As with any allusion-, it was purposely placed with the knowledge that only a few would notice it.

Consider how many other situations where this could be true.
How many writers insert allusions that only few recognize and can connect with?

How many these references slip past you and I each day because we didn’t have the prior knowledge to recognize them?

Could it be possible that the writers of the Bible (and every other ancient wisdom text) were masters of this allusion- technique?

Of course they were. These hidden references are included in literature, art, media, and in the idioms of our natural languages.

This is only subversive to those who don’t understand the communicative power of allusionAn allusion (not to be confused with an illusion) is a literary device where a writer or artist makes an More

What makes the difference between success and failure is whether you’re excited or frustrated by the hidden references.

I’ve learned never to argue these points with those who resist the process of learning, as with the TV script writer, some references are for the benefit of a select few. 

It’s important to have a wide and varied understanding of any material if you’re to master it.

Artificial Intelligence has yet to master the allusionAn allusion (not to be confused with an illusion) is a literary device where a writer or artist makes an More.