Jack Phillips Assignment 1

In the poem "Inventing my Parents," Ludvingson alludes to many different things, but one that stands out is the allusion to one of the most influential events of human history, World War II. This is an important allusion because it recognizes the typically melancholy view of the painting. This poem, for the most part, is much more upbeat and happy than the painting Nighthawks. But with the line "how the war will change them" it uses WWII, which is typically elicits emotions like sadness and suffering, to pair the poem with the common interpretation of the painting. Without this parallel, it would be very difficult to be able to connect the poem with the painting.