Jesse Konopka Assignment 1

 One allusion in the poem "Inventing my Parents" by Ludvigson is when the speaker's father recites "Canonization" by Donne in lines 26 and 27 where the speaker's father says " "For God's sake hold your tongue and let me love." This seems a very innocent quote that suits the tone of the poem very well. However, the poem "Canonization" which it alludes to is a little more extreme than this quotes leads you to believe. The full poem of "Canonization" is about a man who feels so strongly about his love he would do anything for his loved one, even if the woman he loves doesn't hold him back, and believes that nothing on Earth is more important than his love for this woman. This love seems obsessive and "canonized" compared to what is in the poem "Inventing my Parents" and may suggest there is more than meets the eye to this poem. In the poem the speaker's mother is discussing her beliefs with the speaker's father, and while the mother seems to take authority with her beliefs, the father seems to accept everything she says no matter the fact that he believes otherwise. This links back to the themes expressed in "Canonization" because the father is valuing their love more than their beliefs, but in more of an uplifting way than an obsessive one.