The Importance of Literary Allusions and Metaphors

As a science student, my knowledge of shakespeare references is limited. This limits my ability to see through opaque cultural references that allude to them. Literary allusions are not neutral facilitators of conversation, but tools for restricting text to certain audiences. The signalling theory of education remains underrated because few educational theorists seriously grapple with it. Half remembered factoids might be good for filling out the sunday crossword puzzle, but it's inert for any other practical problem. Useful skills necessitate depth, detail and hands on experience in a way that book learning rarely makes sufficient.