Literary devices

Allusions and direct references

The story contains a large number of allusions and direct references to real-life celebrities, books or events.

Precious often mentions Farrakhan, whom she seems to regard as a personal hero: “First thing I see when I wake up is picture of Farrakhan’s face on the wall. I love him. He is against crack addicts and crackers” (p. 34).

Louis Farrakhan (b. 1933) is the leader of the Nation of Islam, a Muslim black nationalist organization fighting for African-American rights. He preaches the importance of community and family and speaks out against drug abuse, but he has also made highly controversial statements about women, Jews and members of the LGBTQ-community - which Ms Rain later points out to Precious, to show her that her hero may not be as great as he seems: “Miz Rain say Farrakhan is jive anti-Semitic, homophobe fool” (p. 74).

Initially, Precious accepts Farrakhan’s teachings without questioning them, perhaps seeing him as an idealized alternative father figure (eg. p. 34). However, as her education continues, she begins to question the truth of Farrakhan’s ideas and his condemnation of various social groups.

She also brings up...