Taste of Salt: Chapters 7–12

by Frances Temple
This novel tells the story of Djo and Jeremie, two young people in Haiti working to improve conditions in their country and achieve their dreams.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapter 19–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hesitate
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    Donay hesitates. He looks down at his feet; then he looks again at me.
  2. nudge
    push into action by pestering or annoying gently
    So I don't see the cane field until next morning, when gun-man nudges me with his rifle and says, “Get down, boy.
  3. machete
    a large knife used as a weapon or for cutting vegetation
    With his big back shiny with sweat, he swings the machete low and cuts the cane close to the ground.
  4. anxious
    eagerly desirous
    Cane is heavy, like I say, but I am anxious to prove a good worker.
    "Anxious" can have both a positive and negative tone that connects to either eagerness or nervousness--both tones fit here, since the speaker wants to be seen as a good worker, but he is also in danger of being hurt if he does not prove to be a good worker.
  5. haul
    draw slowly or heavily
    “Why do they give me such a thin young boy to haul my cane?” he asks the sky.
    Although gathering sugarcane is hard work, "haul" is used here with a bit of exaggeration that's emphasized by the speaker talking to the sky.
  6. chaff
    material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem
    He wants the cane to be so dry it weighs like chaff.
  7. affection
    a positive feeling of liking
    All day long the song been saying, “Tender affection is the vitamin of life....”
  8. relieved
    made easier to bear
    “Yes, Djo,” she says, looking relieved.
  9. insult
    a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
    The guards, they use the name kongo for insult.
  10. stroke
    a single complete movement
    With strong strokes he pulls the blade against the stone, sharpening it.
  11. convince
    make realize the truth or validity of something
    Donay keep staring, and I think he need some convincing, so I say, “Will you come with me, Donay?
  12. prefer
    like better; value more highly
    “They stole us away to work, Djo, and that is all they want us to do. If we do not work, they would prefer for us to be dead.”
  13. adjust
    place in a line or arrange so as to be parallel or straight
    Donay, squatting, adjusts our tin can of rice, which hangs over the fire on a piece of wire.
  14. restless
    worried and uneasy
    Watching Julio, I see how restless I would be, except I am always so very tired.
  15. suspicion
    doubt about someone's honesty
    Because I befriend a Dominican, a guard at that, some workers look at me with suspicion.
  16. demonstration
    a public display of group feelings
    And one time when we marched to Fort Dimanche in demonstration.
  17. carefree
    without trouble or worry
    The slave needs to be stupid and quick, carefree and careful.
  18. irrigation
    the act of supplying dry land with water by artificial means
    Irrigation canal, they call it. The Dominican government has used much concrete to make this ditch, to bring water to the cane fields when the rains fail.
  19. canal
    long and narrow strip of water for boats or for irrigation
    Is like a web of roads. Is entire canal system. One canal leads to crossing place and meets with another
  20. poke
    stir by thrusting abruptly
    Then he looks at me in a funny direct way, poking me awake with his eyes.
    Compare with "nudge" in this list. The two verbs both connect to pushing someone to action. The given definition of "nudge" has the adverb "gently" in it, but in the example sentences, the man holding the rifle is not being gentle in his action or speech, while the man poking here is simply looking at the speaker in a funny way.
  21. wade
    walk through relatively shallow water
    Donay is too old and too weak to wade in poison water.
  22. pesticide
    a chemical used to kill destructive insects or animals
    “Pesticides make ditch water bad,” says Lagurie.
  23. filthy
    disgustingly dirty
    Filthy poisons. The government not going to trouble to keep the ditch clean, because the people who live along the ditch are all kongos.
  24. fetch
    take away or remove
    In two days man come fetch that crate.
  25. suspect
    regard as untrustworthy
    I must snap my jaw tight to keep the song inside, so Lagurie not suspect.
    Compare with the example sentence for "suspicion" in this list. Usually, the related noun and verb would suggest a person who's dishonest or guilty of a crime, but here, what makes the speaker seem suspicious is that he has made a friend and he wants to sing.
Created on Sun Aug 24 00:41:15 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Sep 04 15:53:16 EDT 2018)

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