The Glory Field: August 1994 and Epilogue

by Walter Dean Myers
This novel traces five generations of a single family from their enslavement on a plantation through contemporary times.

This list covers August 1994 and the Epilogue.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
25 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sitar
    a stringed instrument of India
    Deepak rocked gently backward and forward as his fingers danced over his sitar. Behind him George was setting a counter rhythm on the snare drums. There was something strange, almost otherworldly, about the sound they were creating.
  2. lush
    characterized by extravagance and profusion
    Malcolm took a deep breath as he silently fingered the keys of the alto flute he held in his hand. His sound would have to be full, he knew, and the tones round and lush enough to bring real warmth to the music.
  3. amplify
    increase the volume of
    Was he still looking for someone who played an amplified stringed instrument?
  4. funk
    an earthy type of jazz combining it with blues and soul
    She had asked what kind of music they played and was clearly disappointed when he had said it was kind of a new thing. Then he had said it was sort of like postmodern funk, and she had asked how old he was.
  5. miffed
    aroused to impatience or anger
    Deepak was a little miffed at his ending the call so soon, but Malcolm knew he needed to get the place cleaned up.
  6. brusquely
    in a blunt direct manner
    "I'm not sure how much time my aunt has—"
    "Play the tape," the older woman said brusquely.
  7. censor
    subject to deletion on political or moral grounds
    When Jenn had left, Malcolm took a quick look around the room to see if there was anything he should censor before his aunt saw it.
  8. accommodate
    make compatible with
    "If you're smart enough to accommodate people of all...persuasions...and bring music from them, you're obviously smart enough to take care of yourself. I have a great deal of faith in what young people can do."
  9. persuasion
    a personal belief or judgment
    "If you're smart enough to accommodate people of all...persuasions...and bring music from them, you're obviously smart enough to take care of yourself. I have a great deal of faith in what young people can do."
  10. idle
    not in action or at work
    People who should have been off working in offices and factories were sitting around, idly passing the days. Days that should have been spent building their futures.
  11. seedy
    shabby and untidy
    The Apollo had once been a high-class Harlem theater, but now it was as seedy, as neglected, as the rest of the businesses along the once proud street.
  12. counter
    speak in response
    Malcolm didn't really have anything against a suit, he had explained to her, but he just didn't need one.
    "Your father has six suits," his mother had countered. "And that's not counting his tuxedo."
  13. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    His steps back to the front door were stiff, awkward. His legs refused to work as they should, refused to remember their usual smooth gait, their one-on-one quickness, their supple, slam-dunk strength.
  14. supple
    moving and bending with ease
    His steps back to the front door were stiff, awkward. His legs refused to work as they should, refused to remember their usual smooth gait, their one-on-one quickness, their supple, slam-dunk strength.
  15. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    Shep's breathing, which had been raspy and deep, seemed to settle into a constant pattern. He made small murmuring noises in his sleep, and Malcolm thought he must have been dreaming.
  16. vial
    a small bottle that contains liquid medicine
    That's how the crack users looked to Malcolm, like dead people running through the streets, looking for their lives in small plastic vials.
  17. upholster
    provide furniture with comfortable padding or covers
    They ordered pound cake and sodas and sat in the upholstered booth.
  18. size up
    look at closely in order to form an opinion about
    He looked directly at Malcolm and Shep, sizing them up.
  19. swagger
    a proud stiff pompous gait
    The trucker slid off the stool and came toward him, a slight swagger to his walk.
  20. prompt
    serve as the inciting cause of
    Malcolm thought about praying, and he wondered if God would notice that it was not religious feeling but a feeling of panic that prompted his prayers.
  21. bale
    make into a large bundle bound for storage or transport
    Shep crawled to him and lay back against the baled skins.
  22. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    But he had already survived Shep's rage, his wild fighting, his tortured frenzy.
  23. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    He leaned into the rake, his angular body complementing its dark angle.
  24. memorabilia
    objects that are valued because of their link to historical events or a particular interest
    "Black memo—Lord what did they call them things?" Planter pushed his hat to the back of his head. "Black something or the other—memorabilia or something."
    "Memorabilia?" Malcolm asked. "That's like things that remind people of historical events?"
  25. surveyor
    an engineer who determines boundaries and elevations of land
    After the funeral, he had gone to the Lewis place and had seen the surveyors lining up their poles where the old slave quarters had been.
Created on Thu Jul 02 10:03:32 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Jul 09 12:51:45 EDT 2020)

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