African Town: Parts 7–9

by Irene Latham, Charles Waters
Told from different perspectives, this novel-in-verse was inspired by the true story of the ship Clotilda, which transported West Africans from Dahomey to Mobile, Alabama, where the slaves emancipated after the Civil War founded their own town.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Parts 1–2, Parts 3–4, Parts 5–6, Parts 7–9, Parts 10–11
40 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. balderdash
    trivial nonsense
    I stroll into the courtroom pumping hands,
    whispering a word or two of meaningless
    balderdash into the ears of a curious public.
  2. absolve
    excuse or free from blame
    When my claims are all confirmed by witnesses,
    I’m absolved of any allegations.
  3. stickler
    someone who insists on something
    And de Meaher brothers are sticklers
    about time and how it must be used
    to save—or make—money.
  4. stevedore
    a laborer who loads and unloads ships at a waterfront
    De best days I’m assigned
    de job of rollodore—de person rolling
    de giant cotton bale across deck
    and down de slideway to de stevedore,
    who moves de bale onto de landing.
  5. bale
    a large bundle bound for storage or transport
    Gravity and fresh air sure do help ease
    de load! Not like de agony of hooking cotton
    bales to lift them on board, or hauling cords
    of wood to feed de hot-flame engine.
  6. singe
    burn superficially or lightly
    De heat feasts on our skin and singes
    our souls.
  7. parable
    a short moral story
    That night I tell my shipmates de story
    of de dog and de tortoise—just one of many
    Yorùbá parables about Ajapa de trickster.
  8. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    Most nights my stomach grumbles
    for lack of sustenance, and we just about
    never have any meat.
  9. hack
    cough spasmodically
    It’s coming up on
    a year since I first saw her,
    filthier than dirt,
    hacking in sickness—convinced
    she was an African queen.
  10. emblem
    special design representing a quality, type, or group
    We tattoo on his chest an image of Dan Ayidohwèdo—the rainbow snake biting its own tail.

    This is the holy emblem for my religion, the Fon.
  11. blockade
    a war measure isolating an area of importance to the enemy
    Then on December 31, 1863, the Union Navy gives me
    all sorts of fits when the USS Kennebec, led by that
    poltroon W. P. McCann, seizes my ship the Gray Jacket
    as we head to Cuba for another blockade run.
  12. emancipation
    freeing someone from the control of another
    The glory of
    emancipation
    could be ours.
  13. speculate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Over every bump and rut,
    I worry and speculate about who the runaways are—
    Gumpa? Kossola? James? Oluale?
  14. knell
    the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death
    No sooner do I pry open my eyes after another fitful night’s
    sleep than I’m knocked sideways by repeated death knells.
  15. onslaught
    an offensive against an enemy
    April 1: Our poor Confederate men are no match
    for when the Union starts their onslaught of Mobile.
  16. incursion
    an attack that penetrates into enemy territory
    April 8: As Spanish Fort falls, an additional incursion bedevils
    Fort Blakeley. The whole county—bay and bayou—is aflame.
  17. divest
    take away possessions from someone
    I see soldiers divesting
    themselves of their weapons, tossing their bullets
    into the river, dismantling and burning their rifles
    before heading back home.
  18. commission
    charge with a task
    Instead, I’m on board
    my favorite ship, the Southern Republic, commissioned
    by the government to reclaim ammunition and other supplies
    that once belonged to the Confederacy.
  19. liable
    likely to be or do something
    Each of them are too stupid to handle their own business.
    Gracious, they’re liable to starve to death with their new freedom.
  20. shingle
    building material used as siding or roofing
    It surprises me that none
    of them want the jobs they knew as slaves—Cudjo wants to build
    bricks and shingles, Kupollee is interested in stacking lumber,
    others fancy railroad or lumber mill jobs.
  21. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    Much as I do not relish living in a place I do not belong, I decide to wedge myself into this foreign region after our people gain “independence”—and I use that word with great caution.
  22. cleave
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    In order to survive and draw less attention to my differences, I will cleave my identity like an apple.
  23. kiln
    a furnace for firing, burning, or drying porcelain or bricks
    It is hotter than a kiln in here, yet we keep the windows closed so no one suspects anything.
  24. profound
    far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect
    My eyes lock on Kêhounco,
    whose steady presence is made more profound
    with her changing shape.
  25. abstain
    refrain from doing, consuming, or partaking in something
    I do love wearing nice footwear; it is my weakness.

    It will be difficult to abstain from this, but I am determined.
  26. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    The women link arms, and I suppress a grin as Kupollee throws his hands up in surrender.
  27. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    The room relaxes into laughter as we enjoy a brief respite from our longing.
  28. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    I have nothing to
    show for it except swarms of
    mosquitoes covering me

    like a blanket while
    being stuck in the muck as
    I try to trudge my
    way through the long backwaters
    of Virginia.
  29. intricacy
    the quality of having elaborately complex detail
    I’m teaching Augustine the fine intricacies of chess
    on this glorious Sunday morning.
  30. charitable
    showing or motivated by sympathy and generosity
    I could shoo him away
    like a horsefly, but I’m feeling charitable. “What do you
    want, boy?” I ask.
  31. thrift
    extreme care in spending money
    “Gumpa must say those things about thrift
    because he needs to hear it himself.
    I’ve seen his eyes light on a pair of shiny
    shoes.”
  32. stout
    having rugged physical strength
    Although if I did—and I would tell
    no one else this—she’d probably start hitting me
    back, and I wouldn’t want to suffer those blows;
    she’s as stout as a Birmingham mule.
  33. ratchet
    move by degrees in one direction only
    If that’s not enough of a sight to behold, what
    really gets my heart ratcheting is what they’re
    carrying—bayonets and muskets.
  34. altruism
    the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
    On this day, November 22, 1865, we pledge to ourselves, our families, and our communities that we will extend harmony and altruism to our white inhabitants and hope to be extended the same courtesy.
  35. correspond
    be compatible, similar, or consistent
    However, I cannot stop thinking of how there is talk, and there is action—and sometimes one does not correspond with the other.
  36. infirm
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    I’m tired of
    being infirm from
    marching through those insect-filled
    backwaters.
  37. hearty
    endowed with or exhibiting great bodily or mental health
    I
    have no respect for
    them, either, but I answer
    with a loud, hearty “Yessir.”
  38. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    Tonight at our weekly meeting I notice hours have dissipated like smoke from a campfire as talk centers upon the possibility of going home.
  39. monetary
    relating to or involving money
    “We came here together, and we
    should leave together.” Maybe it
    doesn’t make sense from a monetary
    perspective, but money isn’t everything.
  40. repugnant
    offensive to the mind
    It’s so repugnant, I almost hold my nose
    when reading about it in the paper.
Created on Sat Nov 25 16:32:02 EST 2023 (updated Sun Nov 26 17:02:54 EST 2023)

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