Poetry Slam!: "We Are Many" by Pablo Neruda

Chilean writer Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971 and is considered one of the most important poets of the twentieth century. The speaker of this poem feels as though he is an array of different types of people–brave, cowardly, intelligent, and foolish–all at once. Read the poem here.
15 words 204 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. settle
    become resolved, fixed, established, or quiet
    Of the many men whom I am, whom we are,
    I cannot settle on a single one.
  2. distinction
    high status importance owing to marked superiority
    On other occasions, I am dozing in the midst
    of people of some distinction,
    and when I summon my courageous self,
    a coward completely unknown to me
    swaddles my poor skeleton
    in a thousand tiny reservations.
  3. summon
    ask to come
    On other occasions, I am dozing in the midst
    of people of some distinction,
    and when I summon my courageous self,
    a coward completely unknown to me
    swaddles my poor skeleton
    in a thousand tiny reservations.
  4. courageous
    able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
    On other occasions, I am dozing in the midst
    of people of some distinction,
    and when I summon my courageous self,
    a coward completely unknown to me
    swaddles my poor skeleton
    in a thousand tiny reservations.
  5. swaddle
    wrap very tightly in cloth, as a baby
    On other occasions, I am dozing in the midst
    of people of some distinction,
    and when I summon my courageous self,
    a coward completely unknown to me
    swaddles my poor skeleton
    in a thousand tiny reservations.
  6. reservation
    an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something
    On other occasions, I am dozing in the midst
    of people of some distinction,
    and when I summon my courageous self,
    a coward completely unknown to me
    swaddles my poor skeleton
    in a thousand tiny reservations.
  7. stately
    impressive in appearance
    When a stately home bursts into flames,
    instead of the fireman I summon,
    an arsonist bursts on the scene,
    and he is I. There is nothing I can do.
  8. arsonist
    a criminal who illegally sets fire to property
    When a stately home bursts into flames,
    instead of the fireman I summon,
    an arsonist bursts on the scene,
    and he is I. There is nothing I can do.
  9. distinguish
    mark as different
    What must I do to distinguish myself?
  10. lionize
    assign great social importance to
    All the books I read
    lionize dazzling hero figures,
    brimming with self-assurance.
  11. brim
    be completely full
    All the books I read
    lionize dazzling hero figures,
    brimming with self-assurance.
  12. self-assurance
    freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
    All the books I read
    lionize dazzling hero figures,
    brimming with self-assurance.
  13. dashing
    lively and spirited
    But when I call upon my DASHING BEING,
    out comes the same OLD LAZY SELF,
    and so I never know just WHO I AM,
    nor how many I am, nor WHO WE WILL BE BEING.
  14. thoroughly
    in an exhaustive manner
    When this problem has been thoroughly explored,
    I am going to school myself so well in things
    that, when I try to explain my problems,
    I shall speak, not of self, but of geography.
  15. geography
    study of the earth's surface
    When this problem has been thoroughly explored,
    I am going to school myself so well in things
    that, when I try to explain my problems,
    I shall speak, not of self, but of geography.
Created on Mon Nov 27 13:13:08 EST 2017 (updated Mon Jan 08 15:43:46 EST 2018)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.