March Forward, Girl: Chapters 11–17

by Melba Pattillo Beals
In 1957, Melba Pattillo Beals was one of nine African-American students who integrated Little Rock Central High School, an experience she discusses in her celebrated memoir Warriors Don't Cry. In this follow-up, she recounts growing up in the South under oppressive Jim Crow laws.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Preface–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapter 18–Epilogue

Here is a link to Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. jolt
    disturb (someone's) composure
    Just then, Grandma’s key in the front door jolted my daydreaming.
  2. pucker
    become wrinkled or drawn together
    The surface was puckered and flaking, with all of its many colors beginning to blend.
  3. jar
    shock physically
    “Aintie." The voice jarred my ear.
  4. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    She looked down at me and reached up and grasped the orange box of Arm & Hammer baking soda in defiance, being sure neither the clerk nor the cashier saw her.
  5. cope
    come to terms with
    “...And it's our task to learn to cope with it, if we want to stay alive and keep our peace of mind.”
  6. circumstances
    one's overall condition in life
    The joy of Mrs. Wishart’s sweet deed lingered in my heart for the entire evening because she had given me a birthday gift that consisted of a promise: a promise that white people could treat us as though we were human if the circumstances were right.
  7. nape
    the back side of the neck
    Her long, shiny hair, with its gray strands here and there, was tucked into a neatly pinned bun at the nape of her neck.
  8. garbled
    lacking orderly continuity
    Conrad stormed through the door, laughing and shouting and bothering us, babbling so fast that some of his words were garbled.
  9. fret
    be agitated or irritated
    I started to talk to her, to finally unburden my heart of some of the things I’d been fretting about.
  10. heave
    utter a sound, as with obvious effort
    Grandma India's forehead relaxed, and she heaved a sigh of relief.
  11. lurch
    move haltingly and unsteadily
    As she unlatched the chain, Papa Will’s huge six-foot-four-inch-tall frame lurched forward into the room.
  12. frisky
    playful like a lively kitten
    Conrad, barefoot but wearing his green-striped bathrobe and jumping up and down like a frisky puppy, chased close behind Papa into the living room.
  13. mite
    a slight but appreciable amount
    He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “Whew, that was a mite heavier than I’d expected.”
  14. incarnate
    possessing or existing in bodily form
    "This TV is the devil incarnate," she said in a loud voice.
  15. dignity
    formality in bearing and appearance
    Walk with dignity and pride, but never, never walk in front of one of them or cross their path.
  16. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    One girl even dropped a beautiful knit scarf on the floor, but her mother didn't chide her like my mother was chiding me.
  17. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    “No, ma'am,” I said, but I felt something inside me rile up.
  18. bazaar
    a sale of miscellany; often for charity
    “We'll go on to our church. I told you we could go to the bazaar today, anyway. Can you wait?”
  19. abundance
    the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply
    “This is the Lord’s shop,” Grandma India said. “We can open our eyes to his abundance for us."
  20. dictate
    say out loud for the purpose of recording
    We sat at our desks quietly while Mrs. Backus, our teacher, dictated the spelling words we had to learn by that Friday.
  21. whittle
    cut small bits or pare shavings from
    She was making all kinds of sock dolls, crocheting little handkerchiefs to cover the arms of chairs and centers of tables, knitting sweaters for Conrad and me, making sweet-smelling soap, as well as whittling fun wooden toys.
  22. lush
    characterized by extravagance and profusion
    Right before Christmas, Papa Will arrived with a huge, lush green tree.
  23. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    I had long been intrigued by the piano, and I could hear a song on the radio and pick the notes out on the piano keys.
  24. apartheid
    a social policy of racial segregation
    During the last week of February, Mama's birthday month, I chose a word I had heard on television, apartheid.
  25. chattel
    personal property, as opposed to real estate
    But to find yourself in a strange land and learn that you have become someone’s chattel, property to a white stranger, was unbearable.
  26. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    Many of the people in my community were unhappy, though, because it was far away in an isolated, undeveloped area, and there were no lifeguards, no shade, no phone, and only crude concrete squares for dressing rooms.
  27. amenities
    things that make you comfortable and at ease
    Above all else, there were no concessions, merry-go-rounds, or the other amenities offered at the whites-only Fair Park, which had been promised to us.
  28. barren
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    Dusk was falling, and ahead of me was another barren, dusty road going off to the right.
  29. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    The sound of my own raspy breathing invaded my thoughts.
  30. size up
    look at closely in order to form an opinion about
    Slowly, I looked around to size up the others as I took a seat, easing down by a woman who resembled Mother Lois in her coloring.
  31. clearing
    a treeless tract of land in the middle of a wooded area
    The truck drove for some time and then we entered yet another clearing where there were more trucks and more people.
  32. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    I had to find a subtler place where my folks might be.
  33. modest
    not large but sufficient in size or amount
    I don't know what time it was when I found a modest wooden home—a small place that was plain without extras.
  34. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    I wondered what they would say to me and how they would chastise me for frightening them that way.
  35. unnerve
    disturb the composure of
    As I tearfully unraveled my story of the truck and the Klansmen, they were obviously unnerved and tearful.
Created on Fri Feb 08 15:25:36 EST 2019 (updated Mon Feb 11 15:01:01 EST 2019)

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