White Rose: List 5

by Kip Wilson
In this historical novel-in-verse, German teenager Sophie Scholl joins a secret resistance group called the White Rose in order to oppose the Nazi regime.

This list covers "Our Shameful Army"–"Soaring Skyward."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
25 words 36 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. complacency
    the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
    I can’t wait
    to
    face my fears
    to
    break out of my complacency
    to
    do whatever I can.
  2. scour
    examine minutely
    Breathless, I arrive
    late after scouring
    the city for all the
    envelopes I could find.
  3. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    Willi frowns, shakes
    his head, his face blanching
    pale as paper.
  4. guillotine
    instrument of execution used for beheading people
    If the verdict is the death
    penalty, how will they do it?
    Hanging, or guillotine?
  5. indictment
    a formal document charging a person with some offense
    After I read
    my indictment, sign
    my life away
    on the bottom, I write
    a single word—

    Freiheit—

    on the back of the paper.
  6. impudence
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    They will pay for their impudence.
  7. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    But the judge bellows, his voice
    reverberating off the walls
    as he calls
    all of us unworthy traitors
  8. assail
    attack someone physically or emotionally
    Judge Freisler assails
    my brother, gunning
    him down with disgust at
    the way we spread treason
    against this mighty Reich
  9. farce
    a comedy characterized by broad satire
    I’ve already made
    my confession, don’t understand why
    we’re here for this farce of a trial, except
    to learn our punishment.
  10. heady
    extremely exciting as if by alcohol or a narcotic
    I turn, sweep
    my gaze over the sea of
    uniforms in the courtroom, breathe
    in the heady silence, observe
    the guilt shrouding
    the audience, and I know
    it’s true.
  11. accusatory
    containing or expressing blame
    I’ve had enough
    of this aggravating girl with
    her accusatory gaze,
    her superior tone,
    her righteous attitude
  12. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    Judge Freisler brandishes
    the paper Hans so valiantly tried
    to destroy, patched
    back together, a completed
    puzzle.
  13. immaterial
    of no importance or relevance especially to a law case
    His children are
    irrelevant,
    his arguments
    immaterial.
  14. subdued
    quieted and brought under control
    Yet a week later, Hans returns
    subdued
    serious
    changed.
  15. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    The Reichstag has unanimously
    enacted the following laws.
  16. enact
    order by virtue of superior authority; decree
    The Reichstag has unanimously
    enacted the following laws.
  17. propagate
    cause to become widely known
    the People’s Court has determined that
    the defendants, by means of treasonous
    wartime leaflets,
    have called for
    sabotage
    and the
    collapse of the National Socialist
    way of life,
    propagated
    defeatist thoughts,
    shamelessly insulted
    the Führer, thus favoring
    the enemy of the Reich.
  18. defeatist
    someone who is resigned to an unsuccessful ending
    the People’s Court has determined that
    the defendants, by means of treasonous
    wartime leaflets,
    have called for
    sabotage
    and the
    collapse of the National Socialist
    way of life,
    propagated
    defeatist thoughts,
    shamelessly insulted
    the Führer, thus favoring
    the enemy of the Reich.
  19. spare
    save or relieve from an experience or action
    Outrage roars
    through me that not even
    Christoph was spared
  20. besiege
    surround so as to force to give up
    But here his words hold
    no weight, useless as paper arrows trying
    to besiege a fortress as he attempts
    to push forward.
  21. loathing
    hate coupled with disgust
    Loathing rises in me,
    and I push back from my desk
    in an attempt to escape
    the filthiness
    of these pitiful prisoners.
  22. drivel
    a worthless message
    By attempting to brainwash other young minds
    at one of our finest universities
    with their dangerous drivel,
    these three enemies of the Reich
    have ruined
    their reputations and futures.
  23. stony
    showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
    Hans and Vati are
    at it again,
    raised voices,
    stony silences,
    each bout more
    uncomfortable than the last.
  24. bout
    a period of indeterminate length marked by some condition
    Hans and Vati are
    at it again,
    raised voices,
    stony silences,
    each bout more
    uncomfortable than the last.
  25. salvation
    the state of being saved or preserved from harm
    Mutti releases me,
    tears in her eyes as she says,
    Remember, Sophie: Jesus,
    and I know she wishes
    me salvation.
Created on Tue Jul 23 16:05:53 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 23 16:16:44 EDT 2019)

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