Warriors Don't Cry: Chapters 17–21

by Melba Pattillo Beals
In 1957, Melba Pattillo was one of a group of teenagers who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In this memoir, she describes her fight to survive and thrive in the sometimes violent aftermath of the Supreme Court decision that declared segregation unconstitutional.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–21, Chapters 22–28
40 words 175 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
    That was just the beginning of a whole official ceremony that included Grandma's garlic and herb poultice on my chest, which I figured was guaranteed to asphyxiate the germs.
  2. asphyxiate
    deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
    That was just the beginning of a whole official ceremony that included Grandma's garlic and herb poultice on my chest, which I figured was guaranteed to asphyxiate the germs.
  3. salve
    a preparation applied externally as a soothing remedy
    If that didn't do it, the inch-thick Vicks salve she smeared over every centimeter of my body would surely send the flu bugs running.
  4. staunch
    firm and dependable especially in loyalty
    It was sponsored by a Norwegian reporter, Mrs. Jorumn Rickets, who had set it up with Ernie, Minnijean, and me, and the group spotlighted as staunch troublemakers: Sammy Dean Parker, Kaye Bacon, and their crowd.
  5. brood
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    Get another locker assigned, find new books, get going—don't waste time brooding or taking the hurt so deep inside.
  6. ostracize
    expel from a community or group
    Those few who had earlier tried to reach out had obviously been pressured to turn away. One girl who happened to meet me alone in a rest room said that she and the other moderate white students were being harassed with telephoned threats and were being ostracized.
  7. obscene
    offensive to the mind
    I was at first paralyzed by the terror I felt when during one assembly a boy thrust a knife at me. As I sat in a shadowy corner beneath the balcony overhang, he placed the blade against the right side of my face and whispered obscene threats.
  8. upheaval
    a violent disturbance
    The teacher listened impatiently to my second report and then said, “These children have tolerated a lot of upheaval."
  9. enrapture
    hold spellbound
    I wondered whether or not she had considered that the audience would boo her off the stage. Did she figure they would be enraptured by her performance?
  10. philosophical
    meeting trouble with level-headed detachment
    Terry was philosophical about it: Let her try and she'll learn her lesson, once and for all.
  11. fatalistic
    accepting that everything that happens is inevitable
    I could see Terry becoming more fatalistic about our predicament. His hopes that we could change people's minds were visibly reduced.
  12. polarize
    become divided in a conflict or contrasting situation
    Whenever we compared notes, we all agreed: the students' attitudes had become polarized.
  13. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    We felt it would be best for Minnijean to back off, but none of us could talk her out of it. She was adamant.
  14. prod
    urge on; cause to act
    "Melba's giving away her favorite blouse," Grandma said. "And she's donating her favorite cord skirt and a pair of shoes." She glanced at Conrad to see whether or not her prodding was affecting his stingy attitude.
  15. garble
    distort or make false by mutilation or addition
    At first, I garbled some of the words, and then, as I remembered Grandma India's advice, I calmed down.
  16. trounce
    defeat in a competition, race, or conflict
    She rolled the dice, bought the last available property, and once again we'd all been trounced by our sweet Grandma, the Monopoly Champ.
  17. frivolity
    the trait of being not serious or sensible
    I knew she was agonizing over the consequences of my frivolity. She was right. I would suffer.
  18. edict
    a formal or authoritative proclamation
    Minnijean was visibly agitated and jittery, heartbroken that she would not be included in any performances and feeling more and more trapped by the edict that no matter what was said or done to us, we could not retaliate.
  19. jaded
    bored or apathetic after experiencing too much of something
    Terry seemed jaded and speculated about whether or not we would last the year.
  20. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Gloria and Elizabeth were quiet and pensive like Jeff.
  21. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    But I knew I had to endure with grace, because nothing could make them go away except a fair-minded teacher who witnessed their antics and took action on my behalf.
  22. stave off
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    To stave off the anger bubbling inside me, I wrote the Twenty-Third Psalm as fast as I could.
  23. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    Repeatedly we were told, "Don't give anyone the slightest opportunity to accuse you of being out of line. Don't be late, don't talk back, watch your decorum, watch your grades. Complain only when something is injurious to your health, or life-threatening."
  24. mite
    a slight but appreciable amount
    "Let me heat up that milk for you; it's a mite chilly in here." Grandma smiled and stroked my hand as she took the cup and walked over to the stove.
  25. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
    Teams of students appeared to be assigned specific kinds of torture. One team concentrated on slamming us into lockers, while another focused on tripping us up or shoving us down staircases; still another concentrated on attacks with weapons. Another group must have been told to practice insidious harassment inside the classrooms.
  26. sap
    deplete
    The pressure she felt was sapping all her energy.
  27. overture
    a tentative suggestion to elicit the reactions of others
    Occasionally, really vicious students would make overtures to us; they would smile or say “hello" for a few days in a row, pretending they had had a change of heart and were now our dearest friends.
  28. sheer
    complete and without restriction
    Sometimes their overtures were intended to make us trust them so they could lead us into traps where we'd be physically abused. But most often it was for the sheer pleasure of watching the pain we endured when they harshly rejected us.
  29. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    When Principal Matthews once again turned down her request to sing with the glee club in the Christmas show, she balked.
  30. intervene
    get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
    It was all I could do to hold on to my chair and not go to help her. Like a broken record, the words played over and over in my head—intervening on her behalf would blur the lines between who was the victim and who was the person at fault.
  31. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
    If other white students joined the melee to rescue the other side, we'd have a brawl.
  32. undercurrent
    a feeling or tendency that is not explicitly expressed
    I could tell there was an undercurrent of unrest among the student body.
  33. embroil
    force into some kind of situation or course of action
    So instead of the peaceful, happy, safe Christmas vacation I had dreamed of for months, I was embroiled in integration meetings and worry.
  34. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    As I entered the living room early one evening, Grandma was setting up the manger scene, gingerly placing each of the crudely carved wooden figures that had been handed down from her mother.
  35. lambaste
    censure severely or angrily
    "Well, anyhow, that great lambasting in the paper ought to prepare you for what they just might plan for Minnijean. You've got to get ready for it," Grandma said.
  36. begrudge
    be envious of or feel annoyance toward
    They behaved as though they begrudged our being there, even though we were going to hand our money over to them.
  37. fracas
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    I hoped their voices wouldn't cause a storewide fracas.
  38. preen
    dress or groom with elaborate care
    Once inside, I had to catch my breath and bring up a polite smile to greet three ladies from our church, who stood preening themselves in front of the mirror.
  39. amble
    walk leisurely
    Mother didn't seem as frightened as she ambled up to Mrs. Floyd and started a conversation about the Christmas social.
  40. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    Each of us traded a personal gift. If during the year one of us coveted something that belonged to another, we might get the temporary loan of that item for January of the new year.
Created on Tue Sep 03 20:39:28 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Oct 16 13:30:33 EDT 2019)

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