Tears of a Tiger: Chapters 15–27

by Sharon M. Draper
In the first book of the Hazelwood High trilogy, basketball player Andy Jackson deals with the aftermath of the car accident that killed his best friend.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–14, Chapters 15–27, Chapters 28–45

Here are links to lists for other works by Sharon M. Draper: Forged by Fire, Out of My Mind, Copper Sun, Stella by Starlight, Blended
35 words 1840 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. commodity
    any good that can be bought and sold
    “My partner and I are interested in purchasing one of your more expensive commodities. Would you be so kind as to allow me to try on this leather coat?”
  2. exaggerate
    enlarge beyond bounds or the truth
    You know, at this point, I’m supposed to say, “Now Andy, let’s not exaggerate here.”
  3. vital
    urgently needed; absolutely necessary
    I know they thought we were scopin’ them for a robbery—if you look back into the store right after we left, you could see her writin’ down vital information, scribblin’ furiously our height and weight and skin color so she can identify us when we come back to rob her silly behind.
  4. phony
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
    The malls seemed so phony—all that glitter and shiny stuff—giant green balls and red ribbons hung from the ceiling, with signs like, The Magic of the Season Is at Midtowne Mall.
  5. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    Very cynical observation, but probably true.
  6. depressed
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    When I went with Keisha to the mall, and when I saw the Santa Claus display, I got real depressed.
  7. mercy
    a disposition to be kind and forgiving
    Got up this morning
    Feeling good and black
    Thinking black thoughts
    Did black things
    Played all my black records
    And minded my own black business
    Put on my best black clothes
    Walked out my black door
    And, Lord have mercy: white snow!
  8. compliment
    a remark expressing praise and admiration
    Thanks, Andy. Coming from you, that’s a real compliment.
  9. cinder
    a fragment of incombustible matter left after a fire
    All of us at one time or another feel like a cinder among the snowflakes.
  10. racial
    of or related to groups of people sharing distinctive traits
    You stand out when you just want to blend in; you get noticed whether you want to or not. But it’s not always racial.
  11. apparent
    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
    I’m not sure, Andy, but it certainly is apparent in literature.
  12. contrast
    the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
    The tones of black and white have the greatest amount of contrast between them, therefore writers and poets, who have always dealt with extremes in passion and people, use black and white to create those images of contrast.
  13. metaphor
    a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
    Can you think of any other example where color is used as a metaphor to express an idea?
  14. implant
    fix or set securely or deeply
    It’s society that implants positives or negatives onto certain ideas.
  15. stereotype
    a conventional or formulaic conception or image
    You have the option to accept, reject, or change the stereotypes that currently exist.
  16. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
    Let me give you another example of how color bias can be changed—and this one is racial in nature.
  17. hypnotize
    induce a state that resembles sleep in
    And the longer I stood there, the more I became like—sorta hypnotized by the slick whistlin’ of the cars as they rushed beneath us.
  18. verbalize
    express in speech
    You’re hurting and you can’t find an escape from the pain and you’re frightened because the only way out seems to be something you can’t even verbalize.
  19. traumatic
    psychologically painful
    After all, the death of a friend is a traumatic experience in itself.
  20. eternity
    time without end
    So I spend most of my time (which, by the way, is an eternity) bringin’ ’em up to date on American history.
  21. noble
    having high or elevated character
    We’ve watched Macbeth change from a noble, trusted, dedicated soldier, willing to sacrifice his life for king and country, to a wretched, depraved, corrupt murderer who no longer has feelings of guilt or morality.
  22. depraved
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    We’ve watched Macbeth change from a noble, trusted, dedicated soldier, willing to sacrifice his life for king and country, to a wretched, depraved, corrupt murderer who no longer has feelings of guilt or morality.
  23. degeneration
    the process of declining from a higher to a lower level
    It’s a fascinating study of the degeneration of the human spirit.
  24. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    He’s got one little spark left—his refusal to surrender to Macduff and the forces of good—but don’t you think his death is inevitable, Marcus?
  25. deterioration
    the process of changing to an inferior state
    But Lady Macbeth, who seemed so strong at the beginning of the play, had a rather rapid mental deterioration—remember she was walking and talking in her sleep and washing her hands uncontrollably?
  26. petty
    small and of little importance
    Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
    To the last syllable of recorded time;
    And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
    The way to dusty death.
  27. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
    and then is heard no more.
  28. fret
    be agitated or irritated
    Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
    and then is heard no more.
  29. signify
    convey or express a meaning
    It is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing.
  30. adjust
    adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions
    Now it’s perfectly understandable that Andrew is having a difficult time adjusting to Robert’s death.
  31. outlook
    an attitude that determines how you respond to situations
    You have progressed from a state of “wanting to die” to the much more positive outlook of “learning to live.”
  32. inhibition
    the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires
    He’s always been a cheerful, good-natured kid, with very few inhibitions, which sometimes does not lead to the best classroom behavior.
  33. tolerate
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    The kids love it, and most of the times the teachers at least tolerate it.
  34. withdrawn
    tending to be reserved, quiet, or introspective
    When he’s not causing noticeable disturbances, he’s somewhat withdrawn.
  35. intrude
    search or inquire in a meddlesome way
    Let me ask you this—and please don’t misunderstand my intentions or think that I’m trying to intrude into the personal life of your family—but wasn’t Andy seeing a counselor about possible problems that may have been caused by his involvement in that accident?
Created on Wed Mar 18 19:53:55 EDT 2015 (updated Tue May 03 09:33:42 EDT 2022)

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