The Boy Who Dared: List 3

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
This novel, based on true events, recounts the story of Helmuth Hübener, a 16-year-old German boy who created and distributed leaflets to counteract Nazi propaganda.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
25 words 304 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mote
    a tiny piece of anything
    Dust motes swirl in the late-morning sunlight.
  2. annex
    take territory as if by conquest
    That spring, Germany annexes Czechoslovakia and then demands Danzig and the Polish corridor—the land separating Germany from East Prussia.
  3. induction
    a formal entry into an organization or position or office
    "I got my letter to appear before the military induction board," Gerhard tells Helmuth.
  4. draft
    engage somebody to enter the army
    "You're being drafted? But you have school—"
  5. deferment
    act of putting off to a future time
    "They granted me a deferment until I graduate. But I must still serve six months in the Reich Labor Service."
  6. atrocity
    an act of shocking cruelty
    By summer's end, the newspaper headlines scream about atrocities that Poles are committing against ethnic Germans.
  7. propaganda
    information that is spread to promote some cause
    The Reich has also passed a new law, the Extraordinary Radio Law, intended to protect the Fatherland from lies and other enemy propaganda.
  8. privation
    the act of stripping someone of food, money, or rights
    "Your rulers have condemned you to the massacres, miseries, and privations of a war they can never hope to win," the leaflet says.
  9. morale
    a state of individual psychological well-being
    The Nazis call these leaflets enemy propaganda, designed to undermine German morale.
  10. defeatist
    someone who is resigned to an unsuccessful ending
    "Enough defeatist talk!" says Hugo.
  11. brusquely
    in a blunt direct manner
    "Such laws are necessary during wartime," says Hugo brusquely.
  12. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Helmuth grows sullen and distant, unable to bring himself to eat the cake as Hugo makes small talk with Opa.
  13. exult
    express great joy
    "What did I say?" exults Hugo, clapping his hands.
  14. flak
    artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes
    Hamburg finds itself digging the thawing ground, tearing up city parks, and building tall concrete towers armed with flak guns to shoot down enemy bombers.
  15. grope
    search blindly or uncertainly
    One June night, British bombers wing their way across the open water of the North Sea and grope their way up the Elbe, easily spotting Hamburg with its maze of waterways, docks, wharves, and oil refineries.
  16. refinery
    an industrial plant for purifying a crude substance
    One June night, British bombers wing their way across the open water of the North Sea and grope their way up the Elbe, easily spotting Hamburg with its maze of waterways, docks, wharves, and oil refineries.
  17. errant
    moving in an uncontrolled, irregular, or unpredictable way
    The damage is light, mostly confined to the U-boat pens and refineries, but two errant bombs land in St. Pauli, a neighborhood known for its theaters and cafes and concert halls.
  18. missionary
    someone sent to a foreign country to spread a religion
    It's an American song, one that the boys learned from church missionaries.
  19. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    Helmuth is seething. He throws off Rudi's hand, struggles to get himself under control.
  20. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    Karl intercedes. "No need to get upset," he says to Helmuth.
  21. garbled
    lacking orderly continuity
    Twists again, and the radio coughs out a few garbled words of a Swiss broadcast.
  22. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Rudi and Arthur follow, clambering behind, up the narrow stairs, groping their way to the rooftop.
  23. shroud
    cover as if with a burial garment
    A car rumbles slowly down the darkened street, its headlights shrouded.
  24. yoke
    an oppressive power
    In a strong voice, he prays, "Lord, give us peace, break the yoke of the Nazi butchers, make us free."
  25. foolhardy
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    His words are dangerous and foolhardy, for Nazi informers lurk everywhere.
Created on Tue Jan 07 10:34:28 EST 2020 (updated Tue Jan 07 10:42:17 EST 2020)

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