The Laramie Project: Act 3

by Moisés Kaufman
Drawing on real-life interviews, journals, and transcripts, this play reflects on the life and murder of college student Matthew Shepard.

Here are links to our lists for the play: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3
30 words 62 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. liturgy
    a rite or body of rites prescribed for public worship
    The liturgy today is an Easter liturgy. It finds its meaning in the resurrection. The service invites your full participation.
  2. repent
    turn away from sin or do penitence
    You promised paradise to the thief who repented; bring our brother the joys of heaven.
  3. consolation
    the act of giving relief in affliction
    Comfort us in our sorrows at the death of our brother; let our faith be our consolation, and eternal life our hope.
  4. vile
    morally reprehensible
    Do you believe you’re supposed to separate the precious from the vile?
  5. ignorant
    lacking knowledge of a specific field
    You stand over there ignorant of the fact that the Bible — two times for every verse it talks about God’s love it talks about God’s hate.
  6. confrontation
    a hostile disagreement face-to-face
    ...I just thought, oh this is gonna be a really ugly confrontation.
  7. capital
    involving or subject to the death penalty
    It was to be a capital murder trial.
  8. attribute
    a quality belonging to or characteristic of an entity
    Well, we love that attribute of God and we’re going to preach it.
  9. ordination
    the status of being sworn into a sacred office
    When those old preachers laid their hands on me it’s called an ordination.
  10. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    Then they deliver a charge. Mine was from Isaiah 58:1 — “Cry aloud. Spare not. Lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions.”
  11. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    And I knew that my angels were gonna be taking the brunt of everything he had to yell and say.
  12. bailiff
    officer of the court employed to execute writs and processes
    BAILIFF. The court is in session. (All stand.)
  13. prospective
    of or concerned with or related to the future
    Henderson had to sit in the courtroom while they question the prospective jurors.
  14. concurrently
    overlapping in duration
    Do you understand that those may run concurrently or they may run consecutively?
  15. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    For the Russell we know and love, we humbly plead, Your Honor, to not take Russell completely out of our lives forever.
  16. remorse
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
    Mr. Henderson, this Court does not believe that you really feel any true remorse for your part in this matter.
  17. felony
    a serious crime, such as murder or arson
    The Court finds it appropriate, therefore, that sentence be ordered as follows: As to Count Three, that being felony murder with robbery, you are to serve a period of imprisonment for the term of your natural life.
  18. excommunicate
    expel from a church or a religious community
    After the sentencing...the church held a disciplinary council and the result of that meeting was to excommunicate Russell from the church.
  19. obligation
    the state of being bound to do or pay something
    I think that’s the focus the University has taken — is that we have a lot of work to do. That we have an obligation to find ways to reach our students...
  20. elated
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    You were just elated, you know, and you think, “Thank God!”
  21. integrity
    moral soundness
    You think, “Yeah, I hope I did this service well.” You know, I hope I did it with some kind of integrity.
  22. penitentiary
    a correctional institution for those convicted of crimes
    But I don’t ever want to see them ever walk out of Rawlins Penitentiary.
  23. redemption
    the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
    I don’t believe that one person should be killed as redemption for his having killed another.
  24. docket
    the calendar of a court
    All rise. State of Wyoming vs. Aaron James McKinney docket # 6381. The Honorable Barton R. Voigt presiding. The court is in session.
  25. preside
    act as executive officer
    All rise. State of Wyoming vs. Aaron James McKinney docket # 6381. The Honorable Barton R. Voigt presiding. The court is in session.
  26. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    We the jury, impaneled and sworn to try the above-entitled case, after having well and truly tried the matter, unanimously find as follows:
    As to the charge of kidnapping, we find the defendant, Aaron James McKinney, guilty.
  27. premeditated
    characterized by deliberate purpose and a degree of planning
    As to the charge of premeditated first-degree murder, we find the defendant, Aaron James McKinney, not guilty.
  28. defer
    yield to another's wish or opinion
    The prosecution indicated that they would defer to the family’s wishes as to whether or not to pursue the death penalty.
  29. outskirts
    area relatively far from the center, as of a city or town
    He actually died on the outskirts of Laramie, tied to a fence.
  30. activism
    a policy of action to achieve a political or social goal
    And, um, so now instead of going to school to be in music, I’m gonna go to school for communications and political science. Um, because I have a career in political activism.
Created on Tue Apr 13 20:16:34 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Apr 19 14:41:53 EDT 2021)

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