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Unit 1: Vocabulary from Readings 4

This list covers "O Captain! My Captain!," "Frederick Douglass," The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and "A Definition of a Gentleman."
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. mournful
    expressing sorrow
    But I with mournful tread,
    Walk the deck my Captain lies,
    Fallen cold and dead.
  2. diastole
    heartbeat phase when the heart relaxes and fills with blood
    When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful
    and terrible thing, needful to man as air,
    usable as earth; when it belongs at last to all,
    when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole,
    reflex action
  3. systole
    the contraction of the chambers of the heart
    When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful
    and terrible thing, needful to man as air,
    usable as earth; when it belongs at last to all,
    when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole,
    reflex action
  4. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    ...when it is finally won; when it is more
    than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians
  5. exile
    expel from a country
    this man, this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro
    beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world
    where none is lonely, none hunted, alien
  6. rhetoric
    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
    this man, superb in love and logic, this man
    shall be remembered. Oh, not with statues’ rhetoric,
    not with legends and poems and wreaths of bronze alone,
    but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives
    fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing.
  7. mariner
    a person who serves as a sailor
    I suppose I felt as one may imagine the unarmed mariner to feel when he is rescued by a friendly man-of-war from the pursuit of a pirate.
  8. damp
    lessen in force or effect
    This in itself was enough to damp the ardor of my enthusiasm.
  9. ardor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
    This in itself was enough to damp the ardor of my enthusiasm.
  10. fugitive
    someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
    I was afraid to speak to any one for fear of speaking to the wrong one, and thereby falling into the hands of money-loving kidnappers, whose business it was to lie in wait for the panting fugitive, as the ferocious beasts of the forest lie in wait for their prey.
  11. brethren
    people who are members of the same social or cultural group
    Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds—its scathing denunciations of slaveholders—its faithful exposures of slavery—and its powerful attacks upon the upholders of the institution—sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before!
  12. bond
    a restraint that confines or restricts freedom
    Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds—its scathing denunciations of slaveholders—its faithful exposures of slavery—and its powerful attacks upon the upholders of the institution—sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before!
  13. scathing
    marked by harshly abusive criticism
    Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds—its scathing denunciations of slaveholders—its faithful exposures of slavery—and its powerful attacks upon the upholders of the institution—sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before!
  14. denunciation
    a public act of condemnation
    Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds—its scathing denunciations of slaveholders—its faithful exposures of slavery—and its powerful attacks upon the upholders of the institution—sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before!
  15. absurd
    inviting ridicule
    He has his eyes on all his company; he is tender towards the bashful, gentle towards the distant, and merciful towards the absurd; he can recollect to whom he is speaking; he guards against unseasonable allusions, or topics which may irritate; he is seldom prominent in conversation, and never wearisome.
  16. wearisome
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental fatigue
    He has his eyes on all his company; he is tender towards the bashful, gentle towards the distant, and merciful towards the absurd; he can recollect to whom he is speaking; he guards against unseasonable allusions, or topics which may irritate; he is seldom prominent in conversation, and never wearisome.
  17. slander
    words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
    He never speaks of himself except when compelled, never defends himself by a mere retort, he has no ears for slander or gossip, is scrupulous in imputing motives to those who interfere with him, and interprets everything for the best.
  18. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
    He is never mean or little in his disputes, never takes unfair advantage, never mistakes personalities or sharp sayings for arguments, or insinuates evil which he dare not say out.
  19. maxim
    a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
    From a long-sighted prudence, he observes the maxim of the ancient sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.
  20. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
    From a long-sighted prudence, he observes the maxim of the ancient sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.
Created on Fri Nov 12 13:22:51 EST 2021 (updated Wed Dec 01 08:28:03 EST 2021)

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