Black Girl You Are Atlas: List 1

by Renée Watson
In this poetry collection, author Renée Watson explores Black culture and girlhood as the narrator grows up from age 7 to age 17.

This list covers vocabulary from "Where I’m From‌"–"‌Sisterhood Haiku, II‌."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
20 words 123 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. secular
    not concerned with or devoted to religion
    I’m from Baptist hymns and secular jigs.
  2. keepsake
    something of sentimental value
    Where I’m from there are corduroyed hand-me-downs
    and family keepsakes.
  3. regenerate
    form or produce anew
    Never for blood restored, celebrated, regenerated.
  4. destined
    governed by fate
    From a people destined to make it to their promised land.
  5. bestow
    give as a gift
    Of all the hand-me-downs bestowed on me,
    my name is not one of them.
  6. demolish
    destroy completely
    The name of new beginnings, the name for demolishing
    and building back up.
  7. ancestor
    someone from whom you are descended
    To write my name is to spell the sorrows of my ancestors,
    how they were sold and traded, hanged and drowned.
  8. resilience
    the ability to recover readily from adversity or change
    To say my name is to pronounce resilience,
    is to have a bounce-back accent
    on the tip of your tongue.
  9. tress
    (usually plural) a long lock of hair
    for brown hands that braid & twist thick tresses
  10. chastisement
    a rebuke for making a mistake
    for the way giiirrl is song
    is confirmation
    is chastisement
    is prayer
  11. harmony
    congruity of parts with one another and with the whole
    Needs to learn how to be in harmony
    with the music of her breath.
  12. revolt
    organized opposition to authority
    a Titan who for his part in the Titans’ revolt
    against the gods is forced by Zeus
    to support the heavens on his shoulders
  13. textual
    relating to or based on writing
    3(a): a bound collection of maps
    often including illustrations,
    informative tables, or textual matter
  14. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
    You carry the dirges, the wailing.
  15. requiem
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
    You carry the requiem of your ancestors, you are proof of their sweet breath.
  16. famine
    a severe shortage of food resulting in starvation and death
    You are nourishment in famine.
  17. fulfillment
    the act of consummating something, as a desire or promise
    The way no one expected you to be the fulfillment of prophecy.
  18. innocent
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
    That girl used to have innocent moments
    playin’ Simon Says on school playgrounds.
  19. naive
    inexperienced
    So naïve that she would save the seeds
    so she could plant them later.
  20. fruitless
    unproductive of success
    That girl wants to move to a place
    where the watermelon she eats is seedless
    so there will be no disappointment from fruitless harvests.
Created on Tue Apr 15 07:17:04 EDT 2025 (updated Thu Apr 24 11:23:46 EDT 2025)

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