A Long Way Gone: Vocab Chapters 1-5; Six Reading Signposts

Contrasts and Contradictions (CC)

A change in a character's action, or a difference from what the reader expects the character to do based upon his previous behavior in the story.

Aha Moment (Aha)

When a character realizes, understands, or finally figures out something

Tough Questions (TQ)

difficult questions characters ask themselves or wonder about that reveal their inner struggles

Words of the Wiser (WW)

a character, often older, offers advice or says something wise

Again and Again (AA)

you notice a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over (repetition)

Memory Moment (MM)

the author interrupts the story to tell about a memory or something from the past

refugee

a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

wharf

a large dock from which ships may load or unload

fatigue

extreme tiredness, typically resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness.

translucent

allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through; semitransparent.

mesmerize

hold the attention of someone to the exclusion of all else or so as to transfix them.

plagued

cause continual trouble or distress to.

malnourishment

suffering from malnutrition.

verandah

a roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor.

mangled

severely mutilate, disfigure, or damage by cutting, tearing, or crushing.

agitating

making someone troubled or nervous.

okra

a green plant of the mallow family with long ridged seed pods, native to the Old World tropics.

adrenaline

a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion.

crapes

(n) sneakers (p. 7)

cassava

tropical plant with starchy roots, kind of like potatoes

embedded

something that is within or a part of something/one else

adage

a wise saying; the Words of the Wiser signpost

Example: "We must strive to be like the moon" (16).

in vain

without success

scabbard

a protective cover for a knife

involuntarily

automatically; in an unthinking manner

ponder

(v.) to consider carefully, reflect on

looted

stole goods from (a place), typically during a war or riot.