Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Vocabulary List

A comprehensive vocabulary list from Ms. Farlow's AAL course covering key terms from 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl'.

abolitionist

A person who worked to end slavery - noun

anguish

Severe mental or physical suffering (noun)

artifice

Clever trickery or deception - noun

benevolent

Kind, generous, and well-meaning - adj

bondage

The condition of being enslaved or held under another's control - noun

chastisement

Severe punishment, especially physical punishment - noun

conjecture

A guess or opinion formed from incomplete information - noun

constable

A law officer with limited policing authority, such as serving warrants or making arrests - noun

consternation

A feeling of alarm and dismay, often caused by something unexpected - noun

contempt

The feeling that someone or something is worthless or beneath consideration - noun

degradation

The state of being lowered in dignity, character, or moral worth - noun

deliverance

Rescue or release from danger, suffering, or captivity - noun

depravity

Moral corruption; wickedness - noun

despondency

Low spirits caused by a loss of hope or courage - noun

destitute

Lacking the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and shelter - adj

discretion

The quality of behaving carefully so as to avoid giving offense or revealing private information - noun

entreaty

An earnest or desperate request - noun

fugitive

A person who has escaped from captivity and is being pursued - noun

garret

A small, cramped room just under the roof of a house; an attic - noun

gimlet

A small hand tool used for boring holes in wood - noun

hypocrisy

The practice of claiming beliefs or virtues that one does not actually hold or practice - noun

ignominy

Public shame or disgrace - noun

indecorum

Behavior that is improper or in poor taste - noun

indignation

Anger caused by something unfair or unjust - noun

insolence

Rude, disrespectful behavior; under slavery, often the charge against any enslaved person who asserted themselves - noun

insurrection

A violent uprising against an authority or government - noun

licentious

Sexually unrestrained; disregarding accepted moral rules - adj

loophole

A small opening in a wall through which one can look or shoot; also, a means of escape - noun

magistrate

A local official who administers the law and hears minor cases - noun

manumission

The formal act of freeing a person from slavery - noun

mortification

Deep shame or humiliation - noun

overseer

A person who supervises the work of laborers, especially enslaved people - noun

patriarchal

Relating to a system ruled by a male head of household; describing control exercised by a father figure - adj

persecutor

A person who harasses, oppresses, or hunts another persistently - noun

remonstrate

To protest or plead in objection to something - verb

reproach

Criticism that expresses disappointment - noun

resolute

Firmly determined; unwavering - adj

retreat

A place of hiding, safety, or seclusion - noun

retribution

Punishment given in return for a wrong - noun

sanctuary

A place of refuge or safety - noun

scrupulous

Very careful to do what is honest and morally right - adj

servitude

The condition of being forced to serve another; bondage - noun

solicitude

Care or concern for someone's well-being - noun

speculator

A person who buys something in order to resell it for profit; under slavery, a trader who bought and sold enslaved people - noun

tyranny

Cruel, unjust, and unrestrained use of power - noun

venerable

Deserving deep respect because of age, wisdom, or character - adj

vigilance

Careful watchfulness for possible danger - noun

vindictive

Having a strong desire for revenge - adj

virtue

Moral goodness; in nineteenth-century usage for women, especially sexual purity - noun

zealous

Showing intense, often extreme, devotion to a cause or belief - adj