The Unwanted: List 1

by Don Brown
This powerful, award-winning graphic novel brings the Syrian refugee crisis to life.

This list covers pages 2–45.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
30 words 378 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scrawl
    write carelessly
    Teenage boys scrawl "Down with the regime" on a wall.
  2. regime
    the governing authority of a political unit
    Teenage boys scrawl "Down with the regime" on a wall.
  3. dictator
    a ruler who is unconstrained by law
    Assad's father seized power in 1970, one of a string of dictators who had come and gone in Syria since its independence in 1947.
  4. tyranny
    government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
    Syria was not alone; similar tyrannies could be found across North Africa and the Middle East.
  5. oppress
    come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
    In 2010, oppressed people in those countries protested, sparking uprisings nicknamed the Arab Spring.
  6. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    We want dignity and freedom.
  7. sniper
    a marksman who shoots from a concealed place
    Armed government agents answer their anger with tanks and snipers.
  8. disperse
    move away from each other
    Go home! Disperse! We will shoot.
  9. ruthless
    without mercy or pity
    Assad's armed forces are ruthless.
  10. comprise
    be made of
    Just as Christianity comprises Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, and the like, Islam is roughly split into Shia and Sunni.
  11. sect
    a subdivision of a larger religious group
    Assad mostly finds support with Shia Muslims and Alawites, a Shia sect of which he's a member.
  12. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    After she frees them, they all trudge on.
  13. refugee
    an exile who flees for safety
    By June 2011, there are about two thousand refugees in Turkey.
  14. zealot
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
    Islamic zealots known as jihadists join the fight against Assad.
  15. notable
    worthy of attention or interest
    A pickup truck carrying a piano is stopped at a checkpoint manned by ISIS fighters, a notable band of ruthless jihadists who invoke God to defend their breathtaking brutality.
  16. invoke
    cite as an authority
    A pickup truck carrying a piano is stopped at a checkpoint manned by ISIS fighters, a notable band of ruthless jihadists who invoke God to defend their breathtaking brutality.
  17. lucrative
    producing a sizeable profit
    A dozen boats might leave the Turkish coast on a given night, profiting smugglers about half a million dollars. It's more lucrative than dealing drugs.
  18. dinghy
    a small boat of shallow draft
    Two refugee friends from the Syrian city of Aleppo spill out of a smuggler's dinghy and onto the Greek shore.
  19. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    Whether it is Turkey, Egypt, or Libya, the beach is dangerous; it is here refugees can be beaten and robbed by the cunning and cruel.
  20. founder
    sink below the surface
    It's common for their ships to founder, capsize, or sink.
  21. capsize
    overturn accidentally
    It's common for their ships to founder, capsize, or sink.
  22. desperate
    dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or dismay
    But desperate Syrians ignore the peril.
  23. peril
    a state of danger involving risk
    But desperate Syrians ignore the peril.
  24. pioneer
    open up an area or prepare a way
    Trailblazing young men often pioneer the journey and then relay important travel information back to their families, who follow.
  25. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    It is a treacherous gamble: minors have a greater chance to be awarded asylum.
  26. asylum
    a shelter from danger or hardship
    It is a treacherous gamble: minors have a greater chance to be awarded asylum.
  27. petition
    request formally and in writing
    Once achieved, the children can then petition the same for their parents.
  28. hostile
    characterized by enmity or ill will
    Police can be hostile.
  29. swelter
    suffer from intense heat
    People swelter in heat, and shiver in cold.
  30. swindle
    deprive of by deceit
    The refugees are often cheated and swindled, but sometimes kindhearted volunteers hand out clothes, food, coloring books, soap, and baby wipes.
Created on Fri Feb 01 16:10:26 EST 2019 (updated Mon Feb 04 13:24:31 EST 2019)

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