Solo: List 4

by Kwame Alexander
After learning a devastating truth about his unstable, rock-star father, 17-year-old Blade travels to Ghana in order to come to terms with his family history and forge his own identity.

This list covers Part Two, "We're the Morrisons"–"I sing."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4

Here are links to our lists for other books by Kwame Alexander: The Crossover, Booked, Rebound, Swing
40 words 56 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    The children,
    transfixed on the
    pimped-out bus,
    come running
    from school
    and swarm him
    like he’s the sweetest
    thing they’ve never seen.
  2. wrangle
    quarrel noisily, angrily, or disruptively
    Please, no fighting in front of the children, she says, shaking her head. Grown men want to wrangle like little boys.
  3. exploit
    use or manipulate to one's advantage
    Don’t you mean to exploit the beauty and potential, like you do with everything else?
  4. pulchritude
    physical beauty, especially of a woman
    This glorious day is made even more enchanting by your obvious pulchritude.
  5. smitten
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    I can see why Blade is smitten with you.
  6. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    Her breathing
    rises and falls
    like the cadence
    of soft music.
  7. delusional
    suffering from or characterized by erroneous beliefs
    Not my idea. They think the camera is their ticket back to glory.
    They’re delusional.
  8. fathom
    come to understand
    How Rutherford got
    a tour bus
    in Ghana
    with four bunk beds
    a pullout sofa
    a fish tank
    and satellite TVs
    I cannot begin
    to fathom
  9. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
    You are so gullible, Blade.
  10. serenade
    sing and play for somebody
    He walks over to me
    like he’s gonna
    serenade me.
  11. bangle
    jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration
    Happy Birthday, Blade, Joy says, handing me a red-black-and-gold hand-stitched bangle with my name on it.
  12. bawdy
    humorously vulgar
    But what does your name mean, Sia? Rutherford asks,
    as she runs off
    with one of his
    bawdy gold chains.
  13. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    He’ll hallucinate, he’ll vomit, he’ll have fitful sleep, if any at all.
  14. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    He's been through this a lot, I bet.

    That’s an understatement.
  15. squall
    sudden violent winds, often accompanied by precipitation
    I watch Rutherford
    toss and turn,
    restless as rain
    and wonder
    if I’ll
    ever get out of
    this squall
    that owns my life
  16. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    He’s doing better.
    Back to his old antics.
  17. temperamental
    likely to perform unpredictably
    Konko
    is a village
    of brown and green
    apron of Mother Earth
    gray, puffy sky—
    a temperamental sea
  18. ambrosia
    the food and drink of the gods
    ...crowns of flowers
    and coconut milk,
    the ambrosia
    feeding my
    wandering soul—it’s brought
    the music back to me.
  19. humble
    cause to be unpretentious
    This place, covered in
    brilliant sun
    and humbling moon,
    captures joy
    in song and dance
  20. suspension
    the act of hanging something from above so it moves freely
    A canopy? Like a suspension bridge or something? asks the camera guy, who puts the camera down for the first time.
  21. provisional
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
    Yes, says Joy. A provisional bridge. It was built by the Dutch. Maybe four hundred feet above.
  22. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
    Elvis listens
    to talk radio
    that features
    nonstop
    belligerent
    banter
  23. banter
    light teasing repartee
    Elvis listens
    to talk radio
    that features
    nonstop
    belligerent
    banter
  24. expletive
    profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
    ...only he
    and Joy understand,
    for the most part,
    except every
    few minutes
    when an expletive
    English word
    is sprinkled in,
    followed by
    garish laughter.
  25. garish
    tastelessly showy
    ...only he
    and Joy understand,
    for the most part,
    except every
    few minutes
    when an expletive
    English word
    is sprinkled in,
    followed by
    garish laughter.
  26. peddle
    sell or offer for sale from place to place
    Thousands of women,
    boys, and girls
    peddle
    toys, bags of water,
    and bracelets
  27. acrophobia
    a morbid fear of great heights
    But, today I refuse to give in
    to the acrophobia
    or to any other fear.
    So I don't look down.
  28. fauna
    all the animal life in a particular region or period
    Everything is silent.
    The fauna.
    The birds.
    The insects.
  29. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    Revelation

    We are the sum
    of moving parts
    and adjustable hearts.
  30. gale
    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots
    But my feet
    are fixed in concrete,
    while my body shakes
    like a tree in the gale.
  31. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    Why does evil try to collapse our hearts?
    Because good is fleeting?
  32. wit
    verbal skill that has the power to evoke laughter
    You get your wit from your mother, you know that?
  33. unwavering
    not showing abrupt variations
    I fall out
    of consciousness
    into a deep,
    unwavering sleep
    again.
  34. folklore
    the unwritten stories and proverbs and songs of a culture
    In Ghana folklore, Anansi carries knowledge and stories to help us triumph over challenges.
  35. devious
    characterized by insincerity or deceit
    After the meal
    Joy says, with devious smile,
    Perhaps you should play something for us, Blade.
  36. proboscis
    a long flexible snout as of an elephant
    The mosquito
    is an invisible murderer,
    piercing possibility
    sucking futures
    with its six-sworded
    proboscis.
  37. contemplate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Funny thing is,
    her producer, Jerry Wexler,
    was driving down
    the street
    one day
    contemplating
    a song idea
    about the natural man
    when he passed by
    the amazing songwriter,
    Carole King.
  38. tote
    carry with difficulty
    Walking up the hill
    is Rutherford
    with shoulders slumped
    and head hung low,
    Uncle Stevie
    toting the guitar
    over his shoulder,
    and Birdie trailing
    not too far behind.
  39. procession
    the action of a group moving ahead in regular formation
    The Procession

    We march,
    collect more
    and more
    mourning passengers
    as we walk
  40. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
    He turns to face
    the crowd
    like he wants
    to say something.
    A eulogy, perhaps.
Created on Tue Apr 30 16:54:43 EDT 2019 (updated Wed May 01 11:14:39 EDT 2019)

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