Dawn: List 1

by Elie Wiesel
Elisha, a Holocaust survivor living in Palestine, joins a paramilitary group and is ordered to execute a British officer. As he waits for dawn, when the execution is to take place, he meditates on his life.

This list covers pages 3–20 in the 2006 Hill and Wang edition, translated from the French by Frances Frenaye.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. synagogue
    the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
    I met him one evening in my home town when I was saying my prayers in the overheated synagogue, a gaunt, shadowy fellow, dressed in shabby black clothes, with a look in his eyes that was not of this world.
  2. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    I met him one evening in my home town when I was saying my prayers in the overheated synagogue, a gaunt, shadowy fellow, dressed in shabby black clothes, with a look in his eyes that was not of this world.
  3. garb
    clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
    Nor is the prophet Elijah the only one to put on the garb of a beggar. The Angel of Death delights in frightening men in the same way.
  4. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    The child was still crying, it seemed to me more plaintively than before.
  5. tribunal
    an assembly to conduct judicial business
    A military tribunal had chosen to exact the penalty stipulated by martial law: death by hanging.
  6. stipulate
    make an express demand or provision in an agreement
    A military tribunal had chosen to exact the penalty stipulated by martial law: death by hanging.
  7. scaffold
    a platform from which criminals are executed
    The Old Man decided that things had gone far enough; he was not going to allow the English to transform the Holy Land into a scaffold.
  8. reprisal
    a retaliatory action against an enemy
    And so he announced a new line of action—reprisals.
  9. solemn
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    By means of posters and underground-radio broadcasts he issued a solemn warning: Do not hang David ben Moshe; his death will cost you dear.
  10. pogrom
    organized persecution of an ethnic group, especially Jews
    Fear reigned, and the ugly word pogrom was on everyone’s lips.
  11. prudence
    discretion in practical affairs
    The Zionist leaders recommended prudence; they got in touch with the Old Man and begged him, for the sake of the nation, not to go too far: there was talk of vengeance, of a pogrom, and this meant that innocent men and women would have to pay.
  12. impotence
    the quality of lacking strength or power
    They would take it for a sign of weakness and impotence on our part, as if we were saying to them: Go ahead and hang all the young Jews who are holding out against you.
  13. clemency
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
    The High Commissioner was less optimistic. He sent a cable to the Colonial Office, recommending clemency.
  14. idealist
    someone not guided by practical considerations
    A pardon would be interpreted as a sign of weakness; it might give ideas to young, self-styled idealists in other parts of the Empire.
  15. laughingstock
    an object of mockery or ridicule
    And the Secretary added, on his own behalf: “We should be the laughingstock of the world. And think of the repercussions in the House of Commons. The opposition are waiting for just such a chance to sweep us away.”
  16. repercussion
    a remote or indirect consequence of some action
    And the Secretary added, on his own behalf: “We should be the laughingstock of the world. And think of the repercussions in the House of Commons. The opposition are waiting for just such a chance to sweep us away.”
  17. enjoin
    give instructions to or direct somebody to do something
    The condemned man’s family had been authorized to pay him a farewell visit and the population was enjoined to remain calm.
  18. internment
    the act of confining someone in a prison
    In the Mediterranean two ships carrying illegal immigrants had been detained and the passengers taken to internment on Cyprus.
  19. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    My purpose was to enroll at the Sorbonne and devote myself to this endeavor.
  20. accentuate
    stress or single out as important
    His mouth was hard, almost cruel; thus accentuating the kindness, the intensity, and warm intelligence in his eyes.
  21. resonant
    characterized by a loud deep sound
    “I am Gad,” he said in a resonant voice, as if he were uttering some cabalistic sentence which contained an answer to every question.
  22. cabalistic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    “I am Gad,” he said in a resonant voice, as if he were uttering some cabalistic sentence which contained an answer to every question.
  23. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    My premonition was correct. He was a messenger, a man sent by fate, to whom I could refuse nothing.
  24. integral
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    Standing thus, in a trench coat which seemed as if it had never been taken off and were an integral part of his body, with his head inclined toward his right shoulder and a fiery expression in his eyes, he proceeded to tell me about the Movement.
  25. obliquely
    at a slanting angle
    He smoked incessantly. But even when he paused to light a cigarette he continued to stare obliquely at me and never stopped talking.
  26. grizzled
    having gray or partially gray hair
    Just so I had listened as a child to the grizzled master who revealed to me the mysterious universe of the Cabala, where every idea is a story and every story, even one concerned with the life of a ghost, is a spark from eternity.
  27. stagnant
    not circulating or flowing
    The shadows melted away and a pale, prematurely weary light the color of stagnant water invaded my small room.
  28. fidelity
    the quality of being faithful
    Their telegram—with some thirty signatures at the bottom—ran: “Do not hang a young man whose only crime is fidelity to his ideal.”
  29. delegation
    a group of representatives
    A Jewish delegation was received at the White House and the President promised to intercede.
  30. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    A Jewish delegation was received at the White House and the President promised to intercede.
  31. threshold
    the starting point for a new state or experience
    Both of them are vigorous and intelligent, on the threshold of life and happiness.
  32. abyss
    a bottomless gulf or pit
    At dawn tomorrow at the same hour, the same minute, they will die—but not together, for there is an abyss between them. David ben Moshe’s death is meaningful; John Dawson’s is not.
  33. consolation
    the act of giving relief in affliction
    The last part of her broadcast was dedicated exclusively to John Dawson, because he had the greater need of comfort and consolation.
  34. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    It flashed across my mind that in speaking of John Dawson’s imminent death Ilana was speaking of me also, since I was his killer.
  35. unadulterated
    without qualification
    I wanted to understand the pure, unadulterated essence of human nature, the path to the understanding of man.
Created on Fri Oct 18 12:00:13 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Oct 23 09:55:56 EDT 2019)

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