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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
humble/humility
You could tell when a girl had just come from Puerto Rico by her humble way of talking and interacting with other people. p. 27 |
definition: lacking pride, showing respect to others, modest, meek, acting as if of low rank
meaning parts: humus = ground own sentence/new context: |
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obsession
"It became my father's obsession to get out of the barrio..." p. 27 |
definition: something her father couldn't get out of his mind, couldn't let go of as a goal
meaning parts: ob= on; sess=sit (to "sit on" an idea so that is does not go away) own sentence/new context: |
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irony/ironies
Her cousin, irony of ironies, was sent to live in rural Puerto Rico after the author heard suggestions that her cousin had become pregnant with the baby of an American teacher. p. 31 |
definition: a contrast between what is expected or wished and what actually happens, a sharp contrast when "irony of ironies" is used
meaning parts: don't help own sentence/new context: |
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imposed
The author's father imposed isolation on his family by forbidding contact with other Puerto Ricans living in El Building p. 28 |
definition: to force or require from a position of an authority
meaning parts: im = in or on; pos = place (to place a requirement on someone) own sentence/new context: |
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abortion
"...later, when you were old enough to know about abortions, you suspected." p. 31 |
definition: forced ending to a pregnancy before the "baby" or "fetus" is able to live
meaning parts: ab = away; (an abortion takes life away from the "baby" or "fetus.") own sentence/new sentence: |
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exemplified
By the time the author was six, she could describe middle-class Americans perfectly--at least as they were exemplified on TV shows. p. 28 |
definition: to show as an example, to make an example of something or someone
meaning parts: exempl = example; fy = to make (literally, to make a example of something) own sentence/new context: |
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dictates
At La Bodega, the Puerto Rican grocery store, my mother got to talk to our neighbors in El Building without violating "Father's dictates against fraternizing with the neighbors." p. 27 |
definition: order or command
meaning parts: dic = to say (to say something to others as an authority or leader, often a leader who can't be questioned) own sentence/new context: |
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assimilation
"...Father did his best to make our 'assimilation' painless." He even bought us a Christmas tree. p.27 |
definition: changing to become more like the people living in the area or more like the most powerful cultural group in the area
as = ad = to; simil = similar, same, like (to assimiliate means to become more "like" or "similar" to the people around you) own sentence/new context: |
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melancholy
"...the songs that brought tears to my mother's eyes were sung by the melancholy Daniel Santos, whose life as a drug addict was the stuff of legend." p. 29 |
definition: sad, depressed, gloomy
meaning parts: melan = black; khole = bile (to be in a "dark" or "black" mood, have "dark" or "black" feelings) own sentence/new context: |
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fraternizing
At La Bodega, my mother got to talk to our neighbors in El Building without violating "Father's dictates against fraternizing with the neighbors." p. 27 |
definition: socializing with people, talking with them as brothers and sisters; it sometimes means talking in a friendly way with the enemy or an opposing group
meaning parts: frater = brother (talking with people in the comfortably friendly way one talks with family or close friends) own sentence/new context: |