Habitual (adjective) – done or doing constantly or as a habit.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/habitual

From “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka

I came across this word while reading “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka. It appears at the end of the reading on the eighth paragraph on the second sentence when the author is discussing how the people have become accustomed to seeing the hunger artist a certain way. It caught my interest because it’s a word I hear quite often but didn’t know it’s meaning, and i’m curious as to how it ties in with the sentence and the author’s overall point.

“People became accustomed to thinking it strange that in these times they would want to pay attention to a hunger artist, and with this habitual awareness the judgement on him was pronounced.”(Kafka).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing the consistency of said awareness and how it had soldified a certain judgement on him.

Inextricably (adjective) – in a way that is impossible to disentangle or separate.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inextricably

From “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka

I came across this word while reading “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka. It appears at the beginning of the reading on the third paragraph on the first sentence when the author is describing the suspicions some people have with the hunger artist as they question the legitimacy of his art. It caught my interest because it’s a word I don’t see being used often, and i’m curious as to how it ties in with the sentence and the author’s overall point.

“However, it was, in general, part of fasting that these doubts were inextricably associated with it.”(Kafka).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how the suspicions on the legitimacy of the hunger artist’s performance are to be expected because what he does is of extreme intensity on the human body and would most likely lead to death for the average person. So people are bound to question if he’s secretly doing something to assist him or if he’s really just a master at what he does.

Spurning (verb) – to reject with disdain

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spurning

From “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka

I came across this word while reading “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka. It appears at the beginning of the reading on the first paragraph towards the bottom when the author is illustrating the hunger artist and how the audience perceives him. It caught my interest because I’ve never seen use of the word before and was curious as to how it correlates to the overall image the author is trying to describe as to better undestand the text and it’s meaning.

“…as he sat there on scattered straw—spurning a chair—in black tights…”(Kafka).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how the hunger artist would sit on scattered straw rather then on a chair, rejecting the comfort it would bring and embracing an uncomfortable minimalistic lifestyle to express his art.

Vindicated (verb) – to free from allegation or blame

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vindicated

From “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

I came across this word while reading “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. It appears in the reading when the author is describing Emily’s relationship life and her current circumstances, it caught my interest because I’ve heard the word before but I didn’t really know what it meant so it made me curious to find out what the writer was trying to illustrate in the story and to better understand the text.

“so when she got to be thirty and was still single, we were not pleased exactly, but vindicated; even with insanity in the family she wouldn’t have turned down all of her chances if they had really materialized.”

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, they are describing being clear of blame.

Encroached (verb) – to enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encroached

From “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

I came across this word while reading “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. It appears around the beginning of the reading when the author describes the relation between the neighborhood and the garages/cotton gins, it caught my interest because I had an idea of what it meant but didn’t know it’s exact definition so it made me curious to find out what the writer was trying to illustrate in the story.

“But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores.”

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, it’s used to describe how the garages and cotton gins slowly invaded the neighborhood, changing it in a way it wasn’t before.

Repression (noun) – a mental process by which distressing thoughts, memories, or impulses that may give rise to anxiety are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repression

From “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894)

I came across this word while reading “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894). It appears around the middle of the reading when the author describes the way the girl expresses herself, it caught my interest because I had an idea of what it meant but didn’t know it’s exact definition so it made me curious to find out what the writer was trying to get at.

“She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.”

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, it’s used to describe how the girl is expressing herself and give insight of what’s going on inside her head, as if she’s trying to suppress something and not think about it even though it’s there. It’s similar to bottling up emotions as a way to cope with issues.

Transcend (verb) – to rise above or go beyond the limits of

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcend

From “There Was Once” by Margaret Atwood

I came across this word while reading “There Was Once” by Margaret Atwood. It appears towards the end of the reading as the author talks about word usage, it caught my interest because I had an idea of what it meant but didn’t know it’s exact definition so it threw off my understanding of what the reader was trying to say.

“Another thing. Good and wicked. Don’t you think you should transcend those puritanical judgmental moralistic epithets? I mean, so much of that is conditioning, isn’t it?”

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, they used it to describe how they should improve on the words they used previously by using better words to express their message. The words “good” and “wicked” weren’t good enough so they decided to go above and beyond to use better words, or to “Transcend” their word use.