Noun
enthusiasm or passion
source: dictionary.com
This word is found in chapter 9 of  “Quicksand.”
The narrartor used this word in the context to express Anne’s racial enthusiasm and how Helga was initially entertained by it until she grew tired as “these things now irked her with a great irksomeness.”
Flaunting (verb) – to display or obtrude oneself to public notice: a great flaunting crow – Charles Dickens.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaunt
Quicksand: chapter 13, page 99
“Left alone, Helga began to wonder. She was dubious, too, and not a little resentful. Certainly, she loved the color with a passion that perhaps only Negroes and Gypsies know. But she had a deep in the perfection of her own taste, and no mind to be bedecked in flaunting flashy things. Still- she had to admit that Fru Dahl was right about the dressing down. It did suit her. Perhaps an evening dress. And she knew that she had lovely shoulders, and her feet were nice.”
Helga has her own taste and she knows what suits her better, however, Fru Dahl recommended to were the dress as a “display” he picked for her for the evening at first, she was kind of upset but later she began to realize that Fru was right about how a dress looks good on her and her body was perfect for a dress.
Lulled (verb) – to put to sleep or rest by soothing means: to lull a child by singing.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/lulled
Quicksand chapter 8, page 75.
“Again she had had that strange transforming experience, this time not so fleetingly, that magic sense of having come home. Harlem, teeming black Harlem, had welcomed her and lulled her into something that was she was certain peace and contentment.”
As we know Helga can’t stay in one place for a long time. And this place she moved to was better and she felt comfortable as a child who gets lulled by his/her sleep.
Platitudinous: noun:Â (of a remark or statement) used too often to be interesting or thoughtful; hackneyed.
Source:Â https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/platitudinous
From:Â “Quicksand” by Nella Larsen, Chapter 23 – Page 151
“Her husband was still, as he had always been, deferentially kind and incredulously proud of her-and verbally encouraging. Helga tried not to see that he had rather lost any personal interest in her, except for the short spaces between the times when she was preparing for or recovering from childbirth. She shut her eyes to the fact that his encouragement had become a little platitudinous, limited mostly to “The Lord will look out for you,”…”
The word platitudinous is used to describe Helga Crane’s feeling towards her husband’s words. Her husband has repeated his words so much that she is growing somewhat tired of them.
Tonic, noun:Â one that invigorates, restores, refreshes, or stimulates; medicinal
Source:Â https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tonic
We read this word in chapter 9 of Quicksand. Helga uses it in the context of needing something to cure her malaise with New York and how she begins to hate it.
“As the days multiplied, her need of something, something vaguely familiar, but which she could not put a name to and hold for definite examination, became almost intolerable. She went through moments of overwhelming anguish. She felt shut in, trapped. “Perhaps I’m tired, need a tonic or something,” she reflected. So she consulted a physician, who, after a long, solemn examination, said that there was nothing wrong, nothing at all. “A change of scene, perhaps for a week or so, or a few days away from work,” would put her straight most likely.”
Adroit, adjective: having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations.
Source:Â https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adroit
We saw the adverb form of this word (adroitly) about halfway through chapter 7 of Quicksand. It was used to describe how Ms. Hayes-Rore changed subjects during a conversation in a smooth way during their train ride from Chicago to New York.
“The girl wished to hide her turbulent feeling and to appear indifferent to Mrs. Hayes-Rore’s opinion of her story. The woman felt that the story, dealing as it did with race intermingling and possibly adultery, was beyond definite discussion. For among black people, as among white people, it is tacitly understood that these things are not mentioned—and therefore they do not exist. Sliding adroitly out from under the precarious subject to a safer, more decent one, Mrs. Hayes-Rore asked Helga what she was thinking of doing when she got back to Chicago.”
Formality, noun:Â an established form or procedure that is required or conventional.
Source:Â https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formality
We first read this word in The Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka. Its used in reference to an unnecessary action that is performed at each of the artists productions, which in this case was a volunteer making sure that the artist was not sneaking food.
“Apart from the changing groups of spectators there were also constant observers chosen by the public—strangely enough they were usually butchers—who, always three at a time, were given the task of observing the hunger artist day and night, so that he didn’t get something to eat in some secret manner. It was, however, merely a formality, introduced to reassure the masses, for those who understood knew well enough that during the period of fasting the hunger artist would never, under any circumstances, have eaten the slightest thing, not even if compelled by force. The honour of his art forbade it.”
roman a clef: look this up to understand more about biography read into fiction
Annotation: a separate document that can illuminate the novel in some way
Sources for Project #2: use at least 3 sources as you write your research annotation
Add a bibliography: in MLA format, we call it a Works Cited list
2 glossary annotations: like the ones you do for class already, but chosen wisely
Sample: I will link us to samples for a different class using a different text.
Copenhagen: racially homogeneous community, so what does this mean for Helga?
Helga’s 4 suitors
Find a passage that represents their relationship, discuss it, and be prepared to share it with the class.
Exalted (Adjective) – In a state of extreme happiness.
Taken from Nella Larsen’s Quicksand, Chapter 19
“Helga Crane never forgot it. She had carried away from yesterday’s meeting a feeling of increasing elation. It had seemed to her that she hadn’t been so happy, so exalted, in years, if ever.“
In this context, Larsen used the word exalted to describe even further how elated Helga is to meet with Dr. Anderson whom she is attracted on.
alamitous: noun: being, causing, or accompanied by calamity
Source:Â https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamitous
From: “Quicksand” by Nella Larsen, Chapter 24 – Page 157
“Helga nodded and tried unsuccessfully to make a little smile. She was glad of Miss Hartley’s presence. It would, she felt, protect her from so much. She mustn’t, she thought to herself, get well too fast. Since it seemed she was going to get well. In bed she could think, could have a certain amount of quiet. Of aloneness. In that period of racking pain and calamitous fright Helga had learned what passion and credulity could do to one.”
From this passage, we can see that a period of chaos has allowed Helga to learn more life lessons.
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