Shillings – noun

Definition: A British coin used before 1971 that equals to 1/20 of a British pound

Found in: “Professions for Women” by Virginia Woolf

Passage: “ by a litter from an editor containing a cheque for one pound then shillings and sixpence”

I was actually very curious in finding out what they word meant because as a Hispanic I know that cheque means check in Spanish so I knew it had something to do with money. This passage was talking about when he was getting paid for her job as a journalist.

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Slunk – verb

Definition:
to move in a way that does not attract attention especially because you are
embarrassed, afraid or doing something wrong.

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slink

Found in: “ The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

Passage: Chapter 10 “ I slunk down on the middle of my pine, my nose level
with the rim of the window, and watched the houses of outer Boston glide by .
As the houses grew more familiar I slunk still lower”

Understanding that this word means  a type of movement that means embarrassed .This
is an action of Esther disappointment on herself for not getting into the
writing course she was so excited in attending that summer. She was embarrassed
and shameful because she was not expecting that after the hard time she was
already having.

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Hubbub- noun

Definition: a situation in which there is much noise, confusion, excitement and activity

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hubbub

Found in: “ Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros

Passage: “ He said, after all , in the hubbub of partying: I am your father, I will never abandon you …..”

Now I understand that while the father of Cleofilas tries to tell her something special for the say of her wedding there was so much things and noise going on the surroundings that she actually didn’t acknowledged it until later on in the story.

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 Hitherto –Adjective

Definition: until now: before this time

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hitherto

Found in: “Professions for Women” by Virginia Woolf

Passage: “ you have won rooms of your own in the house hitherto exclusively owned by men”

Having the definition of the word I now understand that they narrator is saying that women have finally took a step to own things that usually were own by men before that time. This was the result of killing the angel of the house being able to actually overcome the obstacles women had to go through in this time period.

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Query- noun

Definition: a question or request for information about something

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/query

Found in:  “ The Was Once” by Margaret  Atwood

Passage: Line 8  “ That’s better, But I have to seriously query this word poor.”

I know understand that the second speaker was questioning what the first speaker considers to be “POOR”. The second speaker believes that poor is when you don’t have a home to sleep in and you have to sleep in cardboard. I totally agree with this statement because how poor can you be if you have a fireplace at your home.

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Inharmonious – Adjective

Definition:  not fitting or congenial  < inharmonious personalities >

Source:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inharmonious

Found in: The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins

Passage:  Page 4 “ The furniture in the room is no worse than inharmonious, however , for we had to bring it all from downstairs”

 Throughout the story we have a clear sense of how much she dislike everything in the room her husband moved her to. Now that I know what the word mean helps me understand that in this line she is simply saying that the furniture doesn’t belong there and it creates an uncomfortable environment for her. The narrator feels like the furniture is unsuitable for what she prefers.

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Novel: Quicksand

Traversing – Noun

Definition: something that crosses or lies across

Passage: She arrived at the administration building in a mild rage, as unreasonable as it was futile, but once inside she had a sudden attack
of nerves at the prospect of traversing that
great outer room which was the workplace of
some twenty odd people.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traverse

Understanding: Helga is nervous about crossing a room

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