Tag Archives: “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”

Glossary

Atheist

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Atheist (n) : A person who believes that God does not exist

Definition from Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheist)

From What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie (in the part of 6a.m)

“I believe you’ll take my money and get drunk on it.”

“Then why are you giving it to me?”

“There ain’t no such thing as a atheist cop.”

Officer William gave 30 dollars to Jackson Jackson, even though he knew that Jackson would spend the money on drinking, because he is not a person who believes that God does not exist.

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Glossary

contemplated

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contemplate (v): to think deeply or carefully about (something)

Definition from Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemplate)

From What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie (In the part of 6a.m)

He thought about that for a while. He contemplated it. I liked that about him.

When Jackson asked Officer Williams if it is scary being a cop, Officer Williams thought deeply and carefully about that question.

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Glossary

Regalia

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Regalia (n) – special clothes and decorations (such as a crwon or scepter) for official ceremonies

Definition from Merriam-Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regalia)

From What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie (Paragraph 6)

But the strangest thing of all was the old Powwow-dance regalia I saw hanging in the window.

As Jackson walked by the pawnshop that he had never saw before, it was strange because he saw an old Powwow-dance clothing hanging in the window and it was his grandmother’s regalia

 

powwow-picture-3

 

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Uncategorized

Aleut

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Aleut– a member of a people of the Aleutian and Shumagin islands and the western part of Alaska Peninsula.

Definition 2- the language of the Aleuts

What you pawn i will redeem by Sherman Alexie

When I got to the wharf, I ran into three Aleut cousins, who sat on a wooden bench and stared out at the bay and cried.

These Aleuts smelled like salmon, I thought, and they told me they were going to sit on that wooden bench until their boat came back.

The narrator was trying to describe a certain kind of Indian froma part of Alaska, which links to the second sentence when he states these Aleuts smelled like salmon.

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Glossary

Aleut

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noun
1. Also, Aleutian. a member of a people native to the Aleutian Islands and the western Alaska Peninsula who are related physically and culturally to the Eskimos.
2. the language of the Aleuts, distantly related to Eskimo: a member of the Eskimo-Aleut family.

“When I got to the wharf, I ran into three Aleut cousins, who sat on a wooden bench and stared out at the bay and cried.
In “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie
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Glossary

Regalia

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Regalia noun \ri-ˈgāl-yə\

a : special clothes and decorations (such as a crown or scepter) for official ceremonies

b : special clothing of a particular kind

“But the strangest thing of all was the old powwow-dance regalia I saw hanging in the window.”

What you Pawn I will Redeem paragraph 6

I don’t know what I expected regalia to be but it wasn’t a special adornment. I thought it to be an heirloom of sorts that was passed down from previous generations.

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Glossary

REGALIA

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Regalia (What You Pawn I Will Redeem)
noun
Pronunciation: re-gah-lia

-Special clothes and decorations (such as a crown or scepter) for official ceremonies.
-Special clothing of a particular kind.

Context: -“But the strangest thing of all was the old powwow dance regalia I saw hanging in the window.”
-“But it sure looked like my memory of it, and it had all the same color feathers and beads that my family sewed into our powwow regalia.”
-“Because they don’t want to be perfect, because only God is perfect, Indian people sew flaws into their powwow regalia.”
-“My family always sewed one yellow bead somewhere on our regalia.”
-” I took my grandmother’s regalia and walked outside. I knew that solitary yellow bead was part of me. I knew I was that yellow bead in part. Outside, I wrapped myself in my grandmother’s regalia and breathed her in.”

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

regaliaExample of a Regalia

Image Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132222939034377968/

 

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Glossary

SAVAGE

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Savage (What You Pawn I Will Redeem)
adjective/noun/verb
Pronunciation: savij

-(adjective) fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.
-(noun) a member of people regarded as primitive and uncivilized.
-(verb) attack ferociously and maul.

Context: “We’re common and boring and you walk right on by us, with maybe a look of anger or disgust or even sadness at the teriible fate of the noble savage.”

Source: google.com

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Glossary

SERENADING

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Serenading (What You Pawn I Will Redeem)
noun
Pronunciation: se-re-nay-ding

-A love song that is sung or played outdoors at night for a woman.
-A complimentary vocal of instrumental performance.
-An instrumental composition in several movements, written for a small ensemble, and midway between the suite and the symphony in style.

Context: “As Irene and I sat at the table and laughed and drank more whiskey, Honey Boy danced a slow circle around us and sang along with Willie. Are you serenading me? I asked him.”

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

 

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Glossary, Week 12

Aleut

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 Aleut is a noun

According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary Aleut means:  a member of a people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands, other islands in the Bering Sea, and parts of western Alaska.

On page 7 of the story Jackson stated, ” When I got to the wharf, I ran into three Aleut cousins, who sat on a wooden bench and stared at the bay and cried.”   These Aleuts were from Alaska.  They were homesick and wanted to leave Seattle to return to their home.

Image result for aleuts definition

 

 

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