My word today comes from the book Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane. It’s a clever little novel that explores the intersection of “old knowledge” and “new technology.” I’ll be posting a full review on Friday, so come back!
penumbra \pə-‘nəm-brə\ noun, from the Latin paene almost + umbra shadow; a space of partial illumination (as in an eclipse) between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light; something that covers, surrounds, or obscures; a shroud.
This fits perfectly, as Mr. Penumbra is involved in an obscure mystery that dates back to the advent of the printing press! What a great character name!
Word Nerd Workout
Use penumbra in a sentence. For example,
In John Green’s novel Paper Towns, Margo Roth Spiegleman hides her true personality behind a penumbra of mystery.
Your turn!
Hope you learn a lot today. Find more word nerd words at Kathy’s site.
Please humor me. I’m going to talk about The Fault in Our Stars one more time. Then I’ll take a break. I promise. For at least a month.
Hazel, the protagonist of The Fault in Our Stars, says something wonderful about books early on in her story.
Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.
That’s how I feel about The Fault in Our Stars. Go read it already!
Hazel frequently shares perceptive insights. She reads a lot and is very smart, which is why, along with her other awesome attributes, I love her so much. Let me elaborate.
Hazel is selfless Often, Hazel thinks of others before herself. She’s in remission, but her thyroid cancer threw mets to her lungs, and they don’t work well anymore. In short, she continually battles internal drowning. She knows her parents have suffered because of her cancer and that they will grieve when she dies. However, she avoids making new friends because she considers herself “a grenade, ” and she doesn’t want to inflict any more damage than necessary. When she first meets the dashing Augustus, she resists his affection because she doesn’t want him to be another victim when she dies. Fortunately for Hazel, and for us, Augustus persists.
Hazel is funny. Sure, she’s cynical, but I’m sure “a touch of cancer” and its treatments can do that to a person. Yet, she also makes you laugh. As Augustus says, “She’s funny without being mean.” A pretty exceptional quality in our snarky society.
Hazel is humble The Fault in Our Stars is a study of, among many things, heroism. Augustus thinks a hero must leave a blazing memory in the consciousness of culture. He fantasizes about saving innocent children. Hazel knows she won’t ever do anything heroic. But she loves and is loved, and often asks Augustus, “Isn’t that enough?” In a Q & A on Goodreads, John Green commented that Augustus makes the hero’s journey from strength to weakness. Hazel knows her weakness and her limitations and doesn’t expect to leave a huge mark on the world. In fact, she strives to leave a small mark (see the note above about “grenade.”)
Hazel shares BIG IDEAS Hazel has premature wisdom. Her mind rarely succumbs to futility. She ponders the metaphysical, as well as why scrambled eggs have been relegated to breakfast. Frequently, her monologue includes “BIG IDEAS” that we should all stop and consider, like:
Funerals, I had decided, are for the living.
… suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not in any way affect the taste of chocolate (in response to the sentiment Without pain, how could we know joy?)
I was thinking about the word handle and all the unholdable things that get handled.
To sum up, Hazel doesn’t carry the One Ring to Mount Doom, nor does she volunteer to fight and die for her district, but she inspired me to think and feel more, simply with her words.
Thanks Hazel, and especially Mr. Green.
What else makes Hazel such a great character? Can you share some other characters who have a quiet way of inspiring?
Thanks for stopping by!
Julia
** Spoiler alert** Some of the comments below give away sensitive information about the plot of the book.
Today, I’m sharing another word from the mysterious novel, Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein. My book club buddies tell me to stick with it; everything comes together by the end. It’s one of those books with plot twists that really make you think.
So I’m reading and thinking and maybe I’ll start taking notes too!
In the novel, a young woman held prisoner by Germans during WWII writes about one of her captors:
Would Engle be happier as a spy, glamorous and deadly? I just can’t imagine her in any other role other than Beastly Punctilious Official.
Ah, punctilious. That has a satisfying sound, doesn’t it?
punctilious \pən(k)-‘til-ē-əs\ adj, from Italian punctiglio, a point of honor or scruple; concerned about precise exact accordance with the details of codes or conventions
In short, obsessed with details. Oh dear, this could describe me!
Word Nerd Workout
Think of a punctilious character- either from fiction or your own life- and tell us about him or her.
The punctilious habits of our board president always led to excessively long meetings.
Also, finish this analogy. Let’s see what we remember from last week!
From momaiku.com “Behind every good mother is a child pushing her buttons.”
Please welcome my guest Jeannine Bergers Everett. Jeannine has created her own poetic form, and she shares her inspiration, and some of her funniest poems, with us here.
Strangely enough, the driving force behind Momaiku was Facebook.
I left my stressful and very serious consulting job to spend more time with my son. The pace of my professional life left me disconnected from many of my friends—keeping in touch consistently fell to the bottom of the to-do list. Without the distraction of a career, I had time to find my way back to the friendships I’d neglected.
Facebook was like crack for stay-at-home Moms, and I was no different. Almost everyone I knew was there, and I treasured those little snippets of their daily lives. I wanted to join the conversation, but I wanted to do it in my own way. I’m creative and unique, I thought. I will only post in haiku form.
Momaiku was born. My friends started passing my haiku around. I developed a following. I launched Momaiku.com a year ago, where I post five days a week. Luckily, my son is a constant source of entertainment and inspiration, and when he doesn’t comply, I just make stuff up.
Teenagers usually have an agenda, and it usually includes you
“I love you” he said
You need a ride somewhere, right?
Yeah. That’s what I thought
I know you don’t like to be seen with me, but really?
“Could you sit elsewhere?”
Dude – it’s a teacher conference
“What if I say please?”
Your laundry pile, a.k.a. your floor, is meowing
Please clean up your room
“Why do you care? It’s my space.”
The cat is missing
Even mothers have their limits
I know that I said
I’d love you just as you are
But I meant nicer
It’s futile to suggest that it’s never too early to study for finals
“Why study now?
I’ll be smarter tomorrow”
Wouldn’t bet on it
How do you express yourself creatively, on Facebook or otherwise? How do you share the absurdity of your everyday life?
About Jeannine Bergers Everett...
The official company line – Writer, musician and Red Sox fan. Escaped prisoner of corporate life happily sharing my humorous but philosophical take on parenting and life’s other absurdities at Mobyjoecafe.com. Alter ego of Momaiku, regular contributor to Quaver Music’s education blog, and member of Wordsmith Studios. Recently finished my first novel and hoping for the best.
Are you ready to learn today? Great! We can all pick up some new words thanks to Kathy at Bermuda Onion and her Wondrous Words Wednesday meme.
My new vocabulary word comes from the novel Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Set during World War II, it is a story of deep friendship, told by a young woman who is a British spy and has been captured by the Germans. She writes her confession for the Gestapo as a story, and that’s the story we read.
Early in Code Name Verity, a group of British women who have signed up to help the war effort hide in a shelter during an air raid.
A couple of them had had some sense to grab their cigarettes. They passed them ’round, parsimoniously sharing.
Parsimonious is definitely one of those words I know I studied in school and forgot from lack of use.
parsimonious \pär-sə-‘mō-nē-əs\ adj; parsimoniously = adv; from the Latin parsus and parcere, to spare; exhibiting or marked by parsimony, the quality of being careful with money or resources; stingy, thrifty
With this definition in mind, I’m guessing the women reluctantly shared their cigarettes, letting each person only take one.
Word Nerd Workout
Think of a parsimonious character and write a sentence about him or her. My example:
Ebeneezer Scrooge ran his business parsimoniously, counting out his profits at the end of each day.
Please welcome my guest and fellow Wordsmith Studio member Mary Bauer. She has some great ideas about what motivates kids to enjoy and actually write poetry!
A colleague and I were sharing one day when we learned to love poetry: second grade. Each of us had a teacher who celebrated our writing in some way. I had a poem put up on the office wall. She had one included in an anthology. I hope that I inspire my elementary students in this way.
I enjoy reading and writing poetry, and I share my enthusiasm at school. From my student teaching days twenty-five years ago until now, I always have Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky within reach to read aloud when we have a spare moment. I am excited when I see students picking out poetry on their own.
I always liked teaching various poetry forms, but over time I have learned the value. Reluctant writers are willing to tackle short pieces. I can incorporate so many language arts objectives: parts of speech, syllabication, spelling patterns, and literary devices. My students learn to use the dictionary and thesaurus as well.
More recently, I have been creating resources for other teachers. I have a poetry blog called Poems of Silliness that can be searched by topic or tagged by poetry form. I have written several paid and free poetry units for other teachers to use in their classrooms. My favorite of these is the April Poetry Challenge where students write their version of NaPoWriMo – Thirty Poems in Thirty Days.
Here are some of my favorite online resources for poetry:
Mary Bauer has been teaching for 22 years in a district just north of Seattle. Over the years she has taught kindergarten through sixth grade. She currently teaches fourth grade.
Ready to learn a new word? Excellent! Join me for Kathy’s Wondrous Words Wednesday meme and nurture your inner word nerd.
partial illumination (as in an eclipse) between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light; something that covers, surrounds, or obscures; a shroud.
