notes in class

democracy(n.) → a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting; an organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights

 →govern.manage

 demonstration

 →protest

 demotion←→promotion

bureaucracy→a government department or part of a government

theocracy→god

atheist: a person without believing in god

→god

The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.

from The Catcher in the Rye

The Reader

antebellum period:occurring in the southern U.S. during the time before the American Civil War

→war

hypothesis(n.): an idea or theory that is not proven but that leads to further study or discussion.

beguile(v.): to trick or deceive (someone); to attract or interest someone

e.g. They were beguiled into thinking they'd heard the whole story.

gaiety(n.): a happy and lively quality

e.g. The party had none of the gaiety we've seen in past years.

flunkey(n.):a person who does small jobs for someone powerful or important

e.g. If he can't go himself, he'll send one of his flunkies.

affair(n.): a matter that concerns or involves someone; a secret sexual relationship between two people

e.g. After the war, the government focused on its owndomestic affairs.

take possession of→ the condition of having or owning something; something that is owned or possessed by someone