Grade 9 Key Words

• Abundance

  A large amount of something.
• Archetypal Villain

  A main character who is presented as evil and unlikeable.
• Anti-Malthusian

  The novel was written against Malthusian beliefs.
• Apathetic

  Showing no interest.
• Allegory

  A story, poem, or art used to explore a deeper meaning (normally a social, moral, or political one).
• Catharsis

  Relief from strong emotions.
• Catalyst

  Something that spurs on/encourages something else.
• Covetousness

  Wishing to have something and/or being envious if somebody else acquires this.
• Destitute

  Extreme poverty.
• Dehumanising

  Treating a person as if they are not a human being.
• Didactic

  Intended for teaching purposes. Normally teaching a moral message or prompting people to take action.
• Exploitative

  To unfairly take advantage of a person, especially those who are vulnerable.
• Emblematic

  Means being symbolic.
• Enlightenment

  Deeper understanding that gives a new insight into life.
• Frugal

  Stingy and tight with their money or supplies.
• Foil

  A character who is the opposite to another in order to highlight the others characteristics.
• Humanitarianism

  To promote human well-being and reduce suffering of others.
• Hypocrisy

  Claiming to have a certain belief than going against that belief. It is an appearing to be one thing/or believe one thing, then doing the opposite.
• Magnanimous

  Being generous, kind and giving.
• Misanthropic

  A person who dislikes human interaction and aims to avoid society.
• Miser

  Somebody who does not like to spend their wealth and wants to spend as little money as they can.
• Microcosm

  A person or place showing the characteristics of something larger.
• Ostracised

  Exclusion from society.
• Oppression

  Continuous horrible treatment and abuse - particularly one that makes a person feel inferior.
• Philanthropic

  Charitable and giving.
• Political Diatribe

  A speech/writing that aims to condemn and criticise politics at the time.
• Prolepsis

  Hinting at something in the future that hasn't actually happened yet but soon will.
• Parsimonious

  Stingy and tight with their money.
• Rebirth

  To be reborn.
• Redemption

  Being saved from sin or evil.
• Salvation

  In Christian terms, it is being saved by the faith in Christ and God.
• Sabbatarian

  A Christian who sees Sunday as the holy sabbath day. This meant no work on Sundays.
• Social Commentator

  Providing commentary on social situations or issues.
• Socio-economic Poverty

  Poverty that has come from economic and societal factors.
• Social Conscience

  Feeling responsible for others in society. Using your innate sense of morals to understand that we must look after others in society.
• Squalor

  Living in conditions of extreme dirt and filth (normally as a result of being in a poverty-stricken state of existence).
• Transmogrification

  Transformation in a surprising or unexpected way.
• Victimisation

  Singling someone out to abuse and mistreat them.