Word Power | Mathew Henson

by | Jul 19, 2021 | Vocabulary Building

What’s in Today’s Episode?

You’re going to learn about the words adulation, arduous, indispensable, intrigue, locale, lofty, navigation, option, prejudice and utilize in the context of a story about the great arctic explorer Mathew Henson. So if you’re interested, join me in this new Word Power episode from English Plus Podcast.

Audio Episode

Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer

Matthew Henson was born in 1866 on a Maryland farm. As an African American, Henson had few options for earning a livelihood. Therefore, when he was 13 years old, he decided to run away and hire himself out as a cabin boy on a vessel bound for France and the Philippines. The ship’s captain liked Henson and urged him to utilize the ship’s library to learn navigation. Henson studied hard and applied what he learned as the ship traveled from one exotic locale to another.

After the captain died, Henson tried to make a life for himself on land, but racial prejudice discouraged African Americans from seeking lofty positions, so Henson took whatever lowly work he was offered. This included a job as a stock boy in a naval supply store. That job, however, was a turning point, for it was there that Henson met Robert E. Peary, a civil engineer for the United States Navy. Henson was intrigued by Peary and asked to accompany him on his next voyage.

Over the next 20 years, Peary made seven trips to the Arctic. Henson became an invaluable member of Peary’s crew, acting mainly as Peary’s personal attendant. Henson also learned the Inuit language and helped establish a solid working relationship between the native people of the Arctic region and Peary’s crew.

It was on the 1908-1909 voyage that Peary decided to locate the North Pole. The journey was arduous. Peary sent back all the members of his party except for Henson and four Inuit guides. Henson’s ability to communicate with the guides in their own language and his knowledge of navigation made him indispensable. Suffering from exhaustion and frostbite, Peary left Henson the task of discovering the Pole. On April 6,1909, the former cabin boy became the first person to stand on the North Pole. Peary could barely lift his arm as Henson placed an American flag on the northernmost spot on Earth. Upon their return, Peary and his crew were honored with medals and adulation. Henson did not receive any glory until more than 30 years later. In 1944, 11 years before he died, Henson was finally awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Wordlist

option

utilize

navigation

locale

prejudice

lofty

intrigue

arduous

indispensable

adulation

Interactive Activities

Flashcards

Learn

Spelling Practice

Match

Test

More Practice (Downloadable Practice Worksheet-PDF)

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