The Circuit: List 1

by Francisco Jiménez
This collection of autobiographical short stories by Francisco Jiménez explores the immigrant experience in the United States.

This list covers the following stories: "Under the Wire," "Soledad," "Inside Out"

Here are links to our lists for other stories in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 3258 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nestle
    lie in a sheltered position
    “La frontera” is a word I often heard when I was a child living in El Rancho Blanco, a small village nestled on barren, dry hills several miles north of Guadalajara, Mexico.
  2. barren
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    “La frontera” is a word I often heard when I was a child living in El Rancho Blanco, a small village nestled on barren, dry hills several miles north of Guadalajara, Mexico.
  3. poverty
    the state of having little or no money and possessions
    I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind.
  4. rhythm
    an interval during which a recurring sequence occurs
    I swung my legs, following the rhythm of the train.
  5. barbed
    having or covered with protective points, spines, or thorns
    We left the station. Papa carried our dark brown suitcase. We followed behind him until we reached a barbed wire fence.
  6. barricade
    a barrier to impede the advance of an enemy
    He pointed out that across the gray wire barricade was California, that famous place I had heard so much about.
  7. outskirts
    area relatively far from the center, as of a city or town
    The woman drove all night, and at dawn we reached a tent labor camp on the outskirts of Guadalupe, a small town on the coast.
  8. exclaim
    utter aloud, often with surprise, horror, or joy
    “That can’t be!” Papa exclaimed, shaking his head. “We were told we’d find work right away.”
  9. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    During the next two weeks, Mama cooked outside on a makeshift stove using rocks and a comal Dona Lupe had given her.
  10. distinct
    recognizable; marked
    Our favorite train came by every day at noon. It had a distinct whistle. We heard it coming from miles away. Roberto and I called it the “Noon Train.”
  11. vibrate
    sound with resonance
    We also sat on the rails to feel them vibrate as the train approached.
  12. conductor
    someone in charge of a train, bus, etc.
    As days went by, we could recognize the conductor from afar.
  13. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    We ran straddling the rails or walked on them as fast as we could to see how far we could go without falling off.
  14. jalopy
    a car that is old and unreliable
    That cold, early morning, Papa parked the Carcachita, our old jalopy, at one end of the cotton field.
  15. shiver
    shake, as from cold
    He woke up crying and shivering from the cold.
  16. prong
    a pointed projection
    The shells’ sharp prongs scratched my hands like cat’s claws and, sometimes, dug into the corner of my fingernails and made them bleed.
  17. stoop
    bend one's back forward from the waist on down
    I then stood on them while I stooped over and picked the cotton bolls.
  18. clod
    a compact mass
    Then I remembered Papa saying that we got paid three cents a pound, so I mixed dirt clods in with the cotton to make it weigh more.
  19. dusk
    the time of day immediately following sunset
    At dusk, Papa, Mama, and Roberto finally returned.
  20. timid
    showing fear and lack of courage
    “You should be ashamed of yourself. We could be fired for this,” he said. “Besides, your job is to take care of Trampita. Is that clear?” he continued, placing both hands on his belt buckle.
    “Si, Papa,” I answered timidly.
  21. anxious
    causing or fraught with or showing nervousness
    I did not speak or understand English either, and I already felt anxious.
  22. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    I dressed in a pair of overalls, which I hated because they had suspenders, and a flannel checkered shirt, which Mama had bought at the Goodwill store.
  23. settle
    take up residence and become established
    We settled in “Tent City,” a labor camp owned by Sheehey Strawberry Farms located about ten miles east of Santa Maria.
  24. furrow
    a long shallow trench in the ground
    The furrows that came up to the two lane road looked like giant legs running alongside us.
  25. disturb
    destroy the peace or tranquility of
    I was getting a headache. Roberto had his eyes closed and was frowning. I did not disturb him. I figured he was getting a headache too.
  26. accompany
    go or travel along with
    Roberto, who had attended the school the year before, accompanied me to the main office where we met the principal, Mr. Sims, a tall, redheaded man with bushy eyebrows and hairy hands.
  27. enroll
    register formally as a participant or member
    He patiently listened to Roberto who, using the little English he knew, managed to enroll me in the first grade.
  28. cozy
    enjoying or providing comforting warmth and shelter
    Mr. Sims walked me to my classroom. I liked it as soon as I saw it because, unlike our tent, it had wooden floors, electric lights, and heat. It felt cozy.
  29. caterpillar
    a wormlike and often hairy larva of a moth or butterfly
    To my left, under the windows, was a dark wooden counter the length of the room. On top of it, right next to my desk, was a caterpillar in a large jar. It looked just like the ones I had seen in the fields.
  30. disrespectful
    exhibiting lack of regard; rude and discourteous
    But when I daydreamed, I continued to look at the teacher and pretend I was paying attention because Papa told me it was disrespectful not to pay attention, especially to grownups.
  31. prefer
    like better; value more highly
    I preferred to hang around Arthur, one of the boys who knew a little Spanish.
  32. gesture
    show, express, or direct through movement
    Mr. Sims must have noticed I was shivering because that afternoon, after school, he took me to his office and pulled out a green jacket from a large cardboard box that was full of used clothes and toys. He handed it to me and gestured for me to try it on.
  33. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    Aiming his head directly at me, and pulling his arms straight back with his hands clenched, he stomped up to me and started yelling.
  34. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    I knew I had no chance, but I stubbornly held on to my jacket.
  35. cocoon
    silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects
    To my surprise, the caterpillar had spun itself into a cocoon and had attached itself to a small twig.
  36. relieve
    free from a burden, evil, or distress
    When I told them what happened, they were very upset but relieved that I did not disrespect the teacher.
  37. routine
    an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
    Once I got used to the routine in school and I picked up some English words, I felt more comfortable in class.
  38. swarm
    a group of many things in the air or on the ground
    The whole class, like a swarm of bees, rushed over to the counter.
  39. emerge
    come out of
    For the next several minutes we all stood there watching the butterfly emerge from its cocoon, in slow motion.
  40. flutter
    flap the wings rapidly or fly with flapping movements
    Like magic, the butterfly flew into the air, fluttering its wings up and down.
Created on Tue Nov 14 19:42:36 EST 2017 (updated Wed Aug 29 14:33:02 EDT 2018)

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