The Circuit: List 2

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: "Miracle in Tent City," "El Angel de Oro," "Christmas Gift," "Death Forgiven"

Here are links to our lists for other stories in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 1824 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. rural
    living in or characteristic of farming or country life
    Tent City had no address; it was simply known as rural Santa Maria.
  2. cultivate
    foster the growth of
    A half a mile east of it were hundreds of acres of strawberries cultivated by Japanese sharecroppers and harvested by people from the camp.
  3. sharecropper
    a tenant farmer who owes a portion of each harvest for rent
    A half a mile east of it were hundreds of acres of strawberries cultivated by Japanese sharecroppers and harvested by people from the camp.
  4. harvest
    the gathering of a ripened crop
    By May, when the strawberry harvest started, she was only a few weeks away from giving birth, so she did not join Papa in the fields picking strawberries for Ito.
  5. tortilla
    thin unleavened pancake made from cornmeal or wheat flour
    She would get up at four o’clock every morning, seven days a week, to make the tortillas for both meals.
  6. discard
    anything that is cast aside
    When Papa had finished, Mama pleaded with him to build a floor. He agreed and every evening after he came home from work, he sent Roberto and me to the city dump to look for discarded lumber to build a floor inside our tent.
  7. caretaker
    a custodian who is hired to manage something or someone
    We waited until dusk, after the dump caretaker left, before raiding for treasures because we had no money to buy them.
  8. rubbish
    worthless material that is to be disposed of
    The dump keeper, who had hidden behind one of the mounds of rubbish, took us by surprise. He chased us, yelling and cursing in broken Spanish.
  9. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    We also found pieces of linoleum and laid them over the wood to cover the holes and slivers.
  10. stench
    a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
    On windy days, the foul smell of the city dump competed with the stench of the Tent City dump.
  11. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    “I think Torito has a fever,” she said, a bit flustered. “Please look after him while Roberto and I prepare the lunches.”
  12. dribble
    run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
    One night as we were praying, Torito got worse. He stiffened and clenched his arms and legs and his eyes rolled back. Saliva dribbled from both sides of his mouth.
  13. hysterical
    characterized by a state of violent mental agitation
    Thinking he was dead, I started crying hysterically. Roberto and Mama did too. Trampita got scared and began to whimper.
  14. whimper
    cry weakly or softly
    Thinking he was dead, I started crying hysterically. Roberto and Mama did too. Trampita got scared and began to whimper.
  15. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    Papa tried to pry open Torito’s mouth but could not.
  16. boarder
    a tenant in someone’s house who typically receives meals
    “That’s all we’ll have tonight,” she said apologetically, “frijoles de la olla. I hope the boarders won’t mind.”
  17. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    “He still has a fever,” Papa said pensively, “His stomach feels hard. Maybe it’s something he ate. If he doesn’t get better soon, we’ll have to take him to the hospital.”
  18. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    Her skin was ruddy and pockmarked and her eyes were deep set and light green.
  19. stammer
    speak haltingly
    “No, Panchito; calm down,” Papa answered. “We left him at the hospital.”
    “Is he going...to die?” I stammered.
  20. hesitant
    unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
    “When is that?” Roberto and I asked at the same time.
    “Soon, probably,” she answered hesitantly.
  21. feigned
    not genuine
    “Torito is a little better, but we can’t bring him home until tomorrow,” she said, teary-eyed and with a feigned smile.
  22. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    “Yes,” Papa interrupted, taking out his wallet and pulling out a tattered holy card.
  23. wring
    twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish
    I looked at Papa who was pacing up and down, wringing his hands.
  24. cherub
    an angel portrayed as a winged child
    His chubby, rosy cheeks made him look like a cherub.
  25. miracle
    a marvelous event brought about by a divine being
    “When we took Torito to the hospital, the doctor told us my son would die because we had waited too long to take him there. He said it would take a miracle for him to live. I didn’t want to believe him,” she continued, gaining strength as she talked. “But he was right. It took a miracle.”
  26. migrant
    habitually moving from place to place
    There was not a lot to do when it rained. We stayed indoors telling ghost stories we had heard from other migrant workers.
  27. obligated
    caused by law or conscience to follow a certain course
    We were one of the last families to leave because Papa felt obligated to stay until the rancher’s cotton had been all picked, even though other farmers had better crops.
  28. sympathetic
    expressing compassion or friendly fellow feelings
    Shaking his head, Papa replied sympathetically, “I am sorry. I wish I could, paisano, but we’re broke too."
  29. fragile
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    “It’s beautiful,” Mama said, gently placing her hand on the woman’s fragile shoulder.
  30. peddle
    sell or offer for sale from place to place
    Papa walked the couple out the door and accompanied them part way to the next cabin where they continued trying to peddle their few possessions.
  31. scramble
    move hurriedly
    At dawn, my brothers and I scrambled to get the presents that had been placed next to our shoes.
  32. smuggle
    import or export without paying customs duties
    He was a red, green, and yellow parrot that had been smuggled from Mexico by Don Pancho, an undocumented farm worker who was my father’s friend.
  33. undocumented
    lacking written authorization
    He was a red, green, and yellow parrot that had been smuggled from Mexico by Don Pancho, an undocumented farm worker who was my father’s friend.
  34. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    But once he learned to trust us and he became a family member, El Perico wandered around freely in the dilapidated garage where we lived while harvesting Mr. Jacobson’s vineyards.
  35. pastime
    an interest or pursuit that someone pursues regularly
    His favorite pastime was walking back and forth across a thin, long wire that my mother sometimes used for hanging our clothes to dry.
  36. perch
    sit, as on a branch
    I would place a grape box directly underneath El Perico, climb on it, stretch out my arm, and hold my index finger close to his toes so that he could perch on it.
  37. attachment
    a feeling of affection for a person or an institution
    The affection El Perico and I had for each other was matched only by his attachment to Catarina, a spotted black cat that belonged to Chico and his wife, Pilar, a young Mexican couple who, like the parrot, were undocumented.
  38. tantrum
    a display of bad temper
    El Perico immediately threw a tantrum and began shrieking, louder than ever.
  39. soothe
    cause to feel better
    The repetition of “Santa Maria, Madre de Dios, ruega Señora por nosotros los pecadores ahora y en la horn de nuestra muerte, amen,” slowly comforted and soothed my soul.
  40. vineyard
    a farm of grapevines where wine grapes are produced
    We dug a hole about a foot deep in one of the rows in the vineyard behind the garage, placed the box inside, and covered it with dirt.
Created on Wed Nov 15 19:42:32 EST 2017 (updated Wed Aug 29 14:33:11 EDT 2018)

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