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Amaranth
Translation of paisano (“from the country”), used to refer to Mexicans born and raised in Mexico.
Homegrown Quotes in Signs Preceding the End of the World
The Signs Preceding the End of the World quotes below are all either spoken by Homegrown or refer to Homegrown. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 7
Quotes
He’s homegrown, he said. Joined up just like me, but still doesn’t speak the lingo. Whereas me, I learned it, so every time we see each other he wants to practice. He speaks all one day in past tense, all one day in present, all one day in future, so he can learn his verbs. Today was the future.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Homegrown Term Timeline in Signs Preceding the End of the World
The timeline below shows where the term Homegrown appears in Signs Preceding the End of the World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: The Place Where the Wind Cuts like a Knife
“They”—Mexicans who live in the North—are “homegrown and they are anglo and both things with rabid intensity.” Balancing silence and grievances, “ancient...
(full context)
Chapter 7: The Place Where People’s Hearts Are Eaten
...but in the future tense. When this soldier leaves, Makina’s brother explains that he is “homegrown” but still learning English, and practices by speaking entirely in the past, present, and future...
(full context)
Chapter 8: The Snake that Lies in Wait
...and makes her kneel with a lineup of Mexican men who “all were or looked homegrown.” The policeman declares himself a “patriot,” berates them for not being “civilized,” and tells them...
(full context)
