Heroes and Saints Lesson Plan

Why did Moraga clearly distinguish between land and dirt when describing the agricultural fields surrounding McLaughlin?

Strong responses should realize that focusing on this distinction in describing the setting provides more contextual details about the true setting rather than just describing the place. It is clearly important to know that the land is not neutral as it once was. Now it has been overworked and poisoned with lethal and harmful chemicals, making it an enemy to the people who leave in McLaughlin. The toxic pesticides poison the food and the water in the area and it is literally killing the people who live there. Distinguishing between land and dirt here...