Name: Angel H. Morales Lopez.
Date: May, 06, 2008.
Type of essay: Research Paper.
Class: English 102
Jimmy Santiago Baca
I am writing about Jimmy Santiago Baca because after reading some of his poetic writing I admire him a lot and I consider that his writing is very realistic. He uses his writing to criticize society’s discrimination towards the Hispanic race in a very raw way. Another reason why I chose Santiago Baca is because he writes about things in a language that I can understand and isn’t complicated. Besides the way that I can understand his writing, I also liked his poetry because I relate to him in different ways. The first way I relate to him is because he is of Mexican descent, the second is that his life has been tough, the third is that his bad experiences have formed his personality and the way he is. His writing is the expression of experiences he has gone thru.
Despite his hardship, Baca did not lose spirit. Rather, he became intellectually invigorated by teaching himself to read and write. He was a self-motivated man who has gained recognition for his work on every category he has developed. He has acquired many awards and honors that just confirm that he is the greatest author that has written poetry. His main topics talk about family, Latin Community, and immigration. The following are just only few of the many writings he has:
• “Jimmy Santiago Baca” (Santa Barbara, Cal.: Rock Bottom, 1978).
• “Immigrants in Our Own Land” (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979); enlarged as “Immigrants in Our Own Land and Earlier Poems” (New York: New Directions, 1990).
• “Swords of Darkness” edited by Gary Soto (San Jose, Cal.: Mango, 1981).
• “What's Happening” (Willimantic, Conn.: Curbstone, 1982).
• “Poems Taken from My Yard” (Fulton, Mo.: Timberline, 1986).
• “Martín and Meditations on the South Valley" (New York: New Directions, 1987).
• “Black Mesa...