Melina Carachure

Professor Adler
STACC English 1A
22 February 2016

A Literate Expedition
In Jimmy Santiago Bacas book Singing at the Gates he writes poems about his life before,
during and after his incarceration. Those poems are filled with astonishing literature about his
point of view of life. As a young man who went to prison at a young age, he feels alone; he feels
as if there is no one who cares about his well being. And the only way he was able to feel good
about himself is when he wrote and he was able to let out all of that remorse he had trapped
inside. Baca uses similes to compare how his life use to be outside of prison and how it
transformed his life for the better inside of prison. He also uses allegories and eloquent
representations to describe certain events that occurred throughout his life.
Baca begins his book by explaining why he wrote and what those poems meant to him. As
stated in his memoir A Place to Stand he indicates that he wrote because he felt free and
because he was trying to find himself inside of that small cell. He was trying to figure out the
puzzle he could not solve with that deserted and confused heart of his. The meaning of those
poems to him while he was in prison represented his emotional status. Those poems to Baca were
very important because at that time, writing was the only way he knew how to express his
feelings and thoughts. Further in his memoir he talks about how his life was before prison and
how it drastically changed inside of it. Outside of prison he was a careless young man who did
not know much about life. He took everything and every person in his life for granted and did

not care about the consequences of his actions. Bacas life in prison was indeed very distinct to
the former life he was living as a free man.
He continues his book by incorporating allegories and by talking about some life changing
experiences he lived through in prison in which changed him for the better. Those crucial
experiences made him value his life more than he ever did. He discovered that there truly was
something to live for, and little by little that something altered into something small but very
significant to Baca, which was writing. Before Baca could read and write he was an illiterate
person to which people saw as a person whom would never go places in life based on the current
life he was living then. He did not give up and eventually succeeded and was able to write small
poems in which he also includes in his book. Bacas use of allegories in his book are profound
and substantial. They are profound because in those poems he talks about personal and very
peculiar problems and situations that most people would keep to themselves. And those poems
are substantial because he gives detailed information on certain events he encountered that had a
radical effect on him.
The use of allegories in Bacas book characterizes various logic and can be interpreted in
numerous ways. In one of his poems titled The Reason I Wake This Morning he discloses how
there are plenty reasons to live happy. This poem can also be connected to his memoir because of
the reasons he states on why to live a happy life. Those people whove lived through tragedies
and loneliness and anxiety (116), here he is in some sort of way affirming a few of his own
personal emotions and giving himself moral support on why to live a happy life. Another way to
interpret this poem is by analyzing it differently and looking at it as a poem written for someone
who is trying to identify themselves in this immense world. Fragments that fit perfectly into the

puzzle of night stars in this part of the poem, the use of allegories and eloquent representations
take place by reason of the words the puzzle of night stars. He is portraying an image by
connecting the images of a starry night to the life a human who is trying to find the missing
pieces of the puzzle that person needs to truly identify who they are meant to be.
While in prison he explains his experiences through very detailed eloquent representations.
Those eloquent representations in his book are admiral. Each intriguing event in Bacas life that
had a major impact to him, is detailed so subtle and are captivating in such a way that they can
be relatable or trigger essential memories or feelings just like Bacas. And that is his whole
purpose. He explains all of his prison life experiences in detailed manner in order for his
audience to have a moderate understanding of what it is like to live in prison without actually
having to go through that experience.
In conclusion, all of Bacas writing styles have been described and supported with detail and
facts from both his books Singing at the Gates and his memoir A Place to Stand. Bacas
writing styles are indeed unique. By explaining all of his life experiences and his life
transformation with similes, allegories and eloquent representations, he gives the readers ideas
and helps form images of how it would feel to go through the same harsh and uncommon
situations that Baca went through. Overall the use of similes give an understanding of how his
life gave a full turn. And how that transformation made him the person who he is today. Baca is
now a literate man with very successful books and such a successful life, of course compared to
the former life he was living. Baca is a complete distinct person, correlated to the person who he
was before and is now able to use not only similes but also allegories and eloquent
representations etc. to write astonishing pieces of literature and transform lives himself