Chora 1

Jacqueline Chora
Professor Adler
STACC English 1A #32475
26 February 2016
Power of Poetry
Jimmy Santiago Baca usage of language in his collection Singing at the Gates: Selected
Poems is to change or add different ideologies to the readers way of thinking. All through his
poetry he uses different ways to express his emotions and to persuade the readers. Since Baca has
been oppressed all his life due to him being in jail, he has his opinion of cultural oppression, the
idea of cultural injustice and authority. However, a persons identity comes from their culture.
Baca uses sincere repetition to support his reasoning towards culture oppression, lyrical
descriptive language to enforce the importance of culture and how it is part of a persons identity,
and a dominant tone to get his point across and to connect himself with the readers.
The sincere repetitions that Baca uses as he writes the poem Rita Falling from the Sky
was to exposed the anger for the people whom have been silenced by oppression. The repetition
that is used in Rita Falling from the Sky question the actions taken towards Rita. In other
words, Baca provides the readers with an argument of his disagreement with labeling Rita as
mad considering that she was speaking in a foreign language. Baca writes Am I mad/ when I
see cemeteries filled with more/young/than old people,/am I mad when I see those who dont
work have the /money(7-13). As he goes on repeating Am I mad, hes questioning those
whom labeled her as mad. He is putting emphasis that it is unacceptable to crystalize someone
as crazy when they dont observe themselves. Similar to the master and servant dialectic where
the servant is constantly getting different perceptions of itself, which will lead to growth when on

Chora 2
the other hand the master will stay the same because no one questions the master. Through this
Baca tries to enhance the readers understanding on cultural oppression and the idea that it is
easier to label someone rather than labeling ourselves. Mary Piphers idea that Once we have a
label that doesnt fit us, we can ignore the humanity of the labeled (6). Once these people
labeled Rita as crazy it became easier to only view her as a crazy old lady. Through this sincere
repetition that Baca used emphasized how once begin labeled the culture has only one fixed view
of that person, which is why Baca repeats the word crazy or mad in order for readers to
understand that Rita now carries that label with her.
Another sincere repetition that Baca highlights in the poem is two words onions and
water. Both words are used whenever Rita is leaving a place, for instance Baca illustrates I,
Rita, who fell from the sky, /am the stone, carrying water and onions (14-15) or also and for
penance I walk thousands of miles/across international borders/with only onions and water,
/onions and water (21-25). The onions and water represents her. The onion represents her
identity, since onions have different layers. Each layer represents each part that makes up her
identity. Water which is needed to survive represents the sanity Rita carries with her
considering that her home town kicked her out and the misunderstanding with the doctors. With
this, repetition Baca is highlighting how culture oppression has left people unsure of their
identity and where they belong.
In the poem Singing at the Gates Baca uses lyrical descriptive language to symbolize
culture and identity. Throughout this poem Baca describes his culture with beauty and innocence
as though he wishes to experience it again. When he writes I am the sand beneath its head/ the
bonfire log that flames in a mans/backyard/as he stands with stick in hand, thinking/ of his life
(12-16). In this phrase alone Baca is connecting himself to his culture. He starts off with I am,

Chora 3
in order for the readers to understand his cultural importance. He identifies himself with the
sand and the bonfire log that flames in a mans backyard because he feels free since he no
longer lives life in cultural oppression, not knowing his identity. The lyrical descriptive language
that he uses creates an emotional poem of Bacas cultural especially when he includes Spanish
words because he adding a part of him in the poetry in a creative way. Although some of the
words used are slang words in Spanish, he uses them to add emotion of his culture and reminds
the readers of their own culture.
Singing at the Gates has a dominate tone because Baca specifically speaks to the
readers. Through his dominate tone Baca is able to attract the readers attentions and is
connecting with them. Through the relationship that Baca is creating between the author and the
reader he is changing their perspectives and changing the idea of cultural oppression. In the
novel Writing to the change the world, Mary Piphers ideas of change writing is when an
author connects with the readers and that is what Baca is accomplishing. For instance, Baca
writes I celebrate you, the virtues and customs/you have defended/every one of youyou
survived hefe hoisting your sons on/your shoulders and riding (21-30). He repeats you to
focus on the point that what he is writing is a message to the readers.
Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Baca have different approaches of tones when they
write, but they both are looking for a way to change perspectives. In the Letter from
Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. first writes in a polite and kind tone, which is strange
considering he is in jail. However, that changes when he begins to speak of the mistreatment his
people receive. Martin Luther King Jr. states But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your
mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen
hate-filled policeman curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters ;( 3). Although

Chora 4
disturbing imagery is provided the tone of Marin Luther in this letter changes. He now exposes
his anger. With the dominate tone used Martin hopes to reach the clergymen by causing some
sort of remorse. Tone in poetry is important because the way the readers interpret is what makes
the changes in their perspective.
Similarly, to all his other poems Baca uses dominate tone to get his point across or to
address something he completely disagrees with. The most powerful phrase in Rita Falling from
the Sky is when Baca states I am Rita the mad women, / the woman who betrayed her customs,
who/disappoints, / who people had trust to become a family/women (14-18). It is almost as if he
is mocking the people who thinks she is crazy. He is throwing it in the doctors faces for
diagnosing her as mad. This part of the poem is inspiring because he is sarcastically saying yes,
Rita is a mad women, who betrayed etc. With Bacas dominate tone that he uses the readers are
getting a glimpse of Bacas attitude towards cultural oppression and why he dislikes it.
In Jimmy Baca poetry he focus on cultural oppression and getting his point across. He
use various methods in his poetry such as sincere repetition to emphasize on the core of his main
ideas, lyrical descriptive language to add emotion to his poetry and portray how culture helps
people find their identity, and a dominant tone to describe and expose his passion. Throughout
Bacas poetry he connects to the readers and fines a way to change or add another perspective to
their way of thinking.