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The Use Of Light In Jimmy Baca's Coming Into Language

618 Words3 Pages

In his essay “Coming into language” Jimmy Baca uses the image of light as a controlling metaphor to express his creativity as a writer. Many times in writing light is seen as a symbol of re-birth, to represent cleansing, and also to represent a revelation. The image of light is often associated with the visionary world of creative genius. This essay will highlight the different ways Baca uses light to express his creativity, and how language helped to steer him in the right direction, away from the darkness. Growing up and throughout his life Jimmy Baca had always faced hardships. He was constantly treated unfairly because of his background and where he is from. Jimmy Baca uses the image of light to show that he was able to move away from all the darkness that had followed him throughout life. Baca speaks of the light first coming while he is in jail and discovers his passion for writing. “The bare white room with its florescent tube lighting seemed to expose and illuminate my dark and worthless life. And yet, for the first time, I had something to lose…” (Baca, Coming into Language). In this quote Baca shows that he now realizes that he could not lose this light because it meant he could not express his creativity, this is what led …show more content…

Sunbursts are sudden appearances of a bright light, this image represents Baca's language and his words, showing that they were, and are powerful. Baca describing his words as a burst shows that his ideas and writing came even as a shock to him “…words that grafted me in to awareness of who I was…” (Baca, Coming into Language). His words and writings were bright enough to show him the right way and steer him away from the darkness. Through being able to express himself he was able to have this light come to him and show him who he really was. Baca later illustrates that the light from the words helps to keep him away from the

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