LITR 4332: American Minority Literature

Student Poetry Presentation 2007

Monday, 23 April: Jimmy Santiago Baca, “Immigrants in Our Own Land” UA 8-9.

Reader: Lara Magee

Jimmy Santiago Baca

Jimmy Santiago Baca was born in 1952 in New Mexico of Indo-Mexican decent.  Growing up, Baca was raised by his grandmother, and at age thirteen ran away from home.   At the age of twenty-seven, he was sentenced to five years in a maximum security prison.  During his sentence, he had a confrontation with another inmate and heard voices of Neruda and Loca, and to come out of prison a writer.  In 1979, he was released from prison and also released his book of poems,  Immigrants in our own Land.  Baca has received numerous writing awards such as the Pushcart Award, American Book Award, International Hispanic Heritage Award, and his book A Place to Stand won the International Award.  His education is a BA in English at University of New Mexico,1984, as well as PhD in Literature, University of New Mexico,2003.  Baca has a very interesting background as well as won numerous writing awards, and made a tremendous contribution to society. 

Objectives

2c.   Minority Status:  What is the individual's or group's relation to  the law or dominant institutions?  Does it make it better or worse?

5c.   To regard literacy as the primary code of modern existence and a key or path to empowerment.

4.     To register the minority dilemma of assimilation or resistance - fight or join the culture that oppresses you?

Questions

1.  Who are the "old men"  Baca mentions?

2. What are some of the institutions he mentions in the poem?

3a.  Does the title of the poem lead the reader to believe the author sees the dominant culture as the immigrants?