The atmosphere in which people live, breathe, and sleep can have an intense effect on their calling or destiny in life. The last sentence, relates to the memoir written by Jimmy Santiago Baca recalling his life and hardships in A Place to Stand.

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Gerson Belmonte

English 3

Mr. Garza

Essay #5

3 May 2011

Analytical Paper

The atmosphere in which people live, breathe, and sleep can have an intense effect on their calling or destiny in life. The last sentence, relates to the memoir written by Jimmy Santiago Baca recalling his life and hardships in A Place to Stand. Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, since Jimmy was young he saw a father in jail, hooked to alcohol, a mother addicted to patriotism, and relations ruined mentally. This memoir goes deep in the idea that no matter what background an individual comes from, he/she can rise above in it.  In Jimmy Baca’s situation, his fate turned out to be prison at Florence, where he learned to become a better individual. This essay will analyze Baca’s essay focusing on the issues of education and loss. Jimmy Baca grew up in an environment that was not only unhealthy, but also one not much favorable to his future. He missed school for a critical period of time affecting his education greatly, and seeing his father in jail addicted to alcohol, and his mother abandoning him betraying her family and culture, contributed to all losses Jimmy’s life suffered. However, it was in prison that Jimmy really reflected and thought about himself and the stuff he wanted to He learned to read and write, but not only did he write but he also developed a desire for poetry and wrote a memoir revealing his life story and how people can take something away from his experience to better the situations they might go through. Even though individuals shouldn’t let the circumstances determine their destiny, there are unavoidable adversities that come to all and the outcomes can be serious, having a big impact in life.

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The first issue covering is education. Education is very important in every society out there and sets the status of lower or higher level of people in the world. Focusing on the U.S., education is the way to a successful life and ultimately the American dream. Many people go around wondering, is there something better out there?   If it's taking some inevitable steps to become mature, becoming a better person from the inside-out, or just pursuing themselves education wise, those people who go around, usually after a period of trials, in the end succeed in what they are trying ...

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