Jimmy Santiago Baca had a very tough life at a young age and faced many challenges, and in his poem "A Daily Joy To be Alive" he reflects on a lifestyle of trying to grasp one's inner-self by exploring different aspects of life on a daily basis. Baca expresses these ideas by using symbolism as seen in these lines, "I continually find myself in the ruins of new beginnings, uncoiling the rope of my life to descend ever deeper into unknown abysses, tying my heart into a knot." Baca uses the rope to represent a long journey of finding the words to express himself in a subject where there is so much to learn. To further express this struggle Baca uses "light wrestling with darkness, light radiating into darkness", a juxtaposition, to describe the turning point when he breaks free from the scuffle of discovering himself artistically and turns his thinking from negative to positive. All in all Baca uses this poem to show us, through symbolism and juxtaposition, the transition he makes from not knowing how to convey his emotions to suddenly breaking free into a clear view where he can see all the possible ways to present his thoughts to the world.
You have a few insights here, especially where you identify the juxtaposition. I wonder though -- why does he use this juxtaposition? What is the effect of his turning from negative to positive?
ReplyDeleteRemember, analysis means thinking deeply about why an author chooses us write in a specific way. This all comes back to overall meaning, so whatever we decide the meaning is powerfully important. Without understanding, and stating what we understand, we have nothing to tie our analysis to.
I wonder if this line: "he reflects on a lifestyle of trying to grasp one's inner-self by exploring different aspects of life on a daily basis" could be stronger. Then you'd have more to analyze.
Make sense?
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