The Power Of Language In Coming Into Language Written By Jimmy Santiago Baca

With just a paper and a pen, the power of language can transform the world around you. Language has established a system of human communication, incorporating the application of words in a structured and customary way. Its purpose can profess emotions from one human to another and suddenly make you feel the lost emotions inside of yourself. In Coming Into Language written by Jimmy Santiago Baca, he emphasizes his wildly dangerous journey of life and being found in the influence of language within the walls of his jail cell. In Homemade Education written by Malcolm X, he too had elaborated on his awaking of language from his time in jail as well. In fact, as both of these influential men were incarcerated, they found this sense of uplifting …show more content…
People find that something such as painting or exercising captures that emotion. But for thousands of years, it’s always been language to give a person the power to express and release the emotions inside of them. It’s the words spoken from the heart that breaks down the walls. X, himself, was found being unable to assert his true piece of mind. He states that “I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in letters that I wrote” (X). This kind of frustration can eat you up. It’s as if the words are there, but you can’t speak or write it out. Since the moment I was able to talk, I always found myself in this predicament. Consequently, my mother had questioned my abilities in English. So, one summer she had me write out the entire dictionary. Each day, I was to complete a whole letter section. I thought it was absolute bullshit, she had her eight year old daughter doing this (during the summer time). Granted, it certainly paid off. Finding the connection of the words to my emotions was like fuel that enflamed my outburst of expression and kept that flame burning. As Baca claims “The power to express myself was a welcome storm rasping at tendril roots… Writing was water that cleansed the wound and fed the parched root of my heart.” (Baca). I can also endorse this sentiment. After learning how to express myself, I became a powerful woman with very strong opinions and …show more content…
You never really realize how it impacts the world around you. So far, my experience has been absolute life changing. This change was never easy, yet I was able to conquer life with the power of language. My identity arose from the shallows, I had acknowledged my emotions to be expressed (with the help of a dictionary), and I was able to escape into another world; this happened all with the impact of language. As I continue down this path, I only hope to be a great writer (such as Baca) or an influential activist (like X). I don’t think that you can get anywhere in life without the ability of language, to me, it has become an essential tool. Since the Stone Age, it’s the one thing that empowers our lives til this day. Without language there would be no sense of identity, expression, or freedom in the