Chabot College
Language Arts
Magallón
English 102
Paper #1
Baca Essay
“I became a different man, not because prison was good for me, but in spite of its
destructive forces.”
Assignment: In A Place to Stand, Jimmy Santiago Baca describes his life and the
people and events that he feels shaped the course of his life. For this essay you must
identify the key events or influences in Baca’s life, both positive and negative. You also
must identify how he was ultimately able to turn his life around in prison. Finally, decide
whether Baca had enough positive experiences and opportunities to be able to turn his life
around before landing himself in prison. Be sure to consider Gilligan’s theory about
violence in your argument as well.
Guidelines:
 Assert a thesis that establishes your position on this issue. Be sure that your
introduction outlines the issues/claims you will use to prove or support your
thesis. Try and use keywords to identify your issues so that you can easily ensure
that each issue is being discussed.
 Establish topic sentences that introduce a specific issue for each paragraph.
These (keywords) should coincide with the specific issues/claims you have
outlined in your introduction.
 Integrate quotes with sufficient context so that they smoothly transition from
your ideas and the reader can clearly see the significance of the quote and how it
connects to the specific issue/claim you have raised in that paragraph.
 Close all paragraphs with a tie-in that explains how each paragraph proves,
supports, or clarifies your thesis. This is essential for your argument to be
unified.
 Restate all the issues/claims you have made in a conclusion and re-cap them
for your reader. Remind the reader of what each issue proved and reiterate how
all those points support your thesis.
Format:
 4-6 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12-point, Times Roman font.
 You need at least six citations. At least one must be from Gilligan.
 First peer workshop_______. Second Workshop_______. Each workshop is
worth 1/3 of your final grade but in order to get credit you must have at least 4
copies for your group. If you only have one you do not get credit for the
workshop. Being late (more than 10 minutes) to the workshop will not count as
participation for the workshops.
 Final is due______ with a rough draft attached.