The poem I read for our poem project was Oranges, by Gary Soto. Gary Anthony Soto was born on April 12, 1952 (he is 63 years old), in Fresno, California. He has won many awards such as American Book Awards, National Endowment for the Arts, and Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts. The poem oranges was written in 1985. At first, I thought the title Oranges was about the fruit oranges or the color orange. Later on we learned the real meaning of the title. It is really about Gary when he was younger and that he bought his girl a candy with a nickel and a orange.
The exterior setting is in the cold, gray of December. This story takes place in the mid 1960s; based on the pricing of the candies. The interior setting is around the middle…show more content… I also like to think of connotation as Figurative Language. Some Similes in this poem are: “Candies tiered like bleachers,” and “Fog hanging like old coats between the trees.” There was also 1 hyperbole: “I was making a fire in my hands.” “Beneath my steps, my breath before me, then gone.” and “Light in her eyes, a smile starting at the corners of her mouth,” are both examples of alliteration.
I think Gary Soto was happy and remembering his youth. Especially the first time he was 12 and went on a date with a girl. He was also feeling generous by buying her favorite chocolate. And he didn’t even have enough money, but the sale lady understood his situation. And, on their way home he held her hand for 2 blocks!
Here are some of the themes from Oranges:
Love- because they were on their first date.
Coming Of Age- because he is remembering his past.
Masculinity-because he bought his girl a piece of candy.
Gentlemen- because they were holding hands on their way home.
So as you can see, I read the poem oranges. I leaned a lot of new things each time I reread it. Gary Soto is a great poet, and I would love to read more of his poems! I hope I gave you some good information and you learned some new things too!
Thank
