Gary Soto, a Mexican-American who grew up in the barrio of Fresno, California in the 1950’s, writes about love, poverty, and growing up. After losing his father at the age of five, Soto expresses the impact the tragic moment had on his whole life. Receiving multiple writer’s awards for his outstanding works like “Baseball in April and Other Stories”, Soto is considered an extremely influential educator. In one of Soto’s many poems titled “Oranges”, he is able to portray the significance of young love with his use of similes, symbolism, and imagery. Gary Soto features a new perspective on how emotions affect the way people deal with situations and how other people perceive it. Firstly, Soto symbolizes objects, giving them meaning and depth to the poem. Additionally, he compares two ideas to help the reader understand the concept he is trying to portray. Lastly, Soto transfers his thoughts through imagery, creating an almost real life experience of the poem for the reader. Gary Soto scatters symbolism throughout his poem “Oranges”. Symbolism assists the writer use an object and give it a second layer of deeper meaning. Using symbolism gives a poem hidden messages for the reader to discern for themselves. “The first time I walked/ with a girl, I was twelve/ cold and weighted down/ with two oranges in my jacket”, …show more content…
He expresses the setting and character’s mood through similes by setting relating two ideas and combining them creating a new perspective. With the use of symbolism, Soto introduces a new outlook on the important experience of young love and the innocence of it all. Lastly, Soto creates a mind movie for the reader as he uses imagery from beginning to the end of the poem, revealing the theme. Ultimately Soto conveys that the adventure of first love is a crucial experience which can either make or break