Perseverance is something that we all struggle to maintain throughout our journey in life. One way in which our heavier themes of life are explored is through the use of poetry. Two poems that explore perseverance are: “The Red Palm”, by Gary Soto and “The Onset”, by Robert Fost. Soto’s poem is about a cotton field worker who works tirelessly to provide food and shelter for his family. Fost’s poem is about being in the woods during the snowy winter, not accomplishing as much as he would have wanted in life, and the change of the season to spring where he watched the snow turn into a stream of water. Although the content of the poems is totally different they still share the same theme of perseverance. Soto’s poem is about a working man who made poor choices in life, but strides to make a difference for his son’s and Fost’s poem displays the changes among seasons and how after a stormy season things are restored. Through the usage of symbolism, setting, and imagery both authors convey the message that through hard work and perseverance everything is worth the struggle.
The crippled hands of the cotton field worker that are shaped like binoculars symbolize how the choices we make can affect our future. Soto says “you say to your hands now shaped
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The poem about “The Red Palm” tells a story about a man who made bad decisions about his life and as a result ended up with a job as a cotton field worker, but is determined to work as hard as he can to make a difference in his son’s life. In contrast, the poem “The Onset” is about being in the woods and watching the season change and realizing that the dark times won’t last forever. Ultimately, both poems sends the message to all readers to persevere and keep pushing themselves even when times are rough there is still a reward in the end for all of their hard work and