LiaBonita

=Oranges= =(1985)= =Gary Soto=

The first time I walked With a girl, I was twelve, Cold, and weighted down With two oranges in my jacket. December. Frost cracking Beneath my steps, my breath Before me, then gone, As I walked toward Her house, the one whose Porch light burned yellow Night and day, in any weather. A dog barked at me, until She came out pulling At her gloves, face bright With rouge. I smiled, Touched her shoulder, and led Her down the street, across A used car lot and a line Of newly planted trees, Until we were breathing Before a drugstore. We Entered, the tiny bell bringing a saleslady Down a narrow aisle of goods. I turned to the candies Tiered like bleachers, And asked what she wanted-- Light in her eyes, a smile Starting at the corners Of her mouth. I fingered A nickle in my pocket, And when she lifted a chocolate That cost a dime, I didn't say anything. I took the nickle from My pocket, then an orange, And set them quietly on The counter. When I looked up, The lady's eyes met mine, And held them knowing Very well what it was all About. > Outside, A few cars hissing past, Fog hanging like old Coats between the trees. I took my girl's hand in mine for two blocks, Then released it to let Her unwrap the chocolate. I peeled my orange That was so bright against The gray of December That, from some distance, Someone might have thought I was making a fire in my hands.

Way 1: First Impressions

The first time I read this poem I wasn't really sure how to see it besides what it says. The poem seems pretty self explainatory. However, I was sure there was something underneath what is actually being said about a young boy and the first time he walked with a girl. I read it again and some things started to stick out for me. I noticed that there seems to be some reference to color, and the brightness of it. In the beginning it says how the "Porch light burned/yellow/Night and day, in any weather" and how her "face [was] bright/With rouge" and the orange he peeled for her "was so bright...Someone might have thought/I was making a fire in my hands." The references to color are very descriptive and they all also have a relation to the girl. The speaker seems to be relating color and brightness and change (from the "gray" of life before her) to the girl.

Way 2: Engaging with the Text

There is no rhyming pattern to this poem and the line breaks were confusing to me. It did not break in places where I would expect. It is very choppy and distracted. This may be in reference to how the boy was feeling with the girl. The first time a boy walks with a girl he is very nervous and his mind is racing and thoughts are choppy. The format of making the poem broken up in this manner is probably to convey that aspect. I also noticed how every line begins with a capital letter, except "in mine for two blocks". I am not sure of its relevance.

Way 3: A Point about Form and It's Relationship to Context

This poem is rather choppy and does not break where you would expect. This signifies the boy's choppy thoughts as he goes to meet the girl, travels and along his walk. One line is ended with only the first word of the next sentence which is brings added attention to the young "couple" in the poem.

Way 3: Another Point about Form and It's Relationship to Context

I also noticed that every line, except one, begins with a capitol letter. I am not quite sure of the significance of this, but I think that it is important to notice, since it is the //only// line which does not begin with capitolization.

Way 4: Unpacking Figurative Language

The author uses some figurative language in the poem, to help the reader //see//, more clearly, what he is trying to portray and feel like they are actually right there experiencing this walk with the younsters. For example, it says at the beginning of the second stanza, "A few cars hissing past," this gives the reader the feeling that time is moving slowly for this young boy because he is so focused on this girl. This is commonly seen in movies, etc. when the character is so intently focused on their task-at-hand that everything seems to be moving in slow motion. With the poem the rapidness of the cars passing by stands out because everything else seems to be going so slow, as the boy is so extremely focused on his girl and everything about her.

Way 4: Unpacking Additional Figurative Language

Another example of figurative language is the phrase, "Fog hanging like old coats between the trees" which immediately follows the previous example. This is another way to show the contrast in time, between the young children and their surroundings. In contrast to the rapid cars, the "fog" is showing the opposite extreme. The author is alluding to the idea that the fog is totally motionless and seems to have been there //forever// ("[L]ike old coats"). When one thinks of old coats, the idea of a dark musty, forgotten closet comes to mind. In contrast to that, everything with the children seemes to be moving quickly. The placement of this simile is to show how time seems to be almost motionless, and yet--at the same time--moving very quickly, for the boy.

Way 4: Unpacking Additional Figurative Language

Finally, the poem ends discribing the boy peeling an orange and the extreme contrast between "The gray of December," and the "bright" orange. It was so bright, in contrast, that "Someone might have thought [he] was making a fire in [his] hands." This use of imagery to discribe the brilliant color of this orange helps the reader see what is happening, as if they are right there. In addition, the choice of words, "making a fire" can be seen as a metaphor, comparing the "fire" he is making, in his hands, to the (romantic) "fire" he is making with this girl. The contrast can also be likened to the intensity of this experience compared to the drab world around the two.