F08250_acook

Amy Cook
 * "Oranges," (1985) by 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 the 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 nickel in my pocket, And when she lifted a chocolate That cost a dime, I didn't say anything. I took the nickel 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.

This poem is very descriptive. You feel as if you are there with him as he is walking in the cold. "Frost cracking beneath my steps, my breath, before me, then gone" (Soto lines 5-7). And then again when they get to the drugstore and are getting the chocolate. "Until we were breathing, before a drugstore" (Soto lines 20-21).You feel his anticipation as she is choosing her piece of chocolate, and that he is hoping she will get something for a nickel. "And when she lifted a chocolate that cost a dime, I didn't say anything" (Soto lines 31-33).
 * WAY 1: First Impressions**

This poem has a lot of puncuation and also uses capital letters at the beginning of every sentence. This poem is written in free verse because, it has no rhyme scheme. "The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve, cold, and weighted down with two oranges in my jacket" (Soto lines 1-4). It also has vivid imagery. "Fog hanging like old coats between the trees" (Soto lines 44-45) I peeled my orange that was so bright against the gray of December" (Soto lines 50-52).
 * WAY 2: Engaging with the Text**

This poem is an example of dramatic monologue. "Dramatic monologue is a poem that reveals the thoughts of a single speaker (a character who is not the poet) in an identifiable dramatic context. In other words, the reader is able to determine who is speaking, as well as the setting and situation of speech." (Brown 85) "I took the nickel 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" (Soto lines 34-41). In this poem, you can tell by the way the boy speaks, that he is happy to be with the girl. He is also a little nervous about only having a nickel for the candy. "I fingered a nickel in my pocket."(Soto Lines 30-31) He solves his predicament by paying with the nickel and the orange. "The lady's eyes met mine, and held them, knowing very well what it was all about" (Soto lines 38-41). The situation of speech is that the boy is the one who is narrating the poem to the reader.
 * WAY 3: A Point about Form and its Relationship to Content**

Soto uses the figurative language of symbolism to let the reader know what the orange is being used for. In the beginning of the story, the reader may think that the oranges that are in his coat are for a snack. Toward the end of the story you realize he will use one to buy the candy. The very first lines of the story are, "The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve, Cold, and weighted down with two oranges in my jacket." (Soto Lines 1-4) " I fingered the nickel in my pocket, And when she lifted a chocolate that cost a dime, I didn't say anything. I took the nickel from my pocket and then an orange." (Soto Lines 30-36). These two examples show how Soto used figurative language for the reader to understand to meaning of the oranges. To me, the oranges show the contrast of the colors of gray and orange. The day is cold and gray and the oranges are like a ray of sunshine cast on that grayness. They symbolize hope.... hope for the sun to come out, for the warmth or for spring, which seemed so far away.
 * Way 4: Figurative Language**

Soto also uses figurative language in the form of symbolism to describe the weather that day. The word "Cold," is used. It is "December" so it would be blustery cold. "Frost cracking beneath my steps." You can imagine walking on a winter day, snow on your boots and the wind in your face. They can see their breath as they walk to the drugstore. "Until we were breathing before a drugstore." (Soto Lines 20-21). "Fog hanging like old coats between the trees." (Soto Lines 44-45). His description makes you think of pea soup fog. Fog that is very thick and you can't see through it.
 * Way 4: Figurative Language**

The setting for "Oranges," takes place in the 1950's time period ("We entered, the tiny bell bringing the saleslady down a narrow aisle of goods. I turned to the candies, tierd like bleachers" Soto lines 21-26, also the use of the word rouge in line 15 Soto), in December, in a small town or city. It is a very cold day. "December. Frost cracking beneath my step, my breath before me, then gone." (Soto lines 5-7). "She came out pulling at her gloves." (Soto lines 13-14). He and the girl walk down the street. "Until we were breathing before a drugstore." (Soto lines 20-21) The description also shows that it was a cloudy day. "I peeled my orange that was so bright against the gray of December." (Soto 50-52). Soto's use of color throughout the poem evokes a certain warmth for the reader. "Her house, the one whose porch light burned yellow" (Soto lines 9-10). "face bright, with rouge" (Soto 14-15) This description makes you think of the color red. Orange, Yellow and Red are warm colors which contrast to the gray and coldness of the day they share.
 * Way 5: Setting**

The poem is told in First-Person Point of View. "A narrative in the first person is told by a narrator who is actually a participant in the events of a particular story, either as a protagonist or as a side character observing the action from a distance. The first-person point of view is generally characterized by a narrator who refers to himself or herself as "I." (Brown 63). Throughout the story he often refers to himself as "I." For instance, "The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve." (Soto lines 1-2). "I turned to the candies" (Soto line 25). "I didn't say anything" (Soto 33). The story is about the boy, how he feels toward the girl, the cold and gray day it was, the oranges, the saleslady and the candy.
 * Way 6: Point of View**

Lines 43-46 (Soto) were ambiguous for me, "Outside, a few cars hissing past, fog hanging like old coats between the trees. The "cars hissing past" (Soto line 43) means that as they come out of the store, they are jolted back into reality with the coldness of the day and the cars hissing past. "Fog hanging like old coats between the trees" (Soto lines 44-45), when you think of coats hanging on a coat rack, you cannot see through them because the fabric of the coats are up against one another. When you think of thick fog, you cannot see through that either. (Soto lines 55-56) also had a note of ambiguity. "Someone might have thought I was making fire in my hands." The two of them walking on a cold and cloudy December day, his orange like a beacon in the grayness. The flesh of the orange must have been very bright, for him to say it was making fire in his hands. The orange, to him, is love for the girl and the time spent together.
 * Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity & Difficulty**

"Oranges," by Gary Soto could be considered in the canon. His use of imagery adds to the canonicity of the poem. As far as, aesthetic value, it is a beautiful piece about the young love between two adolescences. For it's historical or cultural significance in the 1950's, that's how young love would have been seen back then. Simpler, more innocent. Young people in those days were much less daring than young people today. Although I think this piece does not have subsequent influence on other works of literature, it does have longevity. It has longevity because it was written in 1985 and is still being used today.
 * Way 8: Considering Canonicity**

Gary Soto was born April 12, 1952 in Fresno, California. He has a Mexican background. He does not think he came "from a culturally rich family in the academic or educational sense of the word. We had our own culture of poverty, as I like to describe it." His work is a window for the mind of the reader, in which, to get a glimpse of the lives of Mexican-Americans. He has written several poems and books, many of which are written from his own life experiences. He teaches at UC Berkley and lives in Northern California. http://project1.caryacademy.org/echoes/poet_Gary_Soto/DefaultSoto.htm.**
 * Way 9: Biographical Context**

To get an understanding of the historical and cultural context of this poem, I used the UW Colleges Library support site at http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.ezproxy.uwc.edu/hww/results/getResults.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.20#record_6. The historical part of the poem would be in reference to the store, which is like a five & dime. Those stores were fun to go into, they had everything you needed and for that matter didn't need. Those store are few and far between these days, thanks to the superstores of the world. This aspect ties in nicely with the cultural issue of adolescence. Many people can remember going into the 5 & 10, going into the store and having the bell ring to announce you were there, rouge, chocolate for a dime, having a first crush, and the innocence of young love. The issues of the world seemed so much more simple in that time period. For adolescence their lives seem to drag on forever, but for their parents it happens in the blink of an eye. This poem gives the reader a chance to go back in time and remember how it felt to be young again, caught between a young child and young adult.
 * Way 10: Historical and Cultural Context**

The Feminist Criticism for "Oranges" would be that the girl is not mentioned enough throughout the story. "She came out pulling at her gloves, face bright with rouge" (Soto lines 12-15), that is the only time he describes her and you get a mental picture of how she looks. Throughout the story he talks of her as an object... a girl... my girl. "I took my girls hand" (Soto line 36), "Then released it to let her unwrap the chocolate" (Soto lines 38-39). The girl in the story is dominated by the boy. According to the feminist perspective, this is not the way the girl should be portrayed. This is an example of masculine dominance from Virtualit webpage.
 * Way 11: Theoretical Application**

The Psychoanalytic Criticism would be the boys feelings for the girl expressed and not expressed. Being a 12 year old boy, he probably is shy and innocent. He likes the girl and is happy to be with her. "I smiled, Touched her shoulder" (Soto lines 15-16). "I took her hand in mine for two blocks" (Soto lines 36-37). These lines show his feelings for her. Again it is about the innocence of young love. When it is your first date there are many feelings that go on inside your head. Happy, nervous, scared, shy.... I believe that these feelings and others would not be spoken but rather kept inside as to not embarass himself or the girl. Psychoanalytic criticism also states that it affects the readers wishes and desires also.
 * Way 12: Theoretical Application**

Soto's "Oranges," is about the young and innocent love between two adolescences. They walk together, on a cold and gray December day, to the drugstore. He only has a nickel, the saleslady had empathy for him and did not want to embarass him in front of the girl, so she let him buy the candy with the nickel and the orange. The poem is full of imagery and symbolism. These are evident throughout the piece. The most difficult part for me was Ways 11 and 12 Theoretical Application. I chose Feminism and Psychoanalytical Criticisms, it was difficult to put into words exactly what I wanted to say from the information that I read. I really enjoyed this project!! The poem I was given was great! I also enjoyed reading about Gary Soto, it is interesting to note that most of his work is from his own life experiences. This piece was probably about him. I have learned a lot from working through each Way. The project has taught me to read in a way that I never have before. I look forward to using the information that I have learned in future classes and even in my personal life.
 * Way 13: Unifying Interpretation**

UW Colleges Library Support: http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.ezproxy.uwc.edu/hww/results/getResults.jhtml?DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.20#record_6
 * Works Cited and Consulted**

Biographical Context: http://project1.caracademy.org/echoes/poet_Gary_Soto/DefaultSoto.htm

VirtuaLit Fiction: Critical Approaches: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/critical.asp?e=2