Oranges

= Poem = toc ORANGES 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 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 quickly 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.

=Tone= Diction in literature refers to how a poet carefully chooses words for a specific tone. Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject. For instance, look at the description of the boy being “weighted down” with oranges. This is diction, because oranges do not really weigh much. That word choice draws attention to the oranges, and their emotional meaning to the boy. Consider this excerpt.

Frost cracking Beneath my steps, my breath Before me, then gone,

The words “cracking” and “before me” and “gone” are all highly emotionally charged words. The word “cracking” is a sensory detail that enhances the tension in the scene, which is already felt by the boy, who is weighed down by his oranges.

Another excellent example of diction is the fact that he describes her face as “rouge.” This is a color that means red, which her face is because of the weather. However, it is one commonly used to describe makeup, and a more sophisticated color used by adults. In doing it, he is showing his attraction to her, and elevating her as an object of desire.

The use of tone in “Oranges” clearly helps to set the theme of the poem. Children often talk with simple sentences that directly state what happened. The speaker’s choice of words and raw simplicity in the way he tells his story illustrates his youth and the honesty that comes with it. Everything he says, such as “The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve”, is straightforward and simple, much like childhood love. Children tend to have more pure and simple feelings for one another than adults because their lives are simple and uncomplicated. The tone of the speaker helps the reader comprehend those simple feelings of adolescent love.

=Theme= The theme is chivalry, that he gives up one of his oranges to buy his girl a candy bar.

=Symbolism= Gary Soto uses symbolism to show the strength of youthful love. He writes, "Cold, and weighed down with two oranges in my jacket". The oranges weighting down the narrators jacket symbolize the way his love for the girl is weighing upon him. This weight is created from the strong feelings he has for the girl and his hopes that she likes him too. As the couple walks down the street, they encounter a line of "newly planted trees". The trees symbolize something new and young that will grow in the future, much like the love between the boy and the girl. Later, the narrator tells us, “We entered, the tiny bell bringing a saleslady down a narrow aisle of goods”. The tiny bell and the aisle exemplify a wedding that immediately connects to love between the boy and the girl. The poem ends by saying, “I peeled my orange that was so bright against the gray of December that, from a distance, someone might have thought I was making a fire in my hands”. The narrator used fire to show the intensity of the young couples love through extreme brightness and warmth. The symbolism in Gary Soto's poem “Oranges” conveys how powerful adolescent love can be.

=Imagery= Gary Soto uses contrasting imagery to portray the feeling of adolescent love. Within the first seven lines of the poem the narrator tells you that it is a cold, gray December day. The first time the oranges are introduced, the narrator simply tells you that he is “Weighed down with two oranges in my jacket". The bright image and color of the oranges immediately begins to infuse light, happiness, and love into the scene by contrasting with the cold, frosty December atmosphere. The oranges have the ability to do this because of a connotative connection with the bright color of the oranges and light. Later, the narrator notices that the girl’s porch light is always on despite the weather or the time of day. This image again brings up light that in turn reflects back to the brightness of the oranges. Then the girl appears, “Pulling at her gloves, face bright with rouge". The bright rouge color in her face links her with the oranges and their light, as well. Every image that includes light adds to the growing feeling of love and warmth within the dreary surroundings, because love and warmth are most often associated with light and happiness. This everlasting light reappears again and again throughout the poem shown through light in the girl’s eyes, her smile, and the way the orange looks like fire in the boy’s hands. Every contrasting image of light is linked to another and continuously intensifies the growing feeling of young love and happiness.