An orange can symbolize many things, but in this poem it symbolizes color and a child"tms joy. The first sentence is broken into small lines so that the reader pauses at the end of each line. "The first time I walkedWith a girl, I was twelve,Cold, and weighted downWith two oranges in my jacket."(lines 1-4) Each end has a concrete word to give signifigance to the phrase, such as walked, twelve, and jacket. Soto again uses the vision of the oranges, as bulges in the boys"tm pocket. Soto uses "December." (line 5) as a one-word sentence to give it emphasis. It is important to note that the month is December, because the significance of having oranges in the winter is rare and or expensive. Although cold outside, the boy is not concerned about the cold, as his heart is warmed with the thought of his walk with the girl. Soto"tms use of informal dictation in this poem enhances the overall theme of the youthful excitement of the event and what it meant to the boy. "Frost crackling""Beneath my steps, my breathBefore me, then gone,As I walked towardHer house, the one whosePorch light burned yellowNight and day,
The descriptive words in the poem "Oranges" provide the reader with a sense that the events being described are of great importance to the young man narrating the poem. Soto creates sensory images, words that create sound in our minds as we read. "A dog barked at me, untilShe came out pulling," (lines12-13); Entered, the tiny bellBringing a saleslady" (lines 22-23). As the two walk the author uses very descriptive words to give detail to the landscape, "Her down the street, acrossA used car lot and a lineOf newly planted trees,Until we were breathingBefore a drugstore. We" (lines 17-21). Instead of just saying we walked past a car lot and trees, the author gives us a more descriptive picture and uses "used" car lot and "newly" planted trees as images against the cold December walk. As they walk into the drugstore the boy"tms actions and the description of the candy "I turned to the candiesTiered like bleachers," (line 25-26) visually gives the candy importance. The boy asks the girl what she wants; knowing he only has a nickel in his pocket, and when she picks up a chocolate candy that costs ten cents he quietly lays the nickel and an orange on the counter. "I didn't say anything.I took the nickel fromMy pocket, then an orange,And set them quietly onThe counter. When I looked up," (34-38). Again the orange is significant in the poem as the boy uses it to purchase his girl a gift. He trades one of his oranges, one of his symbols of joy, to buy his girlfriend a piece of chocolate, giving of his own joy in order to give this girl joy. "Light in her eyes, a smileStarting at the cornersOf her mouth." (lines 28-30).
"Oranges" gives an instant burst to the poem with a visual image of vivid color and even a sense of smell. An orange can symbolize many things, but in this poem it symbolizes color and a child"tms joy. The first senten
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