Attention is the New Famous In the eyes of those too young to know better, becoming big and tough is just another step in life. In the poem, “Behind Grandma’s House”, the author, Gary Soto, portrays a young, troublesome boy who seems to crave attention from whoever will bestow it upon him. Through each the vivid imagery, the tough guy tone, and well-fitting poetic devices used throughout the poem. Gary Soto is allowed to portray the thematic accusation that people change both their physical and mental appearance in order to gain the acceptance of those around them. Gary Soto, born on April 12, 1952, is a poetic hero in many senses of today’s literature. Not particularly in the sense that he produces well thought out poem and has won many
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Gary Soto used this poetic device to his advantage when writing this poem. He wanted to portray this little kid who thought he was too tough for the world, and from this sprouted this word choice that made readers feel as if they too were in the alley. He wrote stuff such as, “flowering peach”, “stream of spit”, and “her apron flapping in the breeze”, to give the reader a sense of being part of the story (Soto). As if it is a movie that they can see, instead of words on a page that seem of so boring. The imagery allowed a more vivid picture to be painted in the minds of readers. It aided in the presentation of exactly what Soto was trying to express. Therefore, the alley could be seen better, the shift in a sweet boy wanting fame to a rotten kid wanting attention was seen better. Gary Soto’s point of attention seemed to be easier to grasp when given such deep detail, and with this detail the transition of that grasping of attention was seen …show more content…
With these devices the authors of these works of art are able to portray a clearer more crisp image or are able to change the story from one of joy to one of sorrow. Soto uses devices in his poem such as similes as well as the repetition of the word “I” to bring about a better piece of writing. These similes and metaphors that Soto used helped aid to the imagery mentioned earlier. They brought forth a fun, exciting way of reading the poem, instead of just blatantly stating what the character did. “I hurled light bulbs like grenades”, instead of just throwing light bulbs or “and [I] frightened ants with a stream of spit” instead of just spitting on the ants. He used these to aid to that transformation of a tough guy. That from these vivid descriptions readers could see just how tough the little boy thought he was. Soto also continuously starts lines of with the word “I”. He does this to add rhythm and style to his poem, to spice it up instead of leaving it blank and boring. He could have listed them throughout, but instead he turned it into a work of art that portrayed the character a little better. “I borrowed..”, “I hurled…” , “I kicked…”, I broke…” etcetera (Soto). He used the word I to show how the character wanted to be the center of attention. That it was me, myself, and I. That I did this and I did that, just so
Gary Soto used this poetic device to his advantage when writing this poem. He wanted to portray this little kid who thought he was too tough for the world, and from this sprouted this word choice that made readers feel as if they too were in the alley. He wrote stuff such as, “flowering peach”, “stream of spit”, and “her apron flapping in the breeze”, to give the reader a sense of being part of the story (Soto). As if it is a movie that they can see, instead of words on a page that seem of so boring. The imagery allowed a more vivid picture to be painted in the minds of readers. It aided in the presentation of exactly what Soto was trying to express. Therefore, the alley could be seen better, the shift in a sweet boy wanting fame to a rotten kid wanting attention was seen better. Gary Soto’s point of attention seemed to be easier to grasp when given such deep detail, and with this detail the transition of that grasping of attention was seen …show more content…
With these devices the authors of these works of art are able to portray a clearer more crisp image or are able to change the story from one of joy to one of sorrow. Soto uses devices in his poem such as similes as well as the repetition of the word “I” to bring about a better piece of writing. These similes and metaphors that Soto used helped aid to the imagery mentioned earlier. They brought forth a fun, exciting way of reading the poem, instead of just blatantly stating what the character did. “I hurled light bulbs like grenades”, instead of just throwing light bulbs or “and [I] frightened ants with a stream of spit” instead of just spitting on the ants. He used these to aid to that transformation of a tough guy. That from these vivid descriptions readers could see just how tough the little boy thought he was. Soto also continuously starts lines of with the word “I”. He does this to add rhythm and style to his poem, to spice it up instead of leaving it blank and boring. He could have listed them throughout, but instead he turned it into a work of art that portrayed the character a little better. “I borrowed..”, “I hurled…” , “I kicked…”, I broke…” etcetera (Soto). He used the word I to show how the character wanted to be the center of attention. That it was me, myself, and I. That I did this and I did that, just so