This poem elaborates on a boy’s first experience of being in love with girl. This poem has one speaker, who is unknown. One can assume that Gary Soto is referencing himself. The speaker is carefully remembering certain details like, "newly planted trees,” & "a few cars hissing past" because these memories must have impacted the. I am assuming the speaker is an older man, recollecting his youth. The poem has two conflicting settings, the first one is the place where the speaker is physically in, which is wintery and cold. The second setting is within the speaker’s realm of perception that centers on the description of the girl which is, “bright with rouge.” The poem’s title even contradicts the setting because the word, “oranges,” depicts the
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When picturing oranges, it coerces you to constantly think of sweet flavors, and a warm summer day. The first time I walked
With a girl, I was twelve,
Cold, and weighted down
With two oranges in my jacket.
In these lines, the speaker is carrying two oranges, which is a couple, it mirrors both the girl and the speaker who is also a couple. On another note, the speaker likely brought the oranges to share with the girl to gesture his feelings of love. However, the speaker is "weighted down" by the oranges which refers to the speaker’s emotional state. Thus oranges symbolizes his feelings and ideas of love. 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 …show more content…
The author specifically used the word,” gloves,” instead of words like,” mittens,” to further invoke his manliness. Even though he is only twelve and not yet a man, he still displays chivalrous adult-like behavior when he,” Touched her shoulder, and led / Her down the street. Here is an enjambment, which slows the reader down to focus on the end word, “led,” because traditionally, a man is supposed to lead his girl. Another chivalrous action is when the boy offers to pay for her candy. Traditionally, whenever a man courts a woman, he usually provides a mean of financial security for the woman. The speaker is partaking in norms of gender-roles. One could go further and say this is leads to the idea of coming of age. Hence the phrase, “I’m not a girl, not yet a
When picturing oranges, it coerces you to constantly think of sweet flavors, and a warm summer day. The first time I walked
With a girl, I was twelve,
Cold, and weighted down
With two oranges in my jacket.
In these lines, the speaker is carrying two oranges, which is a couple, it mirrors both the girl and the speaker who is also a couple. On another note, the speaker likely brought the oranges to share with the girl to gesture his feelings of love. However, the speaker is "weighted down" by the oranges which refers to the speaker’s emotional state. Thus oranges symbolizes his feelings and ideas of love. 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 …show more content…
The author specifically used the word,” gloves,” instead of words like,” mittens,” to further invoke his manliness. Even though he is only twelve and not yet a man, he still displays chivalrous adult-like behavior when he,” Touched her shoulder, and led / Her down the street. Here is an enjambment, which slows the reader down to focus on the end word, “led,” because traditionally, a man is supposed to lead his girl. Another chivalrous action is when the boy offers to pay for her candy. Traditionally, whenever a man courts a woman, he usually provides a mean of financial security for the woman. The speaker is partaking in norms of gender-roles. One could go further and say this is leads to the idea of coming of age. Hence the phrase, “I’m not a girl, not yet a