The Elements of Oranges

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. The Elements of “Oranges” The Elements of “Oranges” In this paper I will be discussing the different elements of Gary Soto’s poem “Oranges” (1995) from chapter 11 of our textbook “Introduction to Literature”. Gary Soto is known for writing poems and short stories that refer to the realities of growing up and the poem “Oranges” is a perfect example of this. I felt that Soto shows he has tremendous skill when writing, he uses descriptive words that make sounds, sights, and smells lift up off the paper and come to life. Soto uses short sentences with simple words along with the straightforwardness I found it easy to follow and extremely enjoyable. I would say after reading this poem it ranks up pretty high on my favorites list as it instantly made me smile and feel all warm inside. “Oranges” is from the genre narrative poetry and the writer Soto wants you to remember back when you first encountered your first love, first kiss, or first date with a boy or girl. You know that time when you got butterflies in your stomach and your heart skipped a beat every time you heard their name or they walked in the room. I believe the theme to be young love, extreme happiness, and the innocence of a child transforming into adolescent. Soto’s universal message is how young love can bring about many feelings and it also demonstrates an act of understanding and kindness from a complete stranger. The metaphor in “Oranges” I believe would be the oranges as they represent money, love, and passion for another human being. Another element used by Soto is simile, “a simile is a figure of speech in which ‘like” or “as” is used to make a comparison between ideas that are basically dissimilar” (Prentice Hall Literature 2002). Page 895. Paragraph 2. When the narrator says “fog hanging like old coats between the trees” the word like is a similie and also when he says
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