Imagery in Oranges- Gary Soto

In “Oranges” written by Gary Soto it is hard not to find the beauty in such a simplistic love between a young boy and girl. Similar to how Julie Martinez writes about love in my previous posting. The story within the poem is exactly that, simple. That is what makes it extremely relatable and adorable. Once upon a time we were all young and we all remember our first time alone with our first crush.

The girls house “the one whose porch light burned yellow, night and day in any weather,” causes the reader to easily picture the street they grew up on. For me it gives a perfect picture of exactly where I grew up and where I live today. “Fog hung like old coats,” this imager is what makes us feel the dampness weighing down the young couple. The use of imagery and diction makes the reader feel as if they are joining the young boy and girl on their December stroll. The reader feels invited back to their childhood which demonstrates the talent of Gary Soto’s use of imagery. Oranges is a simplistic love story that can give a warm fuzzy feeling in one’s tummy and bring “rouge to their cheeks.” Gary Soto reminds us all of innocent love though a fantastic use of imagery.