By: Gary Soto
As we study this poem you will learn:
 The story of the poem
 Be reminded of the following terminologies:

Metaphor, Simile, Symbolism, Climax
 The
themes that it explores is Love
 Explore the significance and meaning of the
orange
 Read out the poem to the class in a group
 You will also complete some mini tasks and a
test and an assignment on the poem

Write about a time when you have had a strange
encounter with a female who is either in or
outside your family. What was strange about it?
How did the both of you react? How did it
eventually manage to end?

Have you or do you of anyone who has purchased
an item and paid for it in a different form other
than money? If so, describe what has happened
that has allowed this to happen. How did the
salesperson conducting the transaction react
throughout the whole situation?
I turned to the candies
Tiered like bleachers,
And asked what she wanted Light in her eyes, a smile
The first time I walked
With a girl, I was twelve,
Cold, and weighted down
With two oranges in my jacket.
December. Frost cracking
Beneath my steps, my breath
Before me, then gone,
As I walked toward
Her house, the one whose
Porch light burned yellow
Night and day, in any weather.
A dog barked at me, until
She came out pulling
At her gloves, face bright
Starting at the corners
Of her mouth. I fingered
A nickel in my pocket,
And when she lifted a chocolate
That cost a dime,
I didn’t say anything.
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 mine,
And held them, knowing
Very well what it was all
About.
With rouge. I smiled,
Outside,
Touched her shoulder, and led
A few cars hissing past,
Her down the street, across
Fog hanging like old
A used car lot and a line
Coats between the trees.
Of newly planted trees,
I took my girl’s hand
Until we were breathing
In mine for two blocks,
Before a drugstore. We
Then released it to let
Entered, the tiny bell
Her unwrap the chocolate.
Bringing a saleslady
I peeled my orange
Down a narrow aisle of goods.
That was so bright against
The gray of December
(Stanza continues into the top of the next column)
That, from some distance,
Someone might have thought
Most poems have an idea or ‘story’ that the poet wants to
tell his reader.
Mini Task 1
Task: In 100-150 words write down what you think is the
story of Oranges
Hint: Look at the 2nd column of the poem to sum up what
happens.
Stanza: It is a series of lines in a poem that are grouped
together.
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The speaker in the poem recounts about the time when he first
walked with a girl that he liked
He remembers carrying two oranges in his jacket. When he arrives,
the girl then comes out, pulling on her gloves



The two couples then walk together and enter a local drugstore
At the request of the speaker, the girl decides that she would like
to have a chocolate


B.
B.
Just looking at the speaker
Understanding the situation that he speaker fancies the girl
The two couple then go out in the cold weather and the boy holds
the girl’s hand


Nickel (¢ 5)
1 of the Oranges he holds
The saleslady reacts to the unusual payment of an orange by:
A.

She reacts to his question by: A) Smiling and B) Eyes lighting up
The speaker pays for the ¢ 10 chocolate using:
A.

The boy reacts by: A) Smiling and B) Touching her shoulder
Significance: He assumes that he has ‘won’ her heart at this point
As the girl unwraps the chocolate, the speaker peels the other
orange

The orange is compared to the fire, symbolizing the passion he has for
her

This is a, ‘free Verse Poem’ as there is no clear
rhyming pattern

Free verse poems do not follow a particular pattern, rhyme
scheme, or stanza pattern
It is NOT written in verses
 Is made up of 2 stanzas, with 1 long and 1 short stanza



This shows that it is written with intention to highlight the
climax within the poem
"The lady’s eyes met mine,/ And held them, knowing/
Very well what it was all/ About”  Climax


The salesperson was originally struck when presented with
an orange as a form of payment. Nevertheless, after seeing
the speaker and the girl he was standing next to, she
realized he was trying to impress her
In essence, she followed through with the boy’s silent
request for help and saved him the devastation of
rejecting the orange in exchange for the chocolate
 The
speaker may have brought oranges to
share it with the girl
 The oranges can be used as a form of
payment, to make up for anything that might
cost more than the ¢5 that he had

This is what actually happened
 For
A.
B.
the speaker, it represents both:
Wealth
Love
 Contrast
Object: The orange was bright in
his hands and the day was gray and grim
 At first, the orange seems to be a burden,
but by the end of the poem, it symbolizes
hope between the 2 characters

The speaker is meticulous and brave

Meticulous: Taking or showing extreme care about details
and how things are planned (Definition)



He is a risk taker, since they possibility of being denied the
chocolate the girl has requested was quite high
Line: “Cold, and weighted down”


He knows he might not have enough money, so he brought the
oranges just in case
Meaning: It is winter, the oranges were heavy – perhaps a
burden because he realizes he does not have any money
One can interpret the girl’s reaction in various ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
She genuinely loves the boy and wants to be spoiled by
him
She might have been shy, but was not intimidated for the
kind of candy she wanted
Like him, she may have been poor and wanted to be
treated to a snack
She is naïve and does not really know what is going on

Speaker: It is obvious that speaker has great love for the girl he
fancies since:
He picks her up from the house
 Walks with her to the drugstore
 Buys her the item that she requests
 He took chance at possible humiliation by paying for the other half of
the chocolate using an orange




To his luck, this worked
He sacrificed the little money he had and rather than eating the same
thing, he instead chose to eat the other orange
Girl: The girl in return shows interest by:
Having him taking her out
 Allowing him to touch her should and later holding her hands
 Smiling and showing various facial expressions of approval
 Eats the chocolate with him


Examples of love references:
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Face bright With rouge. I smiled, touched her shoulder, and led Her
down the street”
“And asked what she wanted - light in her eyes, a smile starting at
the corners Of her mouth”
“I took my girl’s hand In mine for two blocks, then released it to let
Her unwrap the chocolate“
“From some distance, someone might have thought I was making a
fire in my hands”

Symbolism – Orange


Imagery: “We are breathing before a drugstore”


Meaning: The speaker emphasize that the cars are making a
hissing-like sound
Personification/Simile – “Fog hanging like old Coats
between the trees”




Meaning: It is so cold they can see their breath as they stand in
front of the store
Onomatopoeia - “A few cars hissing past”


Meaning: It is a symbol of love, passion and fury for the
speaker. It has great value and is seen as just as important as
money
Meaning: The fog is being given the human attribute that it is
around. The fog is also compared to a coat that hangs out from
a tree to dry
Symbolism – “I was making a fire in my hands”
Meaning: This symbolizes the spark of the flame of a new
relationship beginning
Metaphor – The orange’s indirect comparison to sun

Meaning: The orange seems to lighten the mood and the
love between the two, during a cold and gloomy day

Task: Explain the strange actions of both the speaker and the
girl in Gary Soto’s “Orange”. In addition, you need to discuss:
• How the actions of the 2 characters relate to the theme of
love
• Its structure as well as its meaning
• What you enjoyed about it
• What you did not like about it

Words: 300-500 words
Due Date: February/March ________.
Warning: Please avoid plagiarizing, otherwise you risk getting a
zero
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
Task: Rough Work
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Work awarded marks in the bands below will display most of the accompanying
criteria
17-20
12-16
7-12
1-6
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The assignment is at the upper end of the word limit.
It is a comprehensive, astute and accurate answer to the question.
Excellent knowledge and understanding of the text is displayed.
There are frequent supportive references to the text.
There is a very good use of English with very few errors in SPG.
It conforms to MLA format.
The assignment is within the word limit.
It is a good answer to the question.
A good working knowledge and understanding of the text is displayed.
There are some supportive references to the text.
There is a good use of English with a few errors in SPG.
It conforms to MLA format.
The assignment is below the word limit.
It is a weak or inaccurate answer to the question.
Limited knowledge and understanding of the text is displayed.
There are no supportive references to the text.
There is a poor use of English with frequent errors in SPG.
It does not completely conform to MLA format.
The assignment is below the word limit.
It does not really answer the question.
Very limited knowledge and understanding of the text is displayed.
There are no supportive references to the text.
There is a very poor use of English with extensive errors in SPG.
It does not conform to MLA format.
Comments: _____________________________________________________________
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