The Fruits of Love Revealed in Oranges by Gary SotoImagine that it is winter and it is cold outside. There is nervous electricity around you and love is a new and exciting experience. In your heart you feel a warmth you have never experienced before. This is the moment that Gary Soto captures in his poem “Oranges.” The feeling and power of adolescent love is created using tones, contrasting images and symbolism. First, the use of tone in “Oranges” clearly helps define the theme of the poem. Children often speak in simple sentences that directly describe what happened. The speaker's choice of words and the raw simplicity of his way of telling his story illustrate his youth and the honesty that comes with it. Everything he says, like "The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve years old," is direct and simple, a bit like a childhood sweetheart. Children tend to have more pure and simple feelings toward each other than adults because their lives are simple and uncomplicated. The speaker's tone helps the reader understand these simple feelings of adolescent love. For his next technique, Gary So...