Soto Small Town With One Road Analysis

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Soto’s “Small Town with One Road” is a poem that deeply touches upon the issues of Latin Americans stuck in small towns. With the use of literary devices such as similes and imagery it illustrates the deep pain in the townspeople’s hearts. In line 24 the speaker thinks “Papa’s fields wavered like a mirage”(Soto “Small Town”) which shows the illusion of a perfect life in small town fading away. This is a simile that hints at the imperfections hidden in the small town of the speaker’s upbringing. The imagery in the poem such as "And its black strip of highway, big-eyed With rabbits that won't get across"(Soto “Small Town” 2-3) paint a picture of what the quality of life is in the town. The people in the town are caught in a cycle that keeps them in the town with only a few who make it through(Soto). The town is reminiscent of an old western town seen in movie that give an air of poverty and misfortune (Davis). The rabbits can also be perceived as a metaphor for all the young hopefuls in the town who have no way out. Soto is inclusive with his writing by drawing in the reader and forcing them to empathize with the story he has created. In the opening line of “Small Town with One Road” Soto uses the pronoun “we” …show more content…

“Oranges” is the story of a first date between two kids who decide to go to a candy store. This seems like an innocent and cute idea for a date in the beginning but things turn sour when at the candy store and the girl chooses a chocolate bar that’s more expensive than the boy can pay for. Thinking quickly, he pays what he can and offers an orange as part of the payment to the clerk. The clerk accepts this unordinary transaction. The cashier understood that the boy was just trying to avoid an embarrassing scene that could cost him the attentions of his girlfriend. This act gets to the true theme of the poem, helping others in need

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