Oranges

In the poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto, the two oranges that the young boy begins the poem with have very rich symbolism. At every major point of his journey, the oranges add a strong degree of meaning. Before we look at the specific symbolic meaning of the oranges in this text though, we must first look at the general use of oranges as a symbol. The online Dictionary of Symbolism constructed by Allison Protas has this to say about oranges: “Like many fruits, the orange has become predominantly a symbol of fertility; if it is depicted in Paradise, it is the fruit of the Fall, occasionally replacing the apple as the Forbidden fruit. As a color, orange is most often linked to flame and fire, conveying their qualities. Orange can also mean luxury.” Some of this symbolism finds itself in Gary Soto’s poem. Although there is nothing related to fertility in this poem, it is about a relationship between a boy and a girl, which makes it suitable for this story. Probably most significant is the idea that “orange is most often linked to flame and fire, conveying their qualities,” because at the end of this poem, the young boy states that:

I peeled my orange
That was so bright against
The gray of December

That, from some distance,
Someone might have thought
I was making a fire in my hands. (1051)

There is also some symbolism in this poem that relies on the context of the poem to determine. The poem begins with the boy saying that he was “cold and weighted down with two oranges in my jacket” (1051). The oranges are symbolic of his feelings. All of us have experienced the nervousness of being with someone that we liked just as this twelve year old boy is experiencing it here. The second time the oranges provide rich symbolism is in the drugstore. His desire to impress the girl is expressed by his confident presentation of an orange to the cashier. When the cashier accepts the orange as payment from him, the orange instantly gains significant worth. It now symbolizes his success in impressing his girl. As they walk home and he begins peeling the remaining orange, it is no longer simply an orange but a symbol of determination, affection, and success.



Protas, Allison. Dictionary of Symbolism. n.p., n.d. Web. 21 March 2011.

Soto, Gary. “Oranges.” The Literary Experience. Ed. Beiderwell, Bruce and Jeffrey M. Wheeler. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. 1051. Print.

The Kingdom Where Everybody Dies

“Childhood Is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies” examines a child’s perspective of how childhood and death, or the lack of, are connected. Edna St. Vincent Millay writes of a child who experiences death and reacts to it. It can either be read to mean that in childhood death is not fully understood so it does not really exist in the mind of a child, or it can be understood to mean that once someone close to us dies, we leave childhood. I hold more strongly to the second notion, particularly because of the final stanza of the poem.

Your tea is cold now.
You drink it standing up,
And leave the house. (306)

The use of tea is significant. Earlier in the poem it speaks of “people who have died, who neither listen nor speak; Who do not drink their tea, though they have always said tea was such a comfort” (306). This poem was written at a time where the social setting placed high value on having tea together. It symbolized social inclusion among adults, and a dream symbolism dictionary states that “making or drinking tea, represents satisfaction and contentment in your life. You are taking your time with regards to some relationship or situation. Alternatively, the dream signifies tranquility, serenity, calmness, and respect” (DreamMoods.com). Because the dead can no longer drink their tea, the comfort that tea is supposed to bring is absent. Then the child’s tea is cold. The fact that the tea is cold also serves a significant purpose because the adjective cold “is said of the human body when deprived of its animal heat; esp. of a dead body, of death, the grave (mingling with b); hence sometimes = cold in death, dead” (Oxford English Dictionary). All of this comes together to symbolize the death of childhood in connection with the death of people close to us.

In the final line of this poem, the child “leaves the house” (306). The comfort of home and of childhood is gone. It is left behind as he steps out of the house into The Kingdom Where Everybody Dies.


“cold, adj.”. OED Online. November 2010. Oxford University Press. 23 February 2011. Web.

Millay, Edna St. Vincent. “Childhood Is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies.” The Literary Experience. Ed. Beiderwell, Bruce and Jeffrey M. Wheeler. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. 305. Print.

Dream Moods. Dream Moods, Inc. 2000. Web. 23 February 2011.

Death is but a Short Sleep

In John Donne’s poem “Death Be Not Proud,” a proper literary understanding of the word sleep is vital to the overall reading of this poem. The Oxford English Dictionary defines sleep in one entry as “The repose of death.” It is this definition that fits into this poem. The use of the word sleep in some ways alludes to death, but the word death is also used so they are used by the author as two distinct entities. Sleep is used to define death. The lines “From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,” and “One short sleep passed, we wake eternally,” both equate death to sleep (1031). Sleep is very docile and peaceful. It gives rest and recuperation. It creates unconsciousness and then we wake from it with renewed strength. This is the image that the author conjures in our minds about death as we read this poem. It brings us to a place where we do not fear death, but embrace it and look forward to it as we do to sleep.

This poem is an allegory that makes Death the central character. Without the use of allegory, this poem would have lost all of its impact because we would not be able to reconcile sleep and death together as well as the author did. It is because we view Death as a character that we are not only able to ascribe the qualities of sleep to “him,” but even replace the character Death with the character Sleep. Imagine if the author did not use the allusion of sleep? Would this story have had impact? I can hardly see how. It is precisely because the author compares death to sleep that we see death in a different light. It is because death is but the “One short sleep” that we face before eternity.


"sleep, n.". OED Online. November 2010. Oxford University Press. 9 February 2011 .

Donne, John. “Death Be Not Proud.” The Literary Experience. Ed. Beiderwell, Bruce and Jeffrey M. Wheeler. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. 1031. Print.