Gary Soto
Final Essay: Gary Soto
Gary Soto, born on April 12th, 1952 is a proud Mexican-American that grew up in a very low class neighborhood in Fresno, California with both of his parents (Gillespie,
Becker 100). Soto exclaimed that he was marginal kid; this means that he could have either ended up in prison or easily graduate from college. He put forth more effort in other things than school, such as girls or work. As a child and teen Mr. Soto was never interested in his schooling but he tried his hardest to find work. He never realized how important school was until after he graduated from high school with a below average grade point average at a 1.6. After he finished high school he attended a community college and got inspired to start writing poetry. Mr. Soto felt as if he had a knack for writing, so he transferred to a Fresno State in California. After he finished college he wrote and won awards for a book of poetry at 24 years of age called, “The Elements of San Joaquin.” Mr. Soto is a very talented writer in adult writing but in the late 1980’s he started to tackle children books and succeeded. He currently writes poetry books for all ages and he manages to have time to be a full time English lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley (Needham). I believe that Soto’s work in poetry and books can be humorous, serious, and very moving and the way he describes the scene in his writings help contribute to his talent as a writer. Spoken by the author from the article called, “The First R,” that was published in the New York Times, “Gary Soto decided to become a poet in college after reading a bittersweet poem by Edward Field called “Unwanted.” Then Soto explained that it is a story of a man that feels like everyone singles him out and Soto felt like it connected to his own life. Gary Soto’s poems are very detailed, and Soto makes you feel as if you can imagine every little aspect of his story. Mr. Soto says in “The First R,” he likes to
Gary Soto, born on April 12th, 1952 is a proud Mexican-American that grew up in a very low class neighborhood in Fresno, California with both of his parents (Gillespie,
Becker 100). Soto exclaimed that he was marginal kid; this means that he could have either ended up in prison or easily graduate from college. He put forth more effort in other things than school, such as girls or work. As a child and teen Mr. Soto was never interested in his schooling but he tried his hardest to find work. He never realized how important school was until after he graduated from high school with a below average grade point average at a 1.6. After he finished high school he attended a community college and got inspired to start writing poetry. Mr. Soto felt as if he had a knack for writing, so he transferred to a Fresno State in California. After he finished college he wrote and won awards for a book of poetry at 24 years of age called, “The Elements of San Joaquin.” Mr. Soto is a very talented writer in adult writing but in the late 1980’s he started to tackle children books and succeeded. He currently writes poetry books for all ages and he manages to have time to be a full time English lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley (Needham). I believe that Soto’s work in poetry and books can be humorous, serious, and very moving and the way he describes the scene in his writings help contribute to his talent as a writer. Spoken by the author from the article called, “The First R,” that was published in the New York Times, “Gary Soto decided to become a poet in college after reading a bittersweet poem by Edward Field called “Unwanted.” Then Soto explained that it is a story of a man that feels like everyone singles him out and Soto felt like it connected to his own life. Gary Soto’s poems are very detailed, and Soto makes you feel as if you can imagine every little aspect of his story. Mr. Soto says in “The First R,” he likes to
Cited: “The First R.” New York Times 11 Nov. 2001: 38(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. Soto, Gary. “To Be A Man.” Across Cultures: A Reader for Writers. Ed. Sheena Gillespie, and Robert Becker. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson. 2011. 100-103. Print. Soto, Gary. “The Old Man & His Door.” New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1996. Print. Needham, Nancy. “Meet Gary Soto: always close to home.” NEA Today Nov. 1992: 9. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. White, Julianna. “Soto’s Oranges” The Explicator 63.2 (2005): 121+. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.