Explication Of Gary Soto’s “The Tale Of Sunlight”
Explication Of Gary Soto’s “The Tale Of Sunlight”
As the centuries pass, people seem to have more courage to express themselves in unique and innovative ways through their own medium of representation. In modern poetry specifically, we see writers who are bending the rules of traditional form, presentation, and subject matter. A new era in our civilization calls for new poets who are not frightened to be different. Gary Soto, a Mexican-American, has the courage to express the struggle his people have had in the southwest through his mystical writing. His rich culture and literary skills paint a detailed account of his life, hopes, and dreams. In the poem “The Tale of Sunlight,” Soto utilizes dramatic monologue, form, word choice, simile, personification, imagery, magical realism, and theme to bring to life a dramatic situation in this culturally-minded piece.
The dramatic situation in this piece is very extraordinary. It is told through the voice of Manuel Zaragoza and is a dramatic monologue addressed to his nephew. Through Manuel’s storytelling we learn that in his cantina he discovered a triangle of light that did not come from any other light source. As it moved around his cantina, whatever he placed in it’s path, the light would disintegrate the object. This unfortunately included his finger, now a “pink stump.” In scanning the form of the poem, we can tell that it is free verse, and it is not separated into stanzas. The lines in the poem are short, the most words in one line being six. These elements add a dream-like feel to the poem.
There are many action verbs, especially relative to the size of the poem, that really show us what happened during the situation. Stretched, flared, pulled, glowed, knocked, peeked, poured, watched, sizzled, and stood are just a few. It really helps because we can “see” the action. Soto also uses simile to bring the scene to life. The lines “A triangle of sunlight; Was stretched out; On the floor; Like a rug; Like a tired cat” really let us know how the spot appears, and Soto personifies the light “stretching” as well. The normal sunlight around the one brilliant light is described as appearing soiled “Like the bed sheet; Of a borracho (drunk).” The triangle of light later on is described as hanging on...