Coming of age I am going to use the poem by Rachel Hadas titled The Red Hat. The first two lines of this poem explain it all. " It started before Christmas. Now our son officially walks to school alone." (Hadas, 1994) A little boy is growing up, and his parents are now letting him walk to school alone in his mind but they are secretly watching him.
I will use Oranges a poem written by Gary Soto to describe a symbol. Oranges are the symbol in this poem. It symbolizes the innocent love of a twelve-year-old boy who is in on his first date with a girl. Lines 35-42 read "I took the nickel from My pocket, then an orange, And set them quietly on The counter. When I looked up, The lady’s eyes met mine, And held them, knowing Very well what it was all About." (Soto, 1995) The oranges referred to in this line sounds more like hope. I will also be using this poem to give an example of imagery. " Light in her eyes, a smile. Starting at the corners of her mouth." (Soto, 1995) Those lines paint a picture of the girl's smile.
The tone to the Langston Hughes poem Dream Boogie is happiness and excitement. For example, in line 16, he states "I'm happy!" (Hughes, 1951) He is clearly expressing his happiness.
Reference
Clugston, R.W. (2014). Journey into Literature (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education,