Gary Soto Thesis

Gary Soto is a Mexican-American poet whose dedication to writing ensured his success as a poet. Gary Soto was born on April 12, 1952 to working-class Mexican-American parents. They worked in San Joaquin Valley, an agricultural region in Fresno, California. At this time, his parents were working odd jobs in order to sustain his family. Yet there was still not enough money, forcing Gary Soto and his siblings to work in industrial and agricultural businesses. While working, he also attended school, where he was generally an unmotivated student. Yet towards the end of high school, he fell in love with poetry, and his abilities as a poet began to flourish. His passion continued to grow from there. While studying at California State University, he

discovered an array of American Poets that inspired and motivated him to start publishing poems of his own, that later on became iconic. As a professional writer, he won numerous awards for his poetic pieces. Gradually, he developed into the illustrious poet, that he is known as today. He continues to write novels, poem, memoirs, from his home located in Berkeley, California. Gary Soto’s intriguing past contributed to his success as being one of the greatest American poets of our time.

Gary Soto clearly demonstrates the direct impact environmental factors, past events and situations have had on his writing, and how his poetry was influenced and transformed by his culture and upbringing.

Throughout Gary Soto’s successful and eventful life, he claims to have been greatly influenced by the environment he grew up in. He articulates the realities of living in a less privileged Mexican American neighborhood. Many of Soto’s poems are set in San Joaquin Valley, the place where he grew up. One in particular is “The Elements of San Joaquin Valley”, in the first stanza, he states, “The wind sprays pale dirt into my mouth.” He expresses the struggles and hardships of growing up in such an area. Similar themes continue in another poem, “The Drought”, depicting the harsh weather conditions he experienced he writes, “They passed the fields where the trees dried thin as hat racks.” The simile comparing the dried out trees to thin hat racks, aiming to express the extreme dryness and extent of the drought. Gary Soto is half Mexican, and grew up with certain traditions representing his Mexican culture. In an interview, he states, “It's important to me to create and share new stories about my heritage.” He wrote a book called, Too Many Tamales, a children's book based on the traditions and celebrations he celebrated as a kid. Influenced by the events and situations that occurred throughout his lifetime, Gary Soto transfers the experiences into writing pieces, hoping to

educate his readers.