Acceptance: 1) The action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered. 2) The action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group. However, many think of acceptance much differently. The popular opinion of acceptance, however, is when one emotionally acknowledges the importance or significance of someone or something. In his story short story “The Jacket,” Gary Soto writes about the period of a boy’s life when he receives an ugly, “day-old guacamole” green jacket that is made fun of and altogether convinces the narrator that the jacket is the one to blame for his lonely years. In it, Soto reveals the theme to be “acceptance is gradual” by using allusion, personification, and main events …show more content…
in the plot. First, Soto alludes to the Five Stages of Grief to show that acceptance is gradual. The first stage is denial, where one tries to make everything all right, maybe pretending that something is what it is not. Soto says, “I sat on the bed, stood against the bed, and combed my hair to see what I would look like doing something natural.” The main character is attempting to make the jacket fit in, trying to make it seem normal, when in reality the jacket is still just ugly and unattractive.
The second stage is anger, where one takes out all of their anger on someone or something to relieve them of their grief. Soto writes, “With my hands in my pockets I kicked a ball against the fence.” In this situation the protagonist is taking out all of his anger out on the ball in order to try to sate his grief, which he does unsuccessfully. The third stage is bargaining, in which one tries to bring something back through bargaining, saying they will do something, anything to get something, or, in more serious cases, someone, back. Soto does not look at this stage, though it is almost evident that over the course of the three years mentioned in the story. Seeing as how he will go through the other two later on, it’s pretty safe to say that he went through this stage as well. The fourth stage one goes through is depression. This is self-explanatory, one is depressed and is overall bummed out for the period of the fourth stage. Soto states, “I stayed with the ugly boys who leaned against the chain link fence and looked around with propellers …show more content…
of grass spinning in our mouths.” Here the narrator is hanging out with others like him, depressed that they have no friends, moping around and envying those who have friends. Finally, the last stage: acceptance. This stage is where, after a long and melancholy(-ish) time, one accepts what has happened and moves on, no longer grieving. While they may still feel saddened, they have learned to cope with that grief. Soto writes, “I swiped the jacket off the ground… I started up the alley and soon slipped into my jacket, that green ugly brother who breathed over my shoulder that day and ever since.” Now, the narrator has finally learned to accept that the jacket is and forevermore will be his and he can’t get rid of it, therefore he might as well just get over it. Overall, the Five Stages of Grief show the progress of the narrator’s feelings toward his jacket and how over time he comes to accept it, and how it pertains to the theme of “acceptance is gradual.” Second, Soto utilizes personification to convey the theme that acceptance is gradual.
The narrator laments, “My clothes have failed me.” This is the first line of “The Jacket,” which presents a conflict. Later, in the last sentence, he says, “…that green ugly brother who breathed over my shoulder and that day ever since.” He finally accepts that the jacket will be with him like a brother, even though it is an inanimate object. Over the long three years that he spent stressing over the jacket, he learns that, though not the most attractive article of clothing, the jacket has stuck by his side, through thick or thin, whether or not he or the jacket wanted to. He has learned not to take it for granted, as his mother stated that “there were children in Mexico who would love that jacket,” and instead accepted its usefulness—even though it took him three long, gradual years to accept it. Soto also writes, “…as if it were a stranger whose hand I had to shake,” then eventually, “…that green ugly brother… .” This shows that over a long time, the narrator comes to view the jacket as his brother instead of a stranger, proving that he has warmed up to the jacket. In conclusion, Soto uses a variety of personification to show the theme, “acceptance is
gradual.” Finally, Soto uses the main events of the plot of “The Jacket” to show that acceptance is gradual. The narrator rues, “I wore that thing for three years… I blame that jacket for those bad years.” The narrator is implying that for three years he was forced to wear the jacket against his will and that he loathed it, but then near the end states, “I flung it over the fence into the alley. Later, however, I swiped the jacket off the ground… .” He convinced himself that he hated the jacket because he believed that it caused him those bad years, but came to realize that perhaps the jacket wasn’t so bad after all. The narrator also accounts, “But that L-shaped rip on the left sleeve got bigger, bits of stuffing coughed out from its wound after a hard day of play. I finally Scotch-Taped it closed… .” Though the narrator is convinced that the jacket is his inanimate nemesis, he mentally toughens up and doesn’t use the rip as an excuse to get a new, better looking jacket, showing that he might regard the jacket as having a sort of sentimental value. To summarize, Soto uses key happenings in the story to accentuate the theme “acceptance is gradual.” To wrap it all up, Soto’s utilization of allusion, personification and main events in the plot to show that the theme of “The Jacket” is “acceptance is gradual.”
The mission was established initially in 1690 as Mission San Francisco de los Tejas in East Texas. The mission was abandoned and moved to the West Bank of the San Antonio River and was called Mission San Francisco de la Espada in 1731. Its purpose was to serve the Coahuiltecan tribes and educate them in religion.
“I found that the glove, as thin as it was, helped considerably, and inserted one pad after another until a good deal or relief was afforded” -Albert Spalding. Spalding had played on the Boston Red Stockings, today’s Red Sox, and pitched game after game and wore out his hands like all other players. So after he left the team, he managed and part owned the Chicago White Stockings, Today’s white Sox. In 1876 Spalding created and started selling the first professional baseball gloves. He sold them at his store, Spalding Sporting Goods, which he had opened earlier in 1876. After he had died in 1915 he was accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the year it opened in 1939. Albert Spalding created the first professional baseball glove, he applied past knowledge to innovate ways to prevent baseball injuries, and illuminated the world by making baseball safer.
In “The Jacket” by Gary Soto, the use of figurative language and perspective show his feelings towards the jacket and help describe it. In the beginning of the story Gary Soto opens with a statement about how his jacket determined his popularity. Then the reader is then introduced to a description of the jacket that he is hoping to get. He then receives a new jacket which he abhors, which he blames for all of his problems, unable to take responsibility. He also becomes very paranoid that he is being judged and laughed at. As he wears the jacket he slowly begins to accept that it is his new reality and becomes sentimentally attached.
Throughout the time I spent between the covers of The Prince of Los Cocuyos, I was astounded by Richard Blanco’s dynamic relationship with the novel’s sole “antagonist”: his abuela. It seemed that no matter how many times he was chagrined at her attempts to negotiate the English language, or was forced to repress his very personhood to meet her traditional standards of manhood, she never ceased to be a pillar of support for a young Richard Blanco. But beyond his grandmother, Mr. Blanco made it quite clear that he was surrounded by a pueblo of family and friends throughout his childhood and adolescence, a village that would confound his “becoming” but foster his growth, make him question his identity and yet be intricately connected to it. It
In “Oranges”, Gary Soto celebrates the love and affection a twelve years old boy had for his girl in the winter season. The first line of the poem makes it clear that the boy was just twelve years old when he was first able to walk down the street with a girl. The poem illustrates the nervousness he displayed as they walked down the street “cold and weighted down with two oranges in my jacket” depicts how the boy was nervous. As being nervous would get you to notice every little thing that happens around you and notice even the slightest things. As a typical twelve years old lad, he did not know what to expect on his first date with his girl.
Soto’s “Black Hair” is a perfect example of a poem that is effective through close analysis of certain concrete images which hold the key to the foundation of the poem and its underlying themes. In this poem, the universal themes of family and culture are hidden under the figure of Hector Moreno, the image of the narrator’s hair, as well as the extended baseball metaphor about culture. Although the title may seem ordinary at first glance, the challenge that the poem presents through its connection of concrete images and themes is very intriguing, and the themes are made clear through the effective use of certain poetic elements.
He wanted to be famous, “At ten I wanted fame” (Soto line 1) and to achieve his dreams he became rebellious, this was the only way he had to get the attention he wanted from those around him. Soto portrayed the child’s personality as a reflection of his own, he knew that he could act in similar ways to the character and had no consequences or being discipline it for it; at the end Soto’s parents were acceptable oh his behavior, as long he stayed out of prison. The fact that acting in a good way was not going to lead to receive any attention, acting rebellious is the only way the child has to be noticed. Evidently, there is a lack of respect displayed54t by the child in the poem; he images himself cursing to an imaginary priest, “I said ‘shit.’ ‘Fuck you,’ and “No way Daddy-o” (Soto lines
When somebody is being unappreciative that makes someone feel bad . In “The Jacket” by Gary Soto there is a little boy who is being very unappreciative of a jacket his mom got him and it probably makes her feel really bad about her jacket decision for her son.
Media. The main means of mass communication regarded collectively. It comes in the form of t.v., radio, newspapers, magazines etc. The media has a way of portraying a story in a way that they want it to be seen by audiences. In other words, the media only tells us only what they want us to hear; which, may or may not be the truth or include the entire story. The media is always looking for the next best story and the competition to be the first one on the scene can be intense. A documentary by 9.14 Productions tells the story of a man and his art collection; The Barnes Foundation.
In "The Jacket" Gary Soto uses symbolism to reflect on the characterization and development of the narrator. Soto seems to focus mainly on a jacket, which has several meanings throughout the story. The jacket is used as a symbol to portray poverty, the narrator's insecurity, and the narrator's form of self-destruction.
He learned over some time, that it is possible for one to retain separateness but keep individuality, and one can be a public person as well as a private person. He says that at first he wanted to be like everyone else (fit in), and only when he could think of himself as American it was than okay to be an individual in public society. He speaks of a man from Mexico who held on to Spanish: "For as long as he holds on to words, he can ignore how much else has changed his life" (35). The message is to not take words for granted and not to misuse words because they certainly do have meaning. For example, `brother' and `sister' is becoming a public repetition of words. The meaning will become lifeless. Words mean something when the voice takes control "the heart cannot contain!" (39). It forms an intimate sound.
In the end of the story, Sotos was happy that he continued with his plan. Soto Should have been thinking more of what he wanted because it could have taken him further. His family brainwashed him by telling him he was not good enough for other girls in a higher social class. Through his journey on marrying Carolyn, Soto went through three major life changes: Culture, food, and marriage. Similarly, In my childhood my father wanted me to be a successful basketball player. That was something I did not want to take seriously for my life so I chose skateboarding. Making my own choice to keep skateboarding throughout my life has brought me many magnificent
All of us pass through adolescence before reaching adulthood. It is a crucial stage in everyone’s life that plays a big role in the adult life. “The Jacket” is a representation of Gary Soto’s adolescent life. It is a short story depicting his hardships as an adolescent as he battled with peer pressure and low self-esteem or lack of confidence caused by the ugly green jacket. The jacket serves as a symbol of his personal battles, growth, maturity, and his readiness to face the cold and harsh challenges in his life.
Steven Millhauser’s novel Martin Dressler depicts a rags to riches story about a man named Martin. Son of a cigar shop owner, Martin learned everything about cigars from his father, helping improve business any way he could. Martin Dressler explores the American Dream in all its manifestations: as aim, vision, intention, nightmare, and hallucination. The achievement of the American dream almost always comes down to your determination and willingness to work as hard as you can towards your goals. If you work hard and have enough perseverance, you may be lucky enough to achieve the success that you seek. Even from a young age we are taught to want success. Despite what we are taught success leads to failure and without we wouldn’t learn from our mistakes. Martin fails because his dreams become too elaborate as he strives for continuous success.
This stage takes place during childhood (6 to 12 years); during this period the child seeks to settle crisis of industriousness versus inferiority. According to this theory, these behaviors might have an explanation that goes back to my childhood. Erikson points out that at stage four, children need to be reinforced positively for activities at school, in sports, or artistic fields in order to cultivate a high self-concept and a sense of industriousness. If the child’s efforts are perceived as inadequate, feelings of social and mental inferiority can move stealthily into adulthood, (Maitland, 2011).