Craft Lesson 2

Using concrete images
Resource materials- Soto, Gary. Canto Familiar: A Poetry Collection. Orlando FL: Harcourt, 1995.
Discussion- Gary Soto uses personal experiences to write the poetry found in Canto Familiar. By drawing on his own wealth of memories and feelings, Soto is able to inject his poems with a personal tone. Soto uses concrete images to provide a setting that is realistic and filled with detail. His poems bring to life the subject matter Soto is relating to the reader.
How to teach it- Soto’s ability to create interesting poems based on personal experiences lies within his use of unique images in the setting. In the poem “ Papi’s Menudo” for example, Soto describes in very specific detail the actions of his father. These descriptions allow the reader to place himself at the family’s table and feel connected to the poem.
Students could analyze the work of Soto and pick out specific details that stood out to them. They could then be asked how these details made the poem stronger or weaker. After looking at Soto’s work, they could be asked to form a list with as many images as they can think of. The students could then use the list as a reference when they are trying to add specific details to a poem.