Gary Soto's "Mexican's Begin Jogging," explores an array of emotions twisting from desire to anxiety as the narrative unfolds into an inspiring tale of courage and freedom. It delves into the constant struggle to strive for something better in one man's race towards a new life. Although the poem is simply told, Soto enhances the theme through the careful use of several poetic elements including lyric, imagery, and carpe diem.
             The passage begins with a momentary reflection on setting, explaining to the reader in a few short lines, the history of the speaker's life. "In the factory I worked, in the fleck of rubber, under a press of an oven yellow with flame" (lines 1-3). The author suggests that the speaker is a poverty-stricken man that has lived a limited existence, never knowing some of life's finer things. This brief synopsis allows the reader to see a little further into the depths of such a man.
             As the account rolls on, the author reveals his words in such a way that fuse the reader into the passage. The speaker is amongst men seeking freedom, an element so famed that they are willing to risk all that they have to achieve it.
             Strong imagery is used in the opening stanza to illustrate a sense of urgency and surrounding. "Until the border patrol opened, their vans and my boss waved for us to run" (lines 4-5). The speaker knows that it is imperative he move along quickly in order to be successful in accomplishing what he has been seeking for so long. "Over the fence Soto" (line 6) his boss shouts. At this point, the reader makes the obvious connection between the speaker and the author's name. Could they in fact be one in the same?
             At this point in the narrative, the attitude of the speaker changes. He is no longer trapped in that formidable dwelling that he called home for so long. Although still running, he can almost taste
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