Haiku

What do you already know about haiku?

During class I inked student responses on

this slide

During class I inked student responses on

this slide

Characteristics of Traditional Japanese Haiku

• Focus on a brief seasonal moment

• Written in present tense

• Pause at the end of 1st or 2nd line and a seasonal word- kigo

• Contain evocative, colorful images

• 5-7-5 syllable count

The hail falls pitter patAnd fiercely rattles down uponThe brave old pine tree

Basho

Explanatory Slide: Not Included in Original Powerpoint

Students read the haiku on the previous page and discussed the following questions:

What words help you know that the poem is about a particular season? What words suggest that the poem is about nature? How many syllables do these poems have?

Noted that the poem does not follow 5-7-5 pattern likely b/c of translation

The cherry blossoms Cover the ground

Like the heads of my enemies

From The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/

Explanatory Slide: Not Included in Original Powerpoint

Students had read the text The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hobbler, which included the poem on the previous slide. In the novel, the poem is written by an obtuse character and is cited by the protagonist as an example of bad haiku. We discussed why this was so. Students noted the lack of traditional structure and the focus of the poet on himself and his conquests rather than nature.

But I don’t know how to start!

Photo Credit- http://www.flickr.com/photos/alasam

Ask yourself…What season is being depicted?

What is happening the moment the photo is taken?

What colors and textures appear in the photo?