Creative Writing: Poetry, Lesson Five
Tuesday, February 7, 8th period
Professor Chaucer does not look well today. In fact, it looks as though he may have just woken up from a nap in his office, or possibly has been drinking heavily. He gives the lecture in a distracted tone, and his attention frequently wanders to the door. Happily, your lovely TA, Kiki, has returned and has once again provided snacks and coffee for the class.
[LECTURE] Today we're discussing what may be considered the most important form of Japanese poetry, the haiku. The haiku originated as a late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the traditional hokku, the opening verse of a linked verse form called haikai no renga. A traditional hokku consists of a pattern of approximately 5, 7, and 5 phonetic units which only loosely correspond to the syllables of Western languages.
While traditional hokku focus on nature and the place of humans in nature, modern haiku poets often consider any subject matter suitable, whether related to nature, an urban setting, or even a technological context. Where the old hokku avoided some topics such as romance, sex, and overt violence, contemporary haiku often deals specifically with such themes.
The hokku style of poetry required a long period of learning and maturing, but the new haiku is an "instant" form of brief verse that can be written by anyone from child to professional. Though conservative writers of modern haiku still keep closer to the old standards of hokku (some even using the traditional kigo or 'season word'), the majority of present-day writers have dropped virtually all of the traditional standards, emphasizing personal freedom and pursuing on-going experimentation, exploration and innovation in both form and subject matter.
Because of the great number of different views and practices today, it is impossible to characterize any current single style or format or subject matter as definitive "haiku." The term has broadened greatly in modern usage to cover any short verse descended in spirit from the reforms of Shiki. Nonetheless, some of the more common practices are:
1. Use of three lines written in five-seven-five English syllables;
2. Use of three (or fewer) lines of no more than 17 syllables in total;
3. Use of metrical feet rather than syllables. A haiku then becomes three lines of 2, 3, and 2 metrical feet, with a break or pause after the second or fifth;
4. Use of the "one deep breath" rule: the reader should be able to read the haiku aloud without taking a second breath.
Two examples of haiku:
The first soft snow!
Enough to bend the leaves
Of the jonquil low.
through the fingerprints
on my window-
cloudless blue sky.
The first is an example of traditional Japanese haiku, translated of course. The second is a more modern English-language composition.
Traditionally, in its most restricted form, a poem is considered haiku if it meets two requirements: the 5-7-5 pattern and a theme relating to the natural world or humanity. A similar style of poetry, called senryu, are haiku-like verse not necessarily about nature, not necessarily in that pattern. Having said that, however, there are many examples, even in traditional Japanese literature, of poems that do not follow the pattern and yet are still considered haiku. For the sake of a simple definition, for this class, let's say that haiku follows the strict 5-7-5 pattern, senryu does not.
[IN-CLASS WRITING ASSIGNMENT] The majority of your class period today will be spent on your writing assignment, which is due next week. I want you to write two haikus: one on a traditional topic (nature-related) and one on any modern topic.
Kiki and DEATH, as my advanced students, I have a somewhat more complicated assignment for you. I want you take the subject of one of the ballads we read for last week's lesson, and write me a series of three to five haiku that present the same topic. For example, if we had read one of the Robin Hood ballads, I would expect a series of three to five haiku describing the story of Robin Hood, the romance between Robin and Marion, the concept of thieving to give charity...there are any number of possibilities.
If any of you have questions, I'll be at my desk. Please turn in your assignment from last week to Kiki before you leave.
***Reading Assignment for Next Week: Read The Dunciad.***
Class Roster
oatmanspatient
teen_twin
12parseckessel
time_agent
kikidelivers (TA) -- advanced student
death_n_binky -- advanced student
sharon_valerii
future_visions
Auditing: gotcanewillpoke
NOTE: Please remember that I allow only one unexcused absence without penalty. Beyond that, you will need to do make-up work. Also, your grade is heavily weighted toward the writing assignments. If you have missed a writing assignment, I strongly suggest you talk to me about making up the assignment.
Professor Chaucer does not look well today. In fact, it looks as though he may have just woken up from a nap in his office, or possibly has been drinking heavily. He gives the lecture in a distracted tone, and his attention frequently wanders to the door. Happily, your lovely TA, Kiki, has returned and has once again provided snacks and coffee for the class.
[LECTURE] Today we're discussing what may be considered the most important form of Japanese poetry, the haiku. The haiku originated as a late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the traditional hokku, the opening verse of a linked verse form called haikai no renga. A traditional hokku consists of a pattern of approximately 5, 7, and 5 phonetic units which only loosely correspond to the syllables of Western languages.
While traditional hokku focus on nature and the place of humans in nature, modern haiku poets often consider any subject matter suitable, whether related to nature, an urban setting, or even a technological context. Where the old hokku avoided some topics such as romance, sex, and overt violence, contemporary haiku often deals specifically with such themes.
The hokku style of poetry required a long period of learning and maturing, but the new haiku is an "instant" form of brief verse that can be written by anyone from child to professional. Though conservative writers of modern haiku still keep closer to the old standards of hokku (some even using the traditional kigo or 'season word'), the majority of present-day writers have dropped virtually all of the traditional standards, emphasizing personal freedom and pursuing on-going experimentation, exploration and innovation in both form and subject matter.
Because of the great number of different views and practices today, it is impossible to characterize any current single style or format or subject matter as definitive "haiku." The term has broadened greatly in modern usage to cover any short verse descended in spirit from the reforms of Shiki. Nonetheless, some of the more common practices are:
1. Use of three lines written in five-seven-five English syllables;
2. Use of three (or fewer) lines of no more than 17 syllables in total;
3. Use of metrical feet rather than syllables. A haiku then becomes three lines of 2, 3, and 2 metrical feet, with a break or pause after the second or fifth;
4. Use of the "one deep breath" rule: the reader should be able to read the haiku aloud without taking a second breath.
Two examples of haiku:
The first soft snow!
Enough to bend the leaves
Of the jonquil low.
through the fingerprints
on my window-
cloudless blue sky.
The first is an example of traditional Japanese haiku, translated of course. The second is a more modern English-language composition.
Traditionally, in its most restricted form, a poem is considered haiku if it meets two requirements: the 5-7-5 pattern and a theme relating to the natural world or humanity. A similar style of poetry, called senryu, are haiku-like verse not necessarily about nature, not necessarily in that pattern. Having said that, however, there are many examples, even in traditional Japanese literature, of poems that do not follow the pattern and yet are still considered haiku. For the sake of a simple definition, for this class, let's say that haiku follows the strict 5-7-5 pattern, senryu does not.
[IN-CLASS WRITING ASSIGNMENT] The majority of your class period today will be spent on your writing assignment, which is due next week. I want you to write two haikus: one on a traditional topic (nature-related) and one on any modern topic.
Kiki and DEATH, as my advanced students, I have a somewhat more complicated assignment for you. I want you take the subject of one of the ballads we read for last week's lesson, and write me a series of three to five haiku that present the same topic. For example, if we had read one of the Robin Hood ballads, I would expect a series of three to five haiku describing the story of Robin Hood, the romance between Robin and Marion, the concept of thieving to give charity...there are any number of possibilities.
If any of you have questions, I'll be at my desk. Please turn in your assignment from last week to Kiki before you leave.
***Reading Assignment for Next Week: Read The Dunciad.***
Class Roster
oatmanspatient
teen_twin
12parseckessel
time_agent
kikidelivers (TA) -- advanced student
death_n_binky -- advanced student
sharon_valerii
future_visions
Auditing: gotcanewillpoke
NOTE: Please remember that I allow only one unexcused absence without penalty. Beyond that, you will need to do make-up work. Also, your grade is heavily weighted toward the writing assignments. If you have missed a writing assignment, I strongly suggest you talk to me about making up the assignment.