Haiku and it’s Image
When first learning about poetry, I was taught that the haiku is made up of three lines that follow a 5–7–5 syllable pattern. But after reading Jean Hyung Yul Chu’s analysis of the haiku form, I realize that the three line, 5–7–5 syllable pattern is not the defining factor of a haiku. Yul Chu describes the haiku as “a way of seeing” (pg. 217), and emphasizes its ability to create clear images in the reader’s mind. Haikus are brief and use plain language. This style of writing eliminates abstractions which allows the poem to convey images that are clear and lucid. The three line, 5–7–5 syllable pattern that I have previously mentioned is the traditional form, but it has since been adapted to meet the demands of English poetic language. As long as the poem conveys the feeling and spirit of a haiku, which involves an “intimate feeling generated between the poet and the object” (pg. 219), it can be classified as such.
Richard Wright’s poem No. 31 was my favorite haiku from this chapter. Made up of 3 lines, its compact form gave the poem a sense of simplicity, while still leaving it open to interpretation. Yul Chu mentions its rhythmic scheme of two beats in the first line, three beats in the second, and two beats in the final line to “give the poem a sense of coherence.” (pg. 219) The image my mind produced after reading this haiku was very literal; a laughing boy playing in the snow, who puts his hands out and watches the snow fall upon them until they are completely covered. To me, it was a nostalgic image, and it reminded me of my own childhood when I would go outside and play in the snow. This to me is the purpose of haikus; to use poetic language to create an image which in turn creates a feeling.
Chu, Jean Hyung Yul. “Haiku.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Eds. Annie Finch & Katherine Varnes. Ann Arbor: U. of Michigan Press, 2002.
