Five Seven Five, a Haiku fanfic

Five-Seven Five

In a school assignment I had to write six haikus that related to the Japanese internment camp, Manzanar that was active during World War II. The haikus could be related to before, during, after, feelings; anything. Along with my haikus we had to read the book Farewell to Manzanar. That is my main reference for the haikus. Each haiku had to be of a different style and explained. I left the explanations so you can understand the haikus better. These are my haikus:

A Distant Beauty
In the near distance
White mountains in the sunset
Dazzle a violet
The technique of the Sketch or Shiki’s Shasei

This technique is simply “to depict as is” and was used by Shiki to state the beauty of what he saw. My haiku is describing how the Sierra Nevada mountain range looked from Manzanar. In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne describes the mountains as “purple when the sun dropped.” She said they made the camp inhabitable and inspired her father, in which he would paint. The mountains must have been beautiful. Knowing that they were a distance from the camp and Jeanne’s description I stated simply what the mountains looked like.

Warrior
Papa walks away
A strong honor in his eyes
Samurai wields sword
The technique of comparison
In the haiku Jeanne’s father is being compared to a samurai. When he was being taken away by the FBI to be interrogated in order to see if he had any connection with Japan and the war, Jeanne states that he did not struggle and instead of being led out the door by the FBI, he led them out. She said he would not lose his dignity. A samurai, or any warrior for that matter, has a very strong since of honor and respect. Both Ko, Jeanne’s father, and a samurai express this honor; this dignity, whether its in leading someone out the door or in battle.
Once a Home

Voices everywhere

Rock gardens near crammed barracks

A lonely shrub land

The technique of contrast
In the last chapter of Farewell to Manzanar Jeanne visits Manzanar and describes how different it is now than it was when she was a child. Only a few things remain. She says that before there used to be rock gardens and roads decorating the barracks. Now however the barracks are completely torn down and only a few rock gardens remain. She also imagines all the voices that she used to hear in the camp. There is now no one in the camp and barely any remains. It is mainly just shrubs and desert. In contrast to voices and human creations, the camp can be described as lonely.
In the last chapter of Jeanne visits Manzanar and describes how different it is now than it was when she was a child. Only a few things remain. She says that before there used to be rock gardens and roads decorating the barracks. Now however the barracks are completely torn down and only a few rock gardens remain. She also imagines all the voices that she used to hear in the camp. There is now no one in the camp and barely any remains. It is mainly just shrubs and desert. In contrast to voices and human creations, the camp can be described as lonely.
Barrier
Black hair, slanted eyes
Wanting to be accepted
But is excepted
The technique of word-plays
The words “accept” and “except” sound very much alike and are often confused when people spell them. In the technique of word-plays, the idea is to explore language with words that have multiple meanings or sound the same. “Accept” and “except” have that same sound, but mean completely different things. Towards the end of Farewell to Manzanar Jeanne strives to be accepted in school, girl scouts, and other things, but due to racial prejudice still lingering after the war, she is usually not allowed to be included. She was “left out” of these things, which is the definition of “excepted.”
The words “accept” and “except” sound very much alike and are often confused when people spell them. In the technique of word-plays, the idea is to explore language with words that have multiple meanings or sound the same. “Accept” and “except” have that same sound, but mean completely different things. Towards the end of Jeanne strives to be accepted in school, girl scouts, and other things, but due to racial prejudice still lingering after the war, she is usually not allowed to be included. She was “left out” of these things, which is the definition of “excepted.”Buried in the Mind
Small old stone gardens
Alone among the hot sand
Graves of memories
The technique of metaphor
A metaphor says that one thing is another thing. In my haiku the stone gardens are graves. This connection is made from the end of Farewell to Manzanar when Jeanne finds the remains of some rock gardens that the older men, like her father, made. Jeanne also describes earlier in the book that as her life continued she needed reassurance that Manzanar was real. She needed to meet someone else that had been there. Its almost as if she buried the memories of the camp. In a way these little rocks can stand as the tombstones of the memories that she has of Manzanar.
A metaphor says that one thing another thing. In my haiku the stone gardens are graves. This connection is made from the end of when Jeanne finds the remains of some rock gardens that the older men, like her father, made. Jeanne also describes earlier in the book that as her life continued she needed reassurance that Manzanar was real. She needed to meet someone else that had been there. Its almost as if she buried the memories of the camp. In a way these little rocks can stand as the tombstones of the memories that she has of Manzanar.
Old Orchard
Short, strong, old pear trees
Ready to bloom in moments
Scent of sweet nectar
The technique of sense-switching
In this technique the haiku is set so that it switches from one sense to another. In my haiku I first described the pear trees with the sense of sight. They look short, strong, old, and ready to bloom. Then I described the trees with the sense of smell. The nectar can be smelled in the air. At Manzanar orchards were grown to feed the residents. When Jeanne returns to camp, the orchards are still alive.

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