Katakana Literary Works - Haikus
1.
このクーデター
せいかつくらい
かえります
Coup d'etat
Life is dark
Go home
Coup d'etat is in katakana because even though it is a loan word, it is a loan word borrowed not from English, but from French, which makes it more potent and striking. In this haiku, coup d'etat symbolizes the shortness and transience of power and life, so the foreignness of the word shows how power is not permanent. How the word comes from another language also symbolizes the nature of a coup d'etat itself - a sudden deposition of the government/rebellion from another group, enemy, or political group.
2.
シャシンよを
とりませんです
わすレマス
Picture ー
Not taken
Forget
The word "shashin," or picture, is written in Katakana because I wanted to "italicize" it using a different alphabet to show how important pictures are to helping humans recall memories. Many times our memories fail us as they become foggy and distant, so we rely on permanent evidence such as photographs to help us. The last three words are written in Katakana because it shows how spotty our memory is - sometimes we mix up different events and people, just like how the Katakana and HIragana is mixed up. Katakana really comes in handy when we need to express emotion and human experience!
3.
スッゴイね
どうしましたか
いいせかい
Amazing ー
What's the matter?
The world is good
I wrote amazing, or すごい, is Katakana for emphasis because this haiku is exclaiming how seldom we realize that life and the world is good. We need to be more grateful for all the blessings we have in life, so the Katakana serves to illustrate the shock and surprise we experience. Because contemporary media focuses so much on negative news reports, we are always surprised when we encounter good deeds and the moral nature of humanity. The way the word is written takes the meaning of the word to a whole new level - we can't just express our amazement in a regular alphabetical way but rather, through another alphabet that symbolizes sophistication and complexity.
Your use of katakana in in your second haiku about memory is very clever! Indeed, memory is spotty. At first I wasn't sure why you only wrote the last three syllables in katakana, but after reading your explanation, it makes perfect sense. I love it!
ReplyDeleteフィオナさん
ReplyDeleteいいですね!
The meaning behind your each haiku is really interesting! Maybe for the second haiku, if you make the first line one syllable longer (right now it's 4, but it sounds much better if it's 5), it would sound much better!
Also for the first one, you can even delete 'kono' and that would make the syllable 5 (right now it's 7).
Good luck!
すごいですね!
ReplyDeleteI think your haiku does a great job in terms of 'conveying a message'. It is very efficient, especially when you use the terms 'coop d'etat' and 'picture not taken'. Definitely one of my favorites =D
ぜんぶきれいですね!とてもたのしいです!
ReplyDeleteGreat job in that they all provoke a lot of thoughts in content as well as different uses of katakana.
おもしろいです!わたしは二番のが一番好きです。とてもすごいですよ。
ReplyDeleteI really like your use of katakana in your 2nd poem! とても いい つかいかた です。そう です ね、おぼいる の が むずかしく なります ね。
ReplyDeleteVery good job. I especially liked your use of the phrase Coup d'etat. すてきなはいくですね!
ReplyDelete