Below is another haiku by Murakami, Kijo. (1865-1938).
First autumn morning:
the mirror I stare into
shows my father's face.
The reader immedietly places us into the season of Autumn, which is known in literature to symbolize maturity and fulfillment. Not only is this symbolizing the time of year he is writing this, but also the time period of his life. He is middle aged, no longer youthful. The fact that it is morning also symbolizes an awakening, this is a rebirth for the author. As he stares into the mirror he is realizing something different, something he has never seen before. He is realizing, as many tend to as they get older, that he is becoming more and more like his father. It seems to hit him abruptly, it wasn't what he expected to see in the mirror. The piece as a whole seems like a journal entry, a quick note that the author is taking of his morning. There is no emotion, just factual information.
I love haiku poetry, I think they contain everything unspoken. That is why I disagree with Chelsea, the poet is staring into a mirror on an Autumn morning, and sees his father. That simple construct holds immense unspoken profound emotion. Autumn symbolizes change, the poet has grown from boy to man. This carries a range of emotions with it, new responsibility, opened doors, the passage of time. Also, by stating "my father's face" he may be indicating that he is not himself, but what others expect him to be. In my opinion, this is a very emotional poem, rather than a factual one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex about loving haiku poetry, most likely cause it's so short haha.
ReplyDeleteAnyways though, I think you can analyze this poem in really any way. Both Chelsea and Alex are right here I think, it just depends on what you want to take from it all.
Personally however(and for the sake of analyzing) I agree with Chelsea(just based off of initial response) that the speaker has realized that he has become very similar to his father. This is an abrupt realization, but i think thats just because its so short and to the point.
On one point that i don't agree with Chelsea is her final statement about the poem being purely factual. I think Alex gave a good argument for this, and it will be interesting to see what other peoples interpretations are.
I agree with what people are saying about “autumn” being the “autumn” if his life. The speaker has grown up and is now an adult. The “mirror” which reflects his “father’s face” makes him realize that he has become a man very much like his father. Haikus convey an abundance of emotion in very few lines, and most of the time they do not state it outright. I feel that the man does not like that he has become his father, so to speak. He is not his own being, but merely a copy of his father.
ReplyDeleteOkay its childish Gambino
ReplyDelete