"Seventeen Syllables"

Seventeen Syllables is a short story which is centered around the cultural differences of Japanese immigrants and their children, the struggles of an arranged marriage and the loneliness of Japanese women in the 20th century.

The story is about an American born girl whose mother and father are Japanese immigrants. The girl, Rosie, does not understand why her mother is so into Haiku. The girl also has a crush on a Mexican named Jesus. The girl and her mother have cultural and language barriers which complicates their relationship. When the girl's mother receives an award, the husband goes nuts and breaks it. The tirade causes Rosie's mom to tell her that she does not love her husband, and that she married him only as a way from suicide. This shocks Rosie, especially that she was having a nice relationship with Jesus.

This was not the best story of the semester. It was not the most interesting, and except for the climax, it was not fast moving. The take home message of the story is to not marry someone you are not in love with. During the 20th century, arranged marriages were very common, leaving no say to the people. However, this story is saying that marriage should not occur unless both parties are in love.