I started reading the story for the first time and I found it to be dull and confusing to the least. After reading it the second time around, I understood more thoroughly the relationship between the different characters. I also realized that the author had at many times, through out the story, hinted towards the unveiling of Tome Hiyashi and finally letting its readers know that Rosie and her mother, Tome Hiyashi do have something in common.
             Within the first paragraph of Hisayo Yamamoto's "Seventeen Syllables", I felt an immediate connection to Rosie. It is most common for children brought up in America to have not only a generation gap but also a minimal understanding of their origins and culture. As Rosie listens to her mother read a haiku, Rosie understands neither its significance nor meaning nor does she seem to care. On the other hand, this is her mother's passion and she cares enough of it to try to explain it to her daughter but with no luck, since Rosie does not seem to understand its importance. The misunderstanding between Rosie and her mother is evidently a barrier of culture and generation gap.
             We are told "Rosie and her father lived for awhile with two women. Her mother and Ume Hanazono", this leads me to believe that her mother is more than she seems. As I think about the characteristics of poets, an individual who is independent and gifted with creativity comes to mind. Mrs. Hiyashi seems to fit these criteria because she has been writing haikus for a little while now and she was independent from her husbands' demands and commands. The father on the other hand is totally opposite he has no interest in his wife's passion of writing haiku and this to me seemed like the authors way of showing us that there is a reasonable difference between the husband and the wife. Additionally, the distance between the couple becomes more obvious when the father chooses to entertain his o...