A haiku for Van Gogh
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Lesson duration is: 45 minIntroduction
The students will write their own haikus, short poems of 17 syllables at most, inspired by Vincent van Gogh paintings.
Instructions
General learning objective
The class will look at a painting by Vincent van Gogh and describe its atmosphere or their feelings about it in short poems of 17 syllables at most.
Materials required
- Pens or pencils, along with several sheets of scrap paper
- Sheets of sturdy paper (A5, for example) for writing down the final versions.
- Optional: drawing paper (A3, for example), India ink and thin ink brushes.
Optional variations
1. A haiku can also have fewer syllables than the basic 5-7-5 pattern: 5-7-4, for instance, or 4-6-4. Other combinations are also fine, as long as the division into three lines gives the poem a clear rhythm. Usually, no more than 17 syllables are used. You could have the class experiment with different possibilities.
2. You could collect all the haikus into a booklet, with illustrations of the paintings that inspired each one. Or you could have the class make their own illustrations of the paintings.
Items in this lesson
Slide 1 - Slide
Tell the class: This is a painting by Vincent van Gogh. If I were going to tell you what I see in this painting, or what is happening in this painting, I could use a whole lot of words. Or I could keep it very short. Just listen...
Go on to the next slide.
Self-Portrait as a Painter, 1887–1888
Slide 2 - Slide
Now read this poem aloud.
Questions: - What is this type of poem called? > It's a haiku, a poetic form that originally comes from Japan. - Does anyone know how a haiku works? - Is this a good poem about this painting? Why or why not? Or is it really about the person who wrote the poem? Or both?
Slide 3 - Slide
Then discuss the structure of the poem. It has three lines, in the pattern 5-7-5: five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables. Explain that you count syllables, not words.
Slide 4 - Slide
Briefly show the class this summary before going on to the next example. If the group already knows about haikus, you could discuss other possible variations with them (see 'Optional variations'). The writing tool at the bottom of the slide allows you to cross out the numbers and change them.
Slide 5 - Slide
Tell the class: Vincent made this painting (The Harvest, 1888) in the south of France. It shows a landscape with farmers bringing in the harvest on a hot day. Vincent later wrote in a letter that his job of drawing and painting was just as tiring as working on a farm. Question: What would it be like if you were in the middle of that landscape, like Vincent? What would you see, hear, feel and smell?
Slide 6 - Slide
Read the haiku with the group. Ask them: Is it a good poem about this painting? Why or why not? Explain that haikus can sometimes be about the feeling you have when you look at a painting. Ask a student to divide the words into syllables on the whiteboard. (If you've talked about using fewer syllables, you could ask how to make this haiku shorter. For example, 'The scent of earth – on a hot summer day – tickles my nose', 4-6-4.)
Slide 7 - Slide
Tell the class: These are a few examples of first lines for a haiku about this painting. Each one has five syllables. For this assignment, you can work alone or in pairs. Choose one of these first lines. Then take 5 to 10 minutes to write the rest of the haiku. Make sure you use the right number of syllables in each line.
The class can also complete this assignment as a group.
The class can also complete this assignment as a group.
Slide 8 - Slide
Briefly go over the main things to remember when writing a haiku, pointing out that you don't have to answer all these questions. The questions are meant to help you find words and sentences. Are you using variations on the basic pattern? With the drawing tool on the lower right, (parts of) the pattern can be crossed out and changed.
Slide 9 - Slide
While the students are working, leave this slide on the board.
Slide 10 - Slide
Ask several students to read their haikus or write them on the whiteboard. Use the drawing tool to write the poems on the board.
Slide 11 - Slide
Now ask the students to write another haiku (individually or in pairs) based on a different painting by Vincent. They can choose from among the paintings on the whiteboard. Then show each painting separately, taking about 10 seconds per slide. Ask the students to look closely. The notes accompanying the paintings give a sample haiku for each one. You can use these samples as you see fit.
Slide 12 - Slide
A woman pours coffee.
Four white cups on the table,
steaming potatoes.
The Potato Eaters, 1885
Slide 13 - Slide
Under the blue sky
a long black train chugs by
past yellow houses.
The Yellow House (The Street), 1888
Slide 14 - Slide
The room is empty
all the doors are tightly shut
the window ajar.
The Bedroom, 1888
Slide 15 - Slide
Flowers like butterflies
blue, purple, green and yellow
waving at the town.
Field with lrises near Arles, 1888
Slide 16 - Slide
Japanese woman
in a dazzling kimono
next to frog and toad.
Courtesan (after Eisen), 1887
Slide 17 - Slide
Everybody knows
that smoking is bad for you.
The skeleton smiles.
Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, 1886
Slide 18 - Slide
Young men and women
out for a walk in the park
among the green trees.
Garden with Courting Couples: Square Saint-Pierre, 1887
Slide 19 - Slide
Have each student choose a painting, and give them about 10 minutes to work on their haikus. They can use the scrap paper for their first drafts. After finishing the haiku, they can copy it over onto the sturdy paper.
Slide 20 - Slide
Finally, ask a few students to read their haikus to the class. As each student reads, show the relevant painting on the board, or have the other students guess which painting the haiku describes.
