Given the video, it saddens me that many Japanese-Amerians had to deal with the criticism and backlash from others. Rather than realizing from the outside perspective, Americans immediately assumed that ALL Japanese-Americans were dangerous and not trustworthy.
The poet, Yotenshi Agari, really caught my attention because in the passage, it informs that he gre mums in Central California. Mums —which withhold different symbolisms across cultures— represents rebirth and enduring life. The haiku poem is, “Moonlit summer sky/ same black houses/ standing in rows.” The imagery invoked in the haiku poem captures the horrendous, daily life that these internees experience. They had no other freedom to go elsewhere. Referring to the video, they attempted to bring life and excitement by bringing education, religion and agriculture.
Line 1, “Moonlight summer sky” clearly tells the audience that the poem takes place at night. Like many other internees, Agari would most likely stay up during the night, probably reminiscing his life before being held at the camps. The lines that really stood out to me were lines 2 and 3; “Same black houses/standing in rows (Line 2 and 3),” Agari gives off a solemn, monotonous tone, clearly telling us, the audience, that there was nothing else. That there is nothing else but the moonlit summer sky, that casts it’s rays onto the “same” houses. The “same” harsh conditions. Again, referring to the video, the internees attempted to “build a community.” So, I believe that Agari was trying to build a “sense of community.” Much like in most neighborhoods, there are rows of homes, all build with similar structures.
Evelyn Hernandez
Introduction to Poetry 
Oct 15, 2021 @ 16:37:31
The line by line analysis of this poem is really well done. However I wish you would have expanded on the really great points you used. The highlighting of the night time reference and relating it back to the reminiscing of life was a very significant and well placed explanation for this post.
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Oct 15, 2021 @ 23:43:27
I can definitely see where you got your title, it really was a bland life for the Japanese-Americans who were forced into these camps. I think the most unique aspect of your post is the connection to mums and how much you reference the video. 1st thing I would say would be to possibly reference the actual video, since readers all over the world don’t know what you watched in class. Secondly, do you only see the lines “same black houses/ standing in rows” as a reference to the houses themselves, or are the rows formed of the Japanese-Americans who were likely in rows being told what to do in these camps?
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