The first paragraph in "Seventeen Syllables" by Hisaye Yamamoto describes the first time Rosie realized her mother wrote haikus. Her mother reads her a haiku she has written and Rosie pretends to enjoy and understand it. This is the first hint of deception. Rosie does not want her mother to know that she isn't as fluent in Japanese as her mother thinks. Rosie is being dishonest with her mother but little does she know that she is not the only one being deceitful. The theme of "Seventeen Syllables" is one of deception, which can be seen at various points through the story.

"....Rosie and her father lived for a while with two women, her mother and Ume Hanazono". This sentence is foreshadowing the end of the story because of the remark, "for awhile". It is understood that this "living with two women" will only be temporary. The mother is both Tome Hayashi, wife and mother, and Ume Hanazono, the writer.

The visit to the Hayano family's house is very significant to the story because here we see how other Japanese woman carry themselves. Mrs. Hayano is portrayed as a quiet and feeble woman, quite the opposite of Mrs. Hayashi. "O

This story was not only about Rosie's mother but Rosie herself as well. There are two plots in the story. One dealing with the mother and another with Rosie growing up and losing a little bit of her naivety. Rosie's mother's character can be described as a round character, while her father is a foil to her mother. I think he could also be a flat character because throughout the story we do not learn much about him except for the way he reacts to his wife's actions. Rosie herself is a round dynamic character because she changes with every event in the story. Her view of the world has changed at the end of the story. Rosie is a different person because of the events that took place in her life.

I think the ending of the story can be described as a resolution because Rosie discovers her mother's true identity. Her mother is no longer deceiving her and her father. It is no longer a deception. I thought it was a wonderfully written story, which is why It has been one of my favorite short stories so far.

Another part of the story concerns Rosie and Jesus, the Mexican family's son. The young boy tells Rosie that he has a surprise for her, but that she must meet him later on that night to find out what it is. Rosie, being naive and young, does not know what to expect from him so decides to meet him. When they do meet, she realizes that his surprise is a kiss. "Thus, kissed by Jesus, Rosie fell for the first time entirely victim to a helplessness delectable beyond speech." I think this also is a hint of deception because love seems so different when you're experiencing it for the first time. Jesus could also have been nice and "a friend" to see how far he could get with her. He is two years her senior so he might have other things on his mind. He Can also be defined as deceitful.

Rosie's mother wins first place in a newspaper's poetry contest. The newspaper editor comes out to the farm in which they live, to give her the prize, a beautiful painting of a traditional Japanese scene. The mother offers the man some tea and invites him into their home. This seems to be the last straw for the father. The climax of the story takes place when the father becomes enraged

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ume Hanazono, Jesus Rosie, Sheet Johnson's, Meanwhile Hayashi, Hisaye Yamamoto, America Rosie's, Jesus Mexican, Seventeen Syllables, rosie's father, rosie's mother, Tome Hayashi, Short Story, seventeen syllables, mother rosie, ume hanazono, story rosie's mother, mother ume, rosie mother, flames picture, traditional japanese, mother ume hanazono, story told,
Approximate Word count = 1496
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)