1. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

2. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo ATableofContents Introduction IdentificationofGoal.3 DescriptionoftheChosenAreasofInteraction.3 OutlineofHowIIntendtoAchievetheGoal..4 DescriptionoftheProcess ProductionSteps...4 ComponentsofMyProject.5 AnalysisofProcessandProduct Inspiration7 Research.8 Influences.9 Findings/Decisions9 TheProduct,ProcessandGoal.11 FocusonHomoFaberandEnvironment.11 Conclusion ReflectionofImpactofMyProject11 NewPerspectivestoConsider....11 Bibliography...12 Appendices SurveyaboutTokyo......15 SurveyaboutMyPoemCollection..17 Diagram121 ProcessJournal..22 PhotooffrontpageURL:http://flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/1808267994/sizes/o/ 2 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

3. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Introduction IdentificationofGoal For my Personal Project, the goal is to see whether poetry will be able to deepen peoples understanding about a certain topic. In answering this query, I will write poems about Tokyo and make it into one anthologyalongwithsomepoemswrittenbyotherpoets.TheformswhichIwillbeusinginmypoemswill befromawiderangeofstyles,andwillbechosenasIworkthroughtheproject.Byreadingandanalyzing variouspoemswrittenbyprofessionalpoets,Iaimtolearneffectivewritingskillsandtechniques,anduse themtocommunicatemyimpressionandinterpretationofthecharacteristicsofTokyocity. Later on, I will ask foreignnationals who have never been to Japan whether they have acquireda deeper understanding of Tokyo after reading the collection. If the majority of the readers believe that they have somewhatgainedknowledge,thenIwouldknowthatmycollectionwassuccessfulandmygoalwouldbe achieved,knowingpoetrycaninfactdeepenpeoplesunderstanding. DescriptionoftheChosenAreasofInteraction ThisprojectwillinteractwithtwoAreasofInteraction:HomoFaberandEnvironment. Firstly,itinteractswithHomoFaberfortworeasons.ThefirstreasonisbecauseasIacquiremoreknowledge aboutpoetrythroughoutthisproject,sophisticatedanalyticalskillswillbeneededtounderstandandstudy eachpoemIread,inordertolearnnewwritingtechniquesanddeterminewhetheritisappropriatetoput intomycollection.Afteracquiringthewritingtechniques,vividimaginationandcreativitywillbeusedin ordertoportraymyinterpretationofTokyotothereader.Hence,becausethesameskillsareencouragedby HomoFaber,mypoetrycollectioninteractswithitintensively.Thesecondreasonisbecauseoftheimpacts thisproductcancauseonthereaders.Eventhough,thispoetrycollectioniswrittentosharemyperspective ofTokyo,itcaninspiresomereaderstogaininterestinEnglishliteratureaswellasJapaneseculture.This influence is also an aspect of Homo Faber since I am causing changes to the stereotypical impressions foreignershaveonTokyo,suchasmisunderstandingthatkimonosarewornonadailybasis. Secondly, this project interacts with Environment since the purpose of my poetry collection is to help foreignersdevelopawarenessandreceivefirsthandaccountonanenvironmentwhichinthiscase,isTokyo. Eventhoughmypoetrycollectionisnotaboutenvironmentalissuessuchaspollutionandglobalwarming, ithasasmuchsignificanceasthosetopicssinceenvironmentisthemainthemeinmyanthology.Hence,I wouldhavetoinvestigate,plan,draft,createandevaluateeverythingaccordinglysothatIcanportraymy interpretationofoneparticularenvironmentTokyo.Anotherreasonforwhymyprojectinteractswiththis areaisbecauseresearchingandusingdifferentformsofpoetryfromvarioustimeperiodsandenvironment canallowmeandthereadertoknowmoreaboutthelanguageduringthosetimes. 3 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

4. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo OutlineofHowIIntendtoAchievetheGoal I intend to achieve the goal which is to find out whether people can gain understanding from poetic literature,byprovidingpoemsaboutTokyo.Inwritingpoetry,Imustresearchabouttheformsofpoems, understandeachform,andselectappropriateformstowrite.Afterthis,IwillbrainstormsometopicsthatI candiscussaboutafteraskingforeignteachersatK.InternationalSchoolTokyoaboutamusingfeaturesof Tokyo.Then,IwillchoosehowmanypoemsIwillwriteandassignonetopic/themeforeachone.Iwillwrite mypoems,andlateron,researchotherpoetspoemsaboutTokyo.Lastly,Iwillcompilethetwoparts(my poemsandotherpoetspoems)andmakeitvisuallyappealingsoitwouldbecomeananthology.Iwillask foreignerswhoarenotinJapantotakeasurveyafterreadingthepoemstoseewhetherpoetry(literature) canhelppeoplefurthertheirunderstandingaboutacity.Ifso,thenmyanthologyshouldbeconsideredas successful,andmygoalwouldbeachieved. DescriptionoftheProcess ProductionSteps Increatingthefinalproduct,thereweretwosteps:a)writingmyownpoemsandb)findingpoemswritten by other poets. I began by writing my own poems since I assumed that this process would be more time consuming than the other. The amount of effort, creativity, skills, and the extensive research required to writemypoemsmadethisprocessextremelychallenging. In writing my own poems, there were severaldevelopmental stages. They were: investigation, plan, draft, create and evaluate. I began my investigation by researching different forms of poetry. Without proper understanding of the forms, I will not be able to portray what I want to so I spent the first five days investigating.Afterdoingso,Itriedtodeterminewhichformtouse.Sinceitwasunrealistictotryandwrite every form available, I decided to limit the number of forms to five. Reading Studying Poetry (See bibliography),IcametounderstandthatthereareeightcommonformsusedinEnglishliterature:Sonnets, Haikus,Ballads,Cinquainpoems,Heroiccouplets,Limericks,Villanelles,andOdes.Fromfurtherresearch, Ifoundoutthatsomeweresimilartoeachother(See Process Journal),whichledmetocutdowntofive forms:Ballads,Cinquainpoems,Haikus,Sonnets,andLimericks. Next,IbeganmyPlanstage.IdeterminedthefeaturesofTokyowhichIwillportrayinmypoems.Inorder tofigureoutthemostsignificantthemestofocuson,Idecidedtosurveytheforeignteachersatourschool tolearnwhattheyfindorfounduniqueaboutTokyo.Theirresponsesgavemeanobjectiveperspectiveon Tokyowhichenabledmetoconsidermanynewthemessuchastheasphaltstreetsandsalarymenontrains. (SeeProcessJournal).Afterreadingeachsurvey,IlistedthemeswhichIfoundappropriateformypoems. Theyincluded:trains,skyscrapers,crowdedness,temples/shrines,seasonalqualitiesandthefusionbetween newandold.Then,Iassignedathemeforeachformofpoetryasshowninthechartbelow. 4 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

5. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Chart1.0: FormofPoetry Theme Haiku1 Evening,whenthesunsets. Haiku2 Night,whenthelightsonbuildingsturnon&off Sonnet Generalimageofthecity Cinquain Fusionbetweennew&old Limerick Train/themetro Ballad SocialaspectofTokyo After deciding the themes, I commenced my draft stage where I began writing my poems, exploring the varioustechniques.(SeeAnalysis)Finally,Iproofreadthembycheckingwhetherthenumbersofsyllables wereappropriatetothestyleandmadechangessothatitwouldflow. Next,inthesecondprocessIsearchedforpoemswrittenbyotherpoetsaboutTokyo(orJapan)translated intoEnglish.AlthoughIencountereddifficulties,Ieventuallyfoundafew(SeeAnalysis,ProcessJournaland Bibliography). Lastly,IcompiledalloftheabovepoemsintoonecollectionbyusingMicrosoftOfficeWord2007.Idecided toinsertaphotographintothefrontpagetoforeshadowthethemetothereader.Itbeautifullydemonstrates the fusion between old and new, which I repetitively focus on throughout my anthology (See Shall I CompareTheetoaHumanBeing?andConfusionofmycollection) I sent the anthology along with a survey to four foreign friends I have around the globe who have never visitedJapan.Theirresponsetoldmewhethermycollectionincreasedtheirknowledgeornot.(SeeProduct, ProcessandGoal) ComponentsofMyProject Thecomponentsindoingmyprojectincludetheresearch,culturalawarenessandtheassessmentofgoal. 1. Research:Theresearchforwritingmyownpoemswasmoreintensesinceatthebeginningofdoingthis project,IdidnotknowwhattowriteaboutTokyo.InordertogatherideasforwhatIshoulddiscussin my poems, I decided to survey foreign teachers at K. International School Tokyo, about the characteristicsofTokyothattheyfoundinterestingorunique.Theresultsprovidedmeideasthatwere objectiveandhelpedmerecognizethingsthatIdidnotbeforeduetononovelty.Forexample,ifIhad notdoneasurvey,thenIwouldnothavethoughtofincludingadescriptionaboutalcohol(sake)into thepoems.Accordingtosometeachers,drunkenpeopleoralcoholintakewereprominentinTokyothan citiesinothercountries.IrecognizedthatthiswasoneofaculturalactivitysincemanypeopleinTokyo like to celebrate events and social activities by drinking sake.I includedthis cultural aspect of Tokyo 5 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

6. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

7. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Dotherhythmandmeterintegratewiththepoemsstructure? Aremyrhymesfresh,unassumingbutsupportive? Ismyoverallimpressionoriginal,honest,expressiveandsignificant? (LitLangsLtda.,2008) Thischecklistwasveryhelpfulwhenevaluatingandeditingmypoems. Otherthanmypoems,IusedpublicationsoffamousJapanesepoets:MatsuoBashoandMiyazawaKenji. ThequestionswhichIaskedmyselfafterdecidingwhichpoemstoincludeintomyanthologyare: DidIincludepoemswhichhaveseasonalreference(s)? DidIincludeapoem/poemswithreferencetoNight(sothatitcancontrastwithSunset)? Overall,doesitportrayanequallydistributeddetailonthemodernandtraditionalaspectsofTokyo? Iputthepoemsintomyanthologyaftermakingsurethattheanswerstothesequestionswereyes. 3. AssessmentofGoal:Survey Asthefinalstepofmyproject,Isurveyedfourforeignersoutofmycountrytoseewhethertheywereableto obtainknowledgebyreadingmypoems.AllofthemsaidthattheyobtainedmorethanaSomewhatclear understandingofTokyo.Thisinferredthatmygoalwhichwastoseewhetherpoetrycandeepenpeoples knowledge was achieved. The average understanding out of 10 was 8.25 meaning that my anthology was successful.Hence,thiscomponentissignificantsinceitrelatedtheprocessandproducttothegoal. AnalysisofProcessandProduct Inspiration a) InspirationoftheProductPoetry: WhatinspiredmetowritepoemsformyPersonalProjectwastheunitoflearningaboutShakespeareand readinghisworks.Outofallhiswritings,theSonnet18wasthemostmemorableoneforme,andsincethen, IhaveobtainedinteresttowardspoetryandotherstylesofEnglishliterature.Again,recently,writingapoem based on the structure and style of The Kraken written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, made me even more interested about poetry. All these experiences I have had in English class encouraged me to choose a PersonalProjectthatinvolvedpoetry. SinceIoftentraveltodifferentcountriesoftheworld,IamusuallyaskedwhatJapanislike,andIencounter havingtroublecommunicatingaboutthecountryIcomefrom,whichIhavefoundquitefrustrating.Using this opportunity, I thought that itwould be greatto become capable of explaining mycountry through a styleIhavebeeninterestedin.Hence,myinspirationsformyPersonalProjectincludeEnglishclassesabout poetryandquestionsaboutTokyoaskedbyforeignerswhichIwasunabletoanswer. b) InspirationofMyTopicandProcessTokyo: 7 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

8. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo ThegeneralinspirationforwhyIhavedecidedtowritepoemsspecificallyaboutTokyoandnotsomething elseisbecauseIwantedtoinformpeopleaboutsomethingIonlykneworcoulddo.IfIchosesomething that a large population was aware about, then perhaps my Personal Project would not have as much significancetothesocietyastoifIdidonethathasneverbeendonebefore,ignitingnewperspectivesin people. Theinspirationwhichweregainedthroughouttheprocess,asIhavementionedbeforeinmyResearch,were photographs acquired from Flickr. They all gave me great inspirations to the features of Tokyo which I discussed in my poems.During the process, it triggered many ideas and enabled me to brainstorm some topics I could discuss about. (See Diagram 1) The features which were inspired by these photographs informedtheforeignersoutsideofJapancharacteristicswhichtheydidnotknowof,makingmyanthology aneducationalproductandcausingasignificantimpactontheirperspective. Forexample,thephoto1showedintheComponentssection,inspiredmetowritethelineintheChildrenin Tokyo:Theyarethesalesmen,wholiveincrinkledsuits.Theypoursakeandflatteryintotheguests,Trying to avoid conversational mutes. One of the foreigners said that Reading this line, it gave me an understandingthattherearemanysalesmenwhowearsuitsanddrinkSakeinTokyo.Icansaythatthereisa hierarchicalsystemforoccupationslikesalesmeninTokyo.IlovedthepartwhereitsaidTheypoursakeand flattery into the guests. Very clever. This evidence suggests that the inspiration from the photographs of foreign photographers were one of the reasons why my anthology was successful at giving people knowledge. Research Researchingcontributedsignificantlytomy product. Without it, my anthology would not havefinalized thestateatwhichitdid.OneofthereasonswhytheresearchshapedmycollectionisbecauseIcouldnot findmanypoemswrittenbyotherpoetsaboutTokyo.Throughouttheprocess,Iattemptedtofindpoems aboutTokyoinEnglishsothatIcanincludeintomycollection.However,sinceIcouldonlyfindMatsuo Bashos and Kenji Miyazawas English translated haikus, I decided to use the poems which were about citiesfromothercountriesandlearnwritingtechniquesfromthem.Forexample,Ifoundapoemcalled theCitiesbyHildaDoolittle,anAmericanPoet.Thelineswhichcontributedtomypoems,especiallyShall ICompareTheetoaHumanBeing?were: withthebeautyofthetemple andspacebeforetemple, archuponperfectarch, ofpillarsandcorridorsthatledout tostrangecourtyardsandporches Analyzing this poem, I reckoned that she relates the city with beauty which enables the reader to feel closer to the existence of city. I decided to use this technique since Tokyo is a beautiful city with many diversequalities.TheusageofthistechniquecanbeseeninShallICompareTheetoaHumanBeing?: 8 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

9. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

10. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo Whendecidingwhichformstouseformypoems,fromresearch,Ifoundoutthatsomeoftheforms whichwerecommonlyusedinEnglishliteraturewereidentical.Forexample,Ididnotknowthat heroiccoupletswhichwasacoupletconsistingoftworhymedlineswereusedinSonnets.Fromthis finding, I decided not to use heroic couplets in my anthology and instead use Sonnets. Another exampleistheballadandode.Theyarebothsimilarsincetheydonothaveastrictstructureandis written as a song. I decided not to use the ode since the ballad seemed much appropriate for my topic. ii. Topics: In my poems I discussedother topicsunmentioned in Chart 1.0,such as in Children in Tokyo the social changes of Japan like the declining birth rate. Even though this is a problem involving the wholecountry,itdepictswhatsortofcityTokyoislikesinceIseemanyelderpeopleinTokyo.By discussing these social features, I wanted the readers to understand Tokyo more than just its appearance. iii. Techniques: I decided to use metaphors since I thought it was a great technique to use to convey features of Tokyo.Byusingthem,itprovidesthemaximummeaningwiththeminimumofwordswhichisgreat sinceIcanexplainalotevenifIhaveasyllablelimit.Iusedmetaphorsinallofthepoemsandthis ishowitisusedinmyhaiku:Treesgettannedwithasoftglow Also,Idecidedtousepersonificationbecauseitwasausefultechniquetoportraytheclosebond betweenTokyoandI.AsIhaveexplainedbefore,findingthesongUndertheBridgeinspiredmeto decidetousepersonificationsincetherelationshipwiththecityisasifitiswithapersonstrong, supportive and loyal. I attempted to portray that quality repetitively in the poems. I used personificationintensivelyinmySonnet. Another decision I made was the usage of metonymy. It has the same connotation as metaphors sincetheeffecttheycanhaveonthereaderissimilar.Itdescribesamovement/thingbyreplacingit tosomethingthatitcloselyassociatedwithit.Ialsousedthistechnique:Thesunkissedmornings thouhavepainted iv. OtherPoetsPoems: AsIhaveexplainedearlier,Icouldnotfindmanypoemswhichwerewrittenbyotherpoetsabout Tokyo. Instead, I found poems by poets written in earlier times, generally about the traditional aspectofTokyo.IneveningoutthedistributionoftheaspectsofTokyo,Ichangedsomepartsofmy poemstofocusonthemodernizedqualities. Overallanalyzingtheprocessandproductthroughmultipleaspects,Iamsatisfiedwiththeanthologyand 10 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

11. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo thestepsItookincreatingit.Everystageplayedasignificantroleandwithoutonecomponent,myproject wouldnothavebeenpossible. TheProduct,ProcessandGoal Inachievingmygoalwhichistoknowwhetherpoetrycandeepenonesunderstandingonaparticulartopic, I sent the anthology along with its Survey 2.0 to four foreigners who have never visited Japan. From analyzingtheirresponses,itcanbeconcludedthatmyanthologydefinitelydeepenedtheirunderstanding of Tokyo since the average level of the understanding obtained by them out of 10 was 8.25. Since my description of the scale 10 is perfectly clear understanding and 5 is somewhat clear understanding, I believeitprovidedthemwithgreatknowledgeofTokyo.Hence,mygoalisachievedsinceIcananswertomy querywhichwaswhetherpoetrywillbeabletodeepenpeoplesunderstandingaboutacertaintopic.The answerwhichIhavelearntfromthisprojectisthatpoetrycaninfactenrichonesknowledgeonaparticular topic. FocusonHomoFaberandEnvironment Throughoutmyproject,IhavebeenquiteconsistentwiththetwochosenAreasofInteractionHomoFaber andEnvironment.Ihaveaccomplishedincreatingthepoetrycollectionofthespecifiedenvironmentwhich isTokyowhilstlearningaboutformsfromvarioustimeperiodsandattheend,causinganimpactonthe readersperspective,clarifyinganystereotypicalimpressionsonTokyo.Overall,throughoutthisproject,my processaswellasmyproductinteractedwiththetwoareasintensivelyaccordingtohowIstateditwillin thebeginningofproject. Conclusion ReflectionofImpactofMyProject Theimpactofmyprojectisquiteremarkablesincemyanthologywasabletochange82.5%ofthemindsof thereaders.Thefourforeignersweresurprisedtoknowofthesefeaturesandnoticedthattheyhavebeen misunderstanding Tokyountil they read my collectionso itsimpactis extraordinary. Plus, this is just the impactofshowingittofourpeople.IfIsentittoalargepopulationglobally,itwouldcauseanexceptional effect,causingatremendouschangeintheworldwideimpressionofTokyo. NewPerspectivestoConsider SomeofthenewperspectivesIshouldconsiderareconveyingmyimpressionandinterpretationofTokyo throughotherwaysrelatedtoliterature,forexamplecreativewriting.Novelswillallowthewritertohave morefreedomthanwhenwritingpoemssincethereisnoparticularformtofolloworanyfixedstructure. Hence,creativewritingwillmostlikelybeeasiertocommunicatefeaturesofTokyo.Oranothergenrecould perhapsbeadiaryoflifeinTokyo.WritingonelikethefamousDiaryofAnneFrankcancertainlyallowthe 11 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

12. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo readertoseethroughthewritersperspective,makingiteasiertoportraythecharacteristicsofTokyo.Each genrewillcreateadifferentproduct,impactandresultwhichiswhychallengingmyselfwiththeseformsof literatureisdefinitelyanewperspectivetoconsider. WordCount:3918 Bibliography AlloftheURLsusedintheprevioussectionsofthiswriteupwillbespecifiedwithfurtherdetailsbelow: Flickr: 1. (2006, April 16th). Tokyo Train Map. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: http://flickr.com/photos/moaksey/131599619/sizes/o/ 2. (2006, July 10th). Img 2130 Tokyo . Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: http://flickr.com/photos/62591211@N00/186506841/sizes/l/ 3. (2006, October 18th). Zojo-ji Temple and Tokyo Tower. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: http://flickr.com/photos/kalavinka/273474410/sizes/o/ 4. (2007, February 8th). Snow of Tokyo. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: http://flickr.com/photos/modern_classic/2239009292/ 5. (2007,October31st).Old&New(Tokyofragments).RetrievedFebruary11,2008,fromFlickrWebsite: http://flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/1808267994/ 6. Carvarlho,A.D.RebelWithoutACause.RetrievedFebruary11,2008,fromFlickrWebsite: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adc/215405524/sizes/o/ 7. Houghman,G.W.(2005,June22nd).SchoolChildren.RetrievedFebruary11,2008,fromFlickrWebsite: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anomic/153697074/ 8. Said, Will (2007, February 5th). Tokyo Sunset. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Flickr Web site: http://flickr.com/photos/thoth037/2250213168/sizes/m/ 9. Sng,J.(2007,October5th).Drinking,Tokyo,2007RetrievedFebruary11,2008,fromFlickrWebsite: http://flickr.com/photos/offspring/1489211477/ (2004, August 24th). Cities H.D.. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetry X Web site: http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/4672/ (2008). Poets.org from the Academy of American Poets. Retrieved February 11, 2008, Web site: http://www.poets.org/ (2008). Writing-World.Com Poetry. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetry & Greeting Cards Web site: http://www.writing-world.com/poetry/ Lear, E. Limericks. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetry-online.org Web site: http://www.poetry-online.org/limericks.htm Matterson, S., & Jones, D. (2000). Studying Poetry .A Hodder Arnold Publication. 12 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

13. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Poetry Analysis. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Poetrymagic.co.uk Web site: http://www.poetrymagic.co.uk/critiquing.html Red Hot Chili Peppers Under the Bridge. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Lyrics007 Web site: http://www.lyrics007.com/Red%20Hot%20Chili%20Peppers%20Lyrics/Under%20the%20Bridge%20Lyrics.html Simpson, E. Forms. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Connections: A Hypertext Resource for Literature Web site: http://www.math.grin.edu/~simpsone/Connections/Poetry/Forms/index.html Sonnets. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Patterns in Poetry Web site: http://www.cranberrydesigns.com/poetry/sonnet/history.htm MiyazawaK.TranslatedbyPulversR.(2007)StrongintheRainSelectedPoemsBloodaxeBooksLtd 13 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

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27. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Foreigner 1: The Survey for Poems Hello, Im Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry can deepen peoples knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you. Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How? I thought the poem called Shall I Compare Thee to a Human Being portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo because it told me many things that I would encounter daily if I was there such as how frequently I would see old and new things there and get stuck in morning traffics. It gave me a general picture of what Tokyo is like. I liked the line The sun-kissed morning thou have painted, Gives me the strength to face morning traffics because I got the impression that you can still interact with nature (sun) even if you are in Tokyo. This definitely changed my perspective. Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.) My favorite poem was New Years First Snow because I could really imagine the scene just by reading it. Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before you read the poems.) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection? I think if there were more poems, then the poetry collection would have been more helpful. Also, I think if there were more poets then I could have seen more different views on Tokyo. Thank you for your cooperation. 18 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

28. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo Foreigner 2: The Survey for Poems Hello, Im Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry can deepen peoples knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you. Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How? I think Children in Tokyo portrayed the clearest image. Probably because it explained what the people are like including men, women and children whilst describing the other features of Tokyo like crowds and streets. The line: They are the salesmen, who live in crinkled suits. They pour sake and flattery into the guests, Trying to avoid conversational mutes. Reading this line, it gave me an understanding that there are many salesmen who wear suits and drink Sake in Tokyo. I can say that there is a hierarchical system for occupations like salesmen in Tokyo. I loved the part where it said They pour sake and flattery into the guests. Very clever. Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.) My favorite poem was Night Light, by Yuri. The star-like lights fixed up above, Gleaming on and off- I could imagine it. I understood that it is similar to New York City. Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before you read the poems.) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection? I think it was great the way you did it! Thank you for your cooperation. 19 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

29. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Foreigner 3: The Survey for Poems Hello, Im Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry can deepen peoples knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you. Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How? I think On the Train portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo since it described thoroughly all the interests of one person that represented the characteristics of the general population of Tokyo. It also talked about the scenery that explained the environment of Tokyo. The wind is denser than the water, water and ice reflect each other around February at Rice Marsh Field told me that it snows or gets very cold in Tokyo and produces Rice. Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.) My favorite poem The Metro since the structure of the poem or the way it was written suited the content very well. The structure is very bold and sparsely laid out. I can understand the complexity and the simplicity of the metro. Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before you read the poems.) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection? If you included some pictures along with the poems, perhaps the readers could have gained more knowledge about Tokyo. Thank you for your cooperation. 20 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

30. 50 Excellent Personal ProjectsPoetry Collection of Tokyo Foreigner 4: The Survey for Poems Hello, Im Yuri Higashino. I am a student from K. International School Tokyo, doing a project to find out whether poetry can deepen peoples knowledge about a certain place. It would really help my project if you answer the following questions with as much detail as possible, after reading the poetry collection I have attached to this mail. To answer the questions just type in below the questions, and send me this document back. Thank you. Which poem portrayed the clearest image of Tokyo? And especially, which line/phrase? How? The Shall I compare thee to a Human Being? portrayed the clearest image, I think. It covered everything anyone can ask about Tokyo. The first two paragraphs of the poem explained the unanswered questions for me- like, are there temples or buildings in Tokyo? Which poem was your favorite? Why? (Specific phrases, lines, or words; the topic; etc.) My favorite poem was Confusion because it was very clear. Yet, poetically interesting. Out of 0-10, how much understanding did you receive from reading the poems? (Compare to your understanding before you read the poems.) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 None Somewhat Clear Perfectly Clear Lastly, what do you think I could have added to improve my poetry collection? If you included more poems then I think I would have learnt more about Tokyo. Thank you for your cooperation. 21 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009

31. 50 Excellent Personal Projects Poetry Collection of Tokyo Source: Gavin W. Hougham, School children. Tokyo. June 2005 International Baccalaureate Organization 2009