Facing it poem analysis. Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa 2022-12-15
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"Facing It" is a powerful poem written by Yusef Komunyakaa, a Vietnam War veteran and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. The poem describes the speaker's experience of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., and the emotions that it evokes in him.
The poem begins with the speaker standing in front of the memorial, which is described as a "black mirror" that reflects the images of the people standing in front of it. The speaker describes how he feels as he looks at the names of the soldiers who died in the war, and how their names seem to "jump out" at him. He feels a sense of guilt and responsibility for the deaths of these soldiers, as if he could have done something to prevent them.
The speaker also describes how he sees the faces of the soldiers in the reflections of the memorial, and how they seem to be looking back at him with a sense of accusation. He feels overwhelmed by the weight of the war and the sacrifices that were made, and he is overcome with emotion.
The speaker then reflects on his own experiences in the war, and how he has struggled to come to terms with what happened. He admits that he has often tried to push these memories away, but that they always come back to haunt him. He feels a sense of shame and guilt for the things that he did in the war, and for the way that he has tried to move on with his life.
Despite all of these emotions, the speaker ultimately finds some sense of peace and acceptance in the memorial. He realizes that the soldiers who died in the war did so for a cause that they believed in, and that their sacrifices were not in vain. He feels a sense of gratitude and respect for them, and he is able to find some closure and healing as he stands in front of the memorial.
Overall, "Facing It" is a poignant and powerful poem that captures the emotional impact of the Vietnam War on those who served in it. It is a testament to the enduring power of memory and the enduring impact of war on those who experience it.
Poetry Analysis Facing blog.sigma-systems.com
What appeared to be a futile, grief-stricken gesture is revealed to be an act of ordinary tenderness. He, like many other war veterans, was severely haunted by the acts which he and others had committed in Vietnam. The ever so controversial Vietnam Conflict, also known as the Vietnam War. Music was like a safety beacon for those whose minds were broken during the era of the Vietnam War, doing its best to relate to every type of person. The affected party is always on the eve of building unforgettable memories from life experiences. However, his imagination is disturbed by the flapping of a bird.
A plane in the sky. The black granite is what the names of the deceased soldiers are written on. He knows himself too well to fully commit to the notion that he is without emotions. As he releases from the wall, he observes another man. The speaker is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and at the memorial Analysis Of Facing It By Yusef Komunyakaa Yusef Komunyakaa, born in 1947, wrote both February in Sydney and Facing it.
Those memories can attack the mind, and cause a veteran to feel vulnerable. Fallen Angels set in Vietnam during the Vietnam war, the story introduces the main character Perry, who faces obstacles, including death and killing. Personification The mirror-like surface of the wall reflects the speaker's face back to him, and reflects the faces and bodies of those around him. These men of the war were frequently forced…. In this section of lines he narrator describes one of the names on the wall and the person who used to be attached to it. He is also a winner of many prestigious awards, that include the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Ruth Lily Poetry Prize, and Louisiana Writer Award.
There are several major conflicts at play in this subtly complex poem. Whether through their support, protest, service, or the simple fact that they are living in the world. The poets use of form helped build the theme of the poem. It commented on the lives of being a soldier returned from war. The draft was initiated to help fill the shortages of Soldiers fighting in Vietnam; this brought a lot of dissatisfaction to the war and the quality of Soldiers that would be enlisted in the U.
But while his encounter with the memorial has one foot in the present, it has another foot in the past, and the wartime memories constantly threaten to surface. Komuyakaa stands at the memorial realizing that is more that it appears; it is not just cold stone, but something he identifies with on a more deep and profound level. The imagery that he uses allows us to see how gruesome the war really was, and how it was not just something that was glorious and honorable. The fact his name could be among the fallen has not been lost on him. However, even though his death was tragic, it was not an accident. The final illusory image of the poem is of a woman whose reflection in the wall appears to be trying to erase the names inscribed in the memorial.
The author included both stressed and unstressed syllables, as well as many feet in the lines of the poem. The political agenda can relate to the lives of an individual person when it impedes on their natural rights. His poetical technique makes his opinions stand out, being affluencial because although poems contain less words they often have a more powerful appeal. His message of forgiveness and transforming from self-recrimination as depicted earlier in the poem evident from phrases such as, "I said I wouldn't" carries the heavy weight of the poem. The Inhumanity In Slaughterhouse Five 317 Words 2 Pages Often, people react differently to misfortunes some tend to avoid the sorrow; some would speak up while some will mourn. It is impossible to truly understand the emotional toll that something as devastating as a war can have on a person. This could be one reason why a lot of people who have lived through a war have also been inspired to express their shattered spirits and frightful experiences in battle through writing or literature.
Komunyakaa was especially influenced by jazz and the time that he served in the Vietnam War. Weems is killed in what seems like a tragic accident. However, he also is allowed to want to forget this memory. For instance, in his case, he learned to adapt to others irrespective of the challenging experiences he underwent during the vet Examples Of Irony In Fallen Angels 509 Words 3 Pages In the book Fallen Angels Walter Dean Myers tells the story of soldiers who struggles with a problem involving what is right and wrong in war. A visit to this structure sparks off flashbacks of the war that haunt him and invoke many painful memories.
The poem is successful on being a voice for the forgotten heroes, the veterans of the war making a comment on social standards of that time. The speaker is engages further with the monument as he takes in the full horror of the vast lists of names that cover the granite surface. Ironically, the man actually referred to by the name "Andrew Johnson" was a teenage Black American soldier who died in Vietnam, and who grew up like Komunyakaa in Bogalusa, Louisiana. But, he is also reminding himself that he is human and he has emotions and feeling that cannot be oppressed. The Vietnam War was one of the longest wars in the history of the United States of America, in which around 10% of the total population had served.
