Facing It‚" by Yusef Komunyakaa talks about a war which most‚ if not all Americans are familiar with. The ever so controversial Vietnam Conflict‚ also known as the Vietnam War. This poem was very well written‚ and I respect all that was said in the context of the poem. "Facing It‚" discusses his visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.‚ and his emotions that he experienced while he was at the memorial. I can not imagine what the feelings would be like to see one of my friend ’s name etched
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Professor Linda Cashman ENC1102 Sec. 45 March 22‚ 2014 Yusef Komunyakaa’s Facing It. Returning Vietnam veterans had an especially hard time reconnecting to the world upon their return home. Both their mental and physical stresses‚ compounded by the fact that there were a large number of people who chose to hate and beguile these men‚ caused them to be clinically depressed or even in some cases drove them to insanity. In Komunyakaa’s “Facing It”‚ we get an in depth look at the personal casualties
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In Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Facing It‚” the speaker encounters his grief at the Vietnam Memorial‚ undergoing confusing emotions from his experience of grief and loss at the war‚ but later realizes there is joy and harmony in living‚ appreciating the value of his own life [PrPP]. The first half of the poem demonstrates the speaker’s despair and confusion by visiting and reflecting on the wall from the memorial‚ the wall visually and physically representing the loss of his comrades. The poem opens with
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Just like every other war‚ the Vietnam War was a tragic age where blood was spilled and sorrow filled the hearts of people from both sides of the battlefield. Yusef Komunyakaa was one of the many who mourned over lost loves and friends. His poem describes the heartache he encounters as he visits the memorial for all the lives that were lost. Post-traumatic memories flood him all at once and he envisions some of the slain veterans and citizens reflecting in the wall of names. He is bitter at the
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Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” describes a Vietnam War veteran’s painful experience of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington‚ D.C. In his poem I couldn’t help but be impressed by its vivid imagery. Reading the lines‚ Komunyakaa makes it so easy to envision what he describes. It makes me feel like I’m there. Through the use of vivid imagery‚ Yusef Komunyakaa shows the veterans’ response to the Vietnam War memorial by using both literal and figurative illustrations. Literally
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Facing It Yusef Komunyakaa‚ Pulitzer Prize winning poet grew up in Bogalusa Louisiana. Yusef had an interesting childhood including an abusive father‚ a love for jazz music‚ and a side of patriotism. He joined the army in 1965 during the heart of the Vietnam War. This is where Yusef got a lot of inspiration to start to write his poetry. War brought him a lot of personal experiences that he later turned into award winning poetry. ‘Facing it” is a poem expressing the struggle of life and death also
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Analysis of "Facing it" by Yusef Komunyakaa Cruel and terrible events forever leave a mark on our memory. Especially‚ when these events are directly related to person‚ the memory reproduces every second of what happened. Unfortunately‚ humanity fully cognized the term of "war". "Facing it" by Yusef Komunyakaa reveals another several sides of the war. Poem tells the reader about which consequences‚ the war left and how changed people’s lives. The hero identifies itself with the Vietnam Veterans
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that are not easily forgotten by those involved‚ and are also things not easily understood by those not involved. It is impossible to truly understand the emotional toll that something as devastating as a war can have on a person. In the poem “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa‚ it centers on an African American man who served in one of the most trying wars of all time‚ the Vietnam War‚ and is visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. In this poem‚ an understanding is gained of the unrelenting grief and
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Use of Imagery and Figurative Language in “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa In his poem‚ “Facing It”‚ Yusef Komunyakaa describes his ambivalent emotions towards the Vietnam War of which he was a veteran. Reflecting on his experiences‚ Yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the Vietnam War and his feelings about how racism has played a part in America’s history. By using visual imagery and metaphoric language throughout the poem‚ Yusef is able to reflect the sad and confused emotions he
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Yusef Komunyakaa has spent decades fighting. With a life spanning the Harlem Renaissance‚ the Civil Rights Movement‚ and the Vietnam War‚ he is no stranger to turmoil. Growing up in a small‚ segregated Louisiana town dominated by the Klu Klux Clan‚ many of Komunyakaa’s poems express a need for escape. However‚ his poems also share a theme of perseverance. The poems “Slam Dunk & Hook”‚ “Ode to a Drum” and “Venus Flytrap”‚ show not only Komunyakaa’s unique style of writing‚ but his encompassing theme
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