Download file to see previous pages in the poem, komunyakaa attempts to reveal that while some things seem to fade away and disappear, they get connected to other things that give them a true and deeper meaning. In the poem facing it by american author yusef komunyakaa, the author uses metaphor, imagery, and symbolism in order to express to his audience the close experience of making his journey to the vietnam war veterans memorial in washington, dc. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa has a tone that will haunt a reader well after they are done reading it. Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1941 is an american poet who teaches at new york university and is a. Blackberries by yusef komunyakaa as kingfishers catch fire by gerald manley hopkins ariel by sylvia plath. It is the second poem written by komunyakaa about vietnam. Both of these styles of writing utilize enjambment. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaas facing it. A poem from a poet worth checking out, if you havent done so already, yusef komunyakaas blackberries speaks. Thanks by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets. Yusef komunyakaa and facing it facing it is a poem that deals with the personal angst of the speaker, a vietnam veteran, who is visiting the vietnam war memorial in washington dc. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaas facing it this post brings to you a summary and analysis of the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa.
Son of a carpenter he was raised in a house of few books at the beginning of the civil rights movement. In the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa the author uses great imagery that has both literal and figurative meaning behind them. These, despite providing the anticipated sorrowful meaning, bring about the feeling of pleasure and fulfillment instead. His grandparents were church people and he has said in interview the old testament informed the cadences of their speech. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay example. Yusef komunyakaa, original name in full james william brown, jr. Identify one specific quality of the speaker in facing it by yusef. Yusef komunyakaa displays this through his many poems about the.
The first line of the poem, my black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. Yusef komunyakkas poem, facing it epitomizes the struggles of vietnam war veterans back at home. Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first black man to win a pulitzer prize for poetry 1994. Unfortunately, humanity fully cognized the term of war. Yusef komunyakaa and facing it facing it is a poem that deals with the personal angst of the speaker, a vietnam veteran, who is visiting the vietnam war. I met my wife in a bookstore and read her my poetry before our first conversation was over. Yusef komunyakaa writes movingly about his vietnam war experience in his poem facing it. Facing it is a poem by american poet and author yusef komunyakaa. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company.
Komunyakaa has composed this poem by alternating between short choppy lines and longer, drawn out phrases. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa speaks of one mans reaction to seeing the vietnam veterans memorial in washington, d. Yusef komunyakaas most popular book is neon vernacular. In the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa has lot of descriptive imagery stanzas that make you feel as if you are really there. Thanks for the tree the academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. The ever so controversial vietnam conflict, also known as the vietnam war.
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. Dien cai dau awesome and vivid vietnam poems professor yusef komunyakaa is just an awesome poet and is a member of the fellowship of southern writers. A primary tool that yusef komunyakaa uses to interconnect his emotions are imagery. Reflecting on his experiences, yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the vietnam. Analysis of poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa owlcation.
It was 14 years after the war that he finally wrote the poem. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa speaks of one mans reaction to seeing the vietnam veterans. Yusef komunyakaa reads his poem facing it about seeing the vietnam veterans memorial wall in washington, d. Learn all about facing it, ask questions, and get the answers you need. Facing it my black face fades, poet yusef komunyakaa first received wide recognition following the 1984 publication of copacetic, a collection of poems built from colloquial speech which demonstrated his incorporation of jazz influences. Facing it by yusef komunyaka by danilsa ynfante on prezi. It is a reflection on komunyakaas first visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. I go down the 58,022 names58,022 names the number of names of dead soldiers etched on the wall at the time of komunyakaas composing of this poem. In yusef komunyakaas poem facing it, a quality the narrator demonstrates is. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay example. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets. Yusef komunyakaa facing it essay 487 words 2 pages.
Yusef komunyakaa has 64 books on goodreads with 167 ratings. Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1941 is an american poet who teaches at new york university and is a member of the fellowship of southern writers. Yusef komunyakaa was born in 1947 in the quiet mill town of bogalusa, louisiana. What makes great poetry a brief analysis of yusef komunyakaas blackberries. Thanks by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american. Analyzing theme in facing it by yusef komunyakka essay. The poem is inspired from the experiences of the poet during the vietnam war, where he worked as a correspondent and managing editor of a. Imagery and symbols in facing it by yusef komunyakaa. Facing it is a poem that deals with the personal angst of the speaker, a vietnam veteran, who is visiting the vietnam war memorial in. 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.
Books by yusef komunyakaa author of neon vernacular. I have almost nailed my left thumb to the 2 x 4 brace that holds the deck together. He has published nine books of poetry and teaches at princeton university. He is a recipient of the 1994 kingsley tufts poetry award, and the pulitzer prize award for his book, neon vernacular. Maya lin was about as far removed from the vietnam war as anyone could be, and at just 21, seemed an unlikely candidate to design a. Though he spent much of his tour of duty in the field, witnessing combat and reporting. From 1969 to 1970, komunyakaa served in vietnam as a correspondent and managing editor for the military newspaper southern cross, work that earned him a bronze star. A vietnam veteran, he did not write about the war until more than a decade after returning to the united states.
My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. Read all poems of yusef komunyakaa and infos about yusef komunyakaa. Identify one specific quality of the speaker in facing it by yusef komunyakaa, then offer one. Finish your response by explaining how these images and their metaphorical meaning helps your understanding of the theme of the poem. Facing it is a poem that encapsulates numerous themes and points of view regarding the vietnam war and related issues. The poem is about the author, a veteran visiting the vietnam veterans memorial for the very first time. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaa s facing it this post brings to you a summary and analysis of the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa. Blackberries by yusef komunyakaa dandeliondiadems weblog. Farkas 1 kaitlin farkas english 102 david rodriguez october 14. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa that english teacher. Komunyakaa served in vietnam and was discharged from the army in 1966, during which time he wrote for army newspaper southern cross.
This poem was very well written, and i respect all that was said in the con. Use of imagery and figurative language in facing it by. Yusef komunyakaas facing it free essays, term papers. The poem is inspired from the experiences of the poet during the vietnam war, where he worked as a correspondent and managing editor of a military newspaper. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay 675 words. Komunyakaa was born in the conservative rural south on the cusp of the civil rights movement. His face blending into the black granite, yusef komunyakaas reflection takes him back into the blackness of the war 847. One of komunyakaas most frequently anthologized poems, facing it was first published in his collection dien cai dau, 1988. Yusef komunyakaas facing it is poem about the authors visit to the vietnam veterans memorial and his personal experiences in the vietnam war. One of his most famous poems, facing it, brings the reader. Historical and literary context for yusef komunyakaas facing it. Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any particular rhyme scheme or strictly metered pattern. Facing it, by yusef komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all americans are familiar with.
The son of a carpenter, komunyakaa has said that he was first alerted to the power of language through his grandparents, who were church people. Learn about yusef komunyakaas influences that helped shape facing it, and other important details about yusef komunyakaa. The speaker is a vietnam veteran visiting the vietnam veterans memorial in. Regardless of how hard war veterans tried to set aside the experiences of vietnam and acclimate back into their normal lives, the trauma of the vietnam conflict insistently returns in visceral. Yusef wrote the poem after returning home from vietnam. He is a man who chooses his words carefully, splicing his speech with long silences, until his conversation resembles something close to a jazz riff very fitting for this acclaimed poet who says oral language is our first music, and the body is an amplifier. The most well known part of the vietnam veterans memorial is the vietnam veterans memorial wall, which is the focal point of facing it.
Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa cruel and terrible events forever leave a mark on our memory. Yusef komunyakaa speaks in a gravelly southern baritone, tinged with a cajun flavor that reflects his childhood years in louisiana. The black wall of the memorial evokes all kinds of wartorn images from the violent past which are full of. Yusef komunyakaa yusef komunyakaa poems poem hunter. Facing it by yusef komunyaa is a poem about vietnam. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Yusef komunyakaa poems, quotations and biography on yusef komunyakaa poet page. Facing the vietnam veterans memorial wall, yusef komunyakaa began to reflect on all the things that had been pushed from his mind for years. This saturday morning in june, i have sawed 2 x 6s, tsquared and leveled everything with three bubbles sealed in green glass, and now the sweat on my tongue tastes like. Yusef komunyakaa research paper flashcards quizlet.
1164 851 69 902 1118 810 69 1108 809 649 880 1432 1201 989 279 1369 1498 546 823 153 34 132 221 145 1014 706 1470 1052 1043 1454 780 494 1256 661