Yusef komunyakaa, original name in full james william brown, jr. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets. Yusef komunyakaa writes movingly about his vietnam war experience in his poem facing it. Analysis of poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa owlcation. Facing it by yusef komunyaka by danilsa ynfante on prezi. Facing it is a poem that encapsulates numerous themes and points of view regarding the vietnam war and related issues. Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first black man to win a pulitzer prize for poetry 1994. Komunyakaa has composed this poem by alternating between short choppy lines and longer, drawn out phrases. Produced by david grubin productions and wgbh boston, in association with the poetry.
Facing it by yusef komunyakaa that english teacher. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa deals with the themes of memory, war and survival. Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first. Yusef komunyakaa, a vietnam veteran and poet, wrote the poem below. 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. Reflecting on his experiences, yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the vietnam war and his feelings about how racism has played a. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1052 words 5 pages facing it is a poem 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. He has published nine books of poetry and teaches at princeton university. Though he spent much of his tour of duty in the field, witnessing combat and reporting. Environmental education resources to commemorate earth days 50th anniversary. Audio recordings of classic and contemporary poems read by poets and actors, delivered every day. Thanks by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american.
Despite his resistance, the speaker becomes emotional at the stone wall, which is polished to a mirror. The author describes the emotional impact the visit has on him. Both of these styles of writing utilize enjambment. The poem begins with the speaker facing the black granite wall of the memorial. Facing it outline jackson g in the poem facing it, the author yusef komunyakaa makes use of imagery, symbolism, and allusion to demonstrate the difficulty that veterans have dealing with the lingering emotional pain caused by war and how this causes them to have trouble facing reality. Yusef komunyakaa on how writing and art has changed him. This poem, one of komunyakaa s most famous, depicts a veterans encounter with the vietnam war memorial in washington, d.
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 what i am. Facing it by yusef komunyaa is a poem about vietnam. Yusef komunyakaa s books of poetry include taboo, dien cai dau, neon vernacular, for which he received the pulitzer prize, talking dirty to the gods,warhorses, the chameleon couch, the emperor of water clocks, and everyday mojo songs of earth forthcoming from farrar, straus, and giroux in 2020. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa 744 words bartleby. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. Yusef komunyakaa s facing it is poem about the authors visit to the vietnam veterans memorial and his personal experiences in the vietnam war. In the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa the author uses great imagery that has both literal and figurative meaning behind them. It is the second poem written by komunyakaa about vietnam. One of komunyakaa s most frequently anthologized poems, facing it was first published in his collection dien cai dau, 1988.
Komunyakaa served in vietnam and was discharged from the army in 1966, during which time he wrote for army newspaper southern cross. Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 100year archive of poetry magazine. 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. Komunyakaa was born in the conservative rural south on the cusp of the civil rights movement. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1007 words 5 pages. These poems were written as a way of talking around an idea or question, this idea question being. What is the theme of the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa. A vietnam veteran, he did not write about the war until more than a decade after returning to the united states.
Finish your response by explaining how these images and their metaphorical meaning helps your understanding of the theme of the poem. Part of the poetry everywhere project airing on public television. Clip 1m 30s yusef komunyakaa writes movingly about his vietnam war experience in his poem facing it. 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 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. Facing it is a poem by american poet and author yusef komunyakaa. 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. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1007 words. I have almost nailed my left thumb to the 2 x 4 brace that holds the deck together.
Yusef komunyakaa questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on yusef komunyakaa. A vietnam veterans thoughts on war poem facing it the. Yusef komunyakaa reads his poem facing it about seeing the vietnam veterans memorial wall in washington, d. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa explores the emotional aftermaths of war and is about a veteran visiting the vietnam memorial in washington d. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaas facing it. Thanks by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets. He is the oldest among five siblings and bore the name, james william brown until he reclaimed the name, komunyakaa. Poetry community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. In the poem it states i go down the 58,022 names, halfexpecting to find my own in letters like smoke. Yusef komunyakaa was born in louisiana, he served as a war correspondent and was the managing editor of the southern cross during the war, for which he received a bronze star. 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. It was 14 years after the war that he finally wrote the poem. Facing it, by yusef komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all americans are familiar with. This poem was very well written, and i respect all that was said in the context of the poem.
Facing it by yusef komunyakaa speaks of one mans reaction to seeing the vietnam veterans memorial in washington, d. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa produced for k12 educators, teach this poem features one poem a week from our online poetry. A vietnam veteran, yusef komunyakaa faces his past whilst visiting the vietnam war memorial in washington dc. The ever so controversial vietnam conflict, also known as the vietnam war. Use of imagery and figurative language in facing it by. He is following in the long tradition of war poems going back to homers iliad, to those of warriors returning from iraq and afghanistan. Yusef komunyakaa was born in bogalusa, louisiana in april of 1941. Jasmine by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american. He sees that he is still fighting a war that had ended decades before. The most well known part of the vietnam veterans memorial is the vietnam veterans memorial wall, which is the focal point of facing it. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any particular rhyme scheme or strictly metered pattern. 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.
Facing the vietnam veterans memorial wall, yusef komunyakaa began to reflect on all the things that had been pushed from his mind for years. Yusef wrote the poem after returning home from vietnam. Yusef komunyakaa 1988 you and i are disappearing yusef komunyakaa 1988. 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. The poem is about the author, a veteran visiting the vietnam veterans memorial for the very first time. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1077 words bartleby. It is a poem in which the writer uses imagery and figurative language to express his feelings and his thoughts. Character analysis of yusef komunyakaa facing it essay. Poetry analysis of facing it by yusef kounyakaa 809. It is a reflection on komunyakaa s first visit to the vietnam veterans memorial.
Poems by yusef komunyakaa academy of american poets. Yusef komunyakaa, born in 1947, wrote both february in sydney and facing it. In the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa has lot of descriptive imagery stanzas that make you feel as if you are really there. 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. The speaker in facing it cannot hide his emotions about the vietnam war because he is not a stone that cannot feel anything. Yusef komunyakaa facing it essay 487 words 2 pages. 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. His face blending into the black granite, yusef komunyakaa s reflection takes him back into the blackness of the war 847. The first line of the poem, my black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1941 is an american poet who teaches at new york.
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