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. This poem was very well written, and i respect all that was said in the context of the poem. Yusef komunyakaa poems poems of yusef komunyakaa poem. Identify and discuss the effective use of image, and. A vietnam veteran, yusef komunyakaa faces his past whilst visiting the vietnam. He is known by his short lines, simple diction, jazzy rhythm and feel, and his rootedness in past experiences of growing up in the american south and being a decorated veteran of the vietnam.
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. 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. Article from a database accessed through a subscription service. Komunyakaa has composed this poem by alternating between short choppy lines and longer, drawn out phrases. Notable works, facing it neon vernacular talking dirty to the gods. Questioning traditional metaphors of light and darkness. For komunyakaa, the reflection creates a boundary between many sets of. Books by yusef komunyakaa author of neon vernacular. Yusef komunyakaa s poem facing it is an extraordinarily complex poem about the issue of race in america. Facing it by yusef komunyaa is a poem about vietnam. From 2015 to 2017, he was the poet laureate of new york state. Derrick meyenburg professor linda cashman enc1102 sec. In his poem, facing it, the poet relives his painful memories from the past, coming from early experiences in racism and later on in his life in the scarring events of the vietnam war and komunyakaa must learn to cope with these. In facing it by yusef komunyakaa, the poem enfolds numerous points of view regarding the vietnam war and related.
Identify one specific quality of the speaker in facing it by yusef komunyakaa, then offer one or more quotes. May 05, 2015 last updated on may 5, 2015, by enotes editorial. Born on april 29, 1947, in bogalusa, louisiana, yusef komunyakaa is the oldest of 5 children. Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1947 is an africanamerican poet and academic. Because the setting is the vietnam war memorial in washington, d.
Gordon terms komunyakaa one of americas most receptive minds and. But note the verb hiding which hints at shyness and doubt. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Yusef komunyakaa has 67 books on goodreads with 14948 ratings. It is a reflection on komunyakaa s first visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. In his poem i couldnt help but be impressed by its vivid imagery. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa that english teacher. The flash of the trap reflects the vividness and intensity of this memory, showing how much the horrors of war have severely impacted the soldier. Yusef komunyakaa in conversation about walt whitman. In his essay notes on poetry and history, simic confirms the idea that he is. Reading the lines, komunyakaa makes it so easy to envision what he describes. In yusef komunyakaa s poem facing it, there were three images that came to mind while i was reading it. The seagull reader, edited by joseph kelly, norton, 2000, pp.
In his poem, facing it, yusef komunyakaa, an african american vietnam war. Reflecting on his experiences, yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the vietnam war and his feelings about how racism has played a part in americas history. The poet confronts the unresolved pain of his own experience through the memorials distorted reflection, which becomes a central motif of the poem. Mar 09, 2016 yusef komunyakaa s facing it by essay examples march 9, 2016, 3. Yusef komunyakaa was born in 1947 in the quiet mill town of bogalusa, louisiana. Son of a carpenter he was raised in a house of few books at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Last name 1 name instructors name course name date facing it yusef komunyakaa. Nov 24, 2020 yusef komunyakaa latest answer posted january 12, 2011 at 6. Friedman notes that intrusive recollections often accompany ptsd. Yusef komunyakaa the first african american male to win the pulitzer prize for poetry. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaas facing it. Last name 1 name instructors name course name date facing it yusef komunyakaa the poem is a reflection of the.
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. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous facing it is a poem by yusef komunyakaa reflecting traumatic memories of the vietnam war. On the first line of the poem, the literal meaning is that he is looking at the vietnam memorial, but his skin blends in to the reflection that comes off of the memorial. The ever so controversial vietnam conflict, also known as the vietnam war. On spike lees da 5 bloodsand my own return to vietnam gq. Analysis of facing it by yusef komanuyakaa yusef komanuyakaas poem facing it is a cold example of the affects that war leaves. Then came the cadence of the bible and gospel music, then shakespeare, then. In his poem, facing it, komunyakaa has traveled to see the. His grandparents were church people and he has said in interview the old testament informed the cadences of their speech. Using vivid imagery, komunyakaa describes the booby traps white flash, giving an indication of how much this memory has impacted him. Yusef komunyakaas poem facing it describes a vietnam war veterans painful experience of. An analysis of facing it by yusef kounyakaa 727 words cram. Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1947 won the 1994 pulitzer prize for poetry and the kingsleytufts poetry award for his book neon vernacular.
A vietnam veteran, he did not write about the war until more than a decade after returning to the united states. Komunyakaa served in vietnam and was discharged from the army in 1966, during which time he wrote for army newspaper southern cross. Yusef komunyakaa s facing it by essay examples march 9, 2016, 3. The poem then ends on an ambiguous note, unclear as to whether the speaker. On this seamless album, komunyakaa s voice moves effortlessly among the other instruments, speaking its solo alongside the bass, the percussion, and the expressive trumpet of gonzalez. In 1998, komunyakaa recorded love notes from the madhouse, a collaboration with jazz musician denis gonzalez. Yusef komunyakaa published facing it in his 1988 collection dien cai dau. Yusef komunyakaa latest answer posted january 12, 2011 at 6. What is the theme of the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa.
The facing it community note includes chapterbychapter summary and. Identify and discuss the effective use of image, and explain. View homework help facing ityuset komunyakaa from economy 104 at laikipia university. The title of the poem is facing it, which is,he is facing a black wall with the names of other veterans of the vietnam war, but the deeper meaning is a man who is facing his past or memories of the war and what it has. Facing it is a poem by yusef komunyakaa reflecting traumatic. Analysis of poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa owlcation.
Surname 1 students name instructors name course date facing it by yusef komunyakaa yusef komunyakaa s poem. The author develops his emotions of guilt and sorrow through his poems blackberries and facing it even though the poems are about entirely different aspects in the authors life. Yusef komunyakaa s confrontation of the vietnam memorial opens a gateway of misery and confusion for him. Mla style citing sources research guides at university. Facing ityusef komunyakaa 1988author biographypoem textpoem. He first heard jazz on his wooden radio in 1950s louisiana.
Facing it is a poem by american poet and author yusef komunyakaa. An interview with yusef komunyakaa yusef komunyakaa has referred to his poems as word paintings, as music, and as acts of conjuring. Facing it study guide contains a biography of yusef komunyakaa, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Condition redcollects writing by one of americas most gifted and revered poets, yusef komunyakaa.
When the speaker visits the vietnam veterans memorial, he. He teaches at new york university, and is a member of the fellowship of southern writers. My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. Facing it, by yusef komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all americans are familiar with. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets.
Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay 675 words. The poem deals with the speakers struggle to confront traumatic wartime memories while looking at his reflection. Mar 25, 2008 yusef komunyakaa s poem facing it describes a vietnam war veterans painful experience of visiting the vietnam veterans memorial in washington, d. Nov 05, 2011 in his poem, facing it, yusef komunyakaa describes his ambivalent emotions towards the vietnam war of which he was a veteran. Yusef komunyakaa s testimony and the humanity of charlie parker. Use of imagery and figurative language in facing it by. 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. In komunyakaa s facing it, we get a detailed look at the personal casualties and inner conflict set involving the veteran fantastic inability to deal with the memories he is having.
Mar 25, 2020 facing it by yusef komunyakaa deals with the themes of memory, war and survival. Feb 19, 2015 the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa is about a man who came back from war and is now dealing with the negative side of it. Yusef komunyakaa pronounced kohmunyahkuh gained widespread recognition when he received the 1994 pulitzer prize in poetry for his volume neon vernacular. He has published nine books of poetry and teaches at princeton university. Have students make notes about the speakers experience of the wall, particularly the play between past, present, and future that the wall creates for him. 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. In his poem, facing it, yusef komunyakaa, an african american vietnam war veteran, takes that first step toward healing as he approaches the memorial. Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1947 is an american poet who teaches at new york university and is a member of the fellowship of southern writers. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa speaks of one mans reaction to seeing the vietnam veterans memorial in washington, d.
Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first black man to win a pulitzer prize for poetry 1994. While themes from his earlier prose collection, blue note. Louis armstrongs trumpet, a dinah washington ballad. It is most commonly thought that all komunyakaa may be the narrator, telling this poem in firstperson straight from his memories in the vietnam warfare. The poem blackberries by yusef komunyakaa, published in 1992, had many meanings. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Jul, 2020 yusef komunyakaa is the author of 16 poetry collections, including neon vernacular, which won the 1994 pulitzer prize.
Komunyakaa, born in 1947, is one of the most respected, influential, and anthologized poets of his gen eration. Facing ityuset komunyakaa last name 1 name instructors. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa facing it by yusef komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any particular rhyme scheme or strictly metered pattern. Komunyakaa won the pulitzer prize in 1994 yusef komunyakaa. This poem, one of komunyakaa s most famous, depicts a veterans encounter with the vietnam war memorial in washington, d. This special issue devoted to yusef komunyakaa,edited by michael collins, includes poems, translations, and operaversedrama excerpts by the poet. Komunyakaa was inspired to write the poem following a visit to the vietnam veterans memorial some 14 years after his time as a soldier in the vietnam war. Komunyakaa received the 2007 louisiana writer award for his enduring. His opinions matter as he serves as a juror for poetry contests, there. Because yusef komunyakaa s poetry is so rich in imagery, allusion, metaphor, musical rhythms, and ironic twists, it possesses. Facing it is a poem that deals with the personal angst of the speaker, a vietnam. Yusef komunyakaa s most popular book is neon vernacular. Returning vietnam veterans had an especially hard time reconnecting to the world upon their return home. Yusef komunyakaa knows the texture of sound and the multitude of instruments contained in a single voice.
1174 1028 732 1207 940 793 1344 37 404 557 911 123 1713 661 448 206 1156 1204 454 1757 915 1538 298 1032 672 80 1237 262 1734 1416 1314 1004 540 121 1184 606 454 1083