Yusef komunyakaa was born in 1947 in bogalusa, louisiana, and raised during the beginning of the civil rights movement. The first line of the poem, my black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. One of komunyakaas most frequently anthologized poems, facing it was first published in his collection dien cai dau, 1988. Facing it in 360 degrees of text in this activities, students focus on the emotional shifts within the poem. Facing it by yusef komunyaka by danilsa ynfante on prezi. He served in the united states army from 1969 to 1970 as a correspondent, and as managing editor of the southern cross during the vietnam war, earning him a bronze star. On april 29, 1947, yusef komunyakaa was born in bogalusa, louisiana, where he was raised during the beginning of the civil rights movement. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any particular rhyme scheme or strictly metered pattern. Imagery and symbols in facing it by yusef komunyakaa. There are no numbers because the devices seemed to interconnect in my mind. This detailed and visuallyappealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising the yusef komunyakaa poem venuss flytra. One image that relates to facing it is the freedom sculpture that was created by zenos frudakis. 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. Blue light lounge sutra for the performance poets at harold park hotel yusef komunyakaa performed this piece on march 29, 2007 at actonboxborough regional high school in.
My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the. Facing it, by yusef komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all americans are familiar with. Learn all about facing it, ask questions, and get the answers you need. Yusef komunyakaas most popular book is neon vernacular. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay 675 words. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets. Both of these styles of writing utilize enjambment. May 25, 2014 yusef komunyakaa, the author of the poem facing it, was born in bogalusa, louisiana on april 29, 1947. In the poem it states i go down the 58,022 names, halfexpecting to find my own in letters like smoke. 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. Venuss flytraps yusef komunyakaa knowledge organiser. Reflecting on his experiences, yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the vietnam war and his feelings about how racism has played a. These poems were written as a way of talking around an idea or question, this idea question being that of growing up during the civil rights movement. 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.
The it in komunyakaa s poem refers both to the war and the black granite of the vietnam. This poem was very well written, and i respect all that was said in the con. 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. Komunyakaa began writing in 1973, after achieving his bachelors degree university of colorado springs. These, despite providing the anticipated sorrowful meaning, bring about the feeling of pleasure and fulfillment instead. 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. Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first black man to win a pulitzer prize for poetry 1994. The poem is about the poet and his sense of loss of his identity. The speaker in facing it cannot hide his emotions about the vietnam war because he is not a stone that cannot feel anything. In facing it, only the second poem hed written in retrospect about vietnam, komunyakaas response to his war experience is deeply shaped by his visit, a year earlier, to lins memorial. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay example topics. Yusef komunyakaas poem glory sends a message to readers that a small communal game between players can ultimately alleviate their stress about their workaday lives and hopefully help them survive the new week.
Usually at the helipad i see them stumbledance across the hot asphalt with crokersacks over their heads, moving toward the interrogation huts, thinframed as box kites. In the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa the author uses great imagery that has both literal and figurative meaning behind them. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay example. 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. What kind of imagery do both komunyakaa s camouflaging the chimera in komunyakaa s camouflaging the chimera what are the soldiers doing. Nostalgic memories in yusef komunyakaas facing it essay. The exsoldier finds himself staring his past in the face. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa a video of the poet reading his poem, analysis, and teaching tips.
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. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa what lies within the text. Oct 18, 2016 veterans respond to yusef komunyakaas poem facing it veteran responses to facing it a poem about facing the vietnam memorial wall for the first time. He is the oldest among five siblings and bore the name, james william brown until he reclaimed the name, komunyakaa. Facing it is included in komunyakaas 1988 collection, dien cai dau, which tackles other difficult vietnamwar subjects as well. It is a reflection on komunyakaa s first visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. He served a tour of duty in vietnam, where he was also a writer and the managing editor for the military. 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.
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. He has published nine books of poetry and teaches at princeton university. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa that english teacher. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa explores the emotional aftermaths of war and is about a veteran visiting the vietnam memorial in washington d. Son of a carpenter he was raised in a house of few books at the beginning of the civil rights movement.
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. The resource is designed to be printed onto a3, and is provided as both a pdf and a word version so that you can edit if you want to. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay example. This poem was very well written, and i respect all that was said in the context of the poem. It was 14 years after the war that he finally wrote the poem. Jun 30, 2009 i met my wife in a bookstore and read her my poetry before our first conversation was over. Apr 08, 2011 moreover, playing a sport can solve varieties of problems teenagers are facing. 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. Nostalgic memories in facing it just as farmers brand their livestock in order to claim them as their own, humans do the same when it comes to important events.
Facing it by yusef komunyakaa produced for k12 educators, teach this poem features one poem a week from our online poetry. In the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa has lot of descriptive imagery stanzas that make you feel as if you are really there. Veterans respond to yusef komunyakaas poem facing it. Yusef wrote the poem after returning home from vietnam. One of komunyakaa s most frequently anthologized poems, facing it was first published in his collection dien cai dau, 1988. Yusef komunyakaa writes movingly about his vietnam war experience in his poem facing it. Audio recordings of classic and contemporary poems read by poets and actors, delivered every day. Yusef komunyakaa, original name in full james william brown, jr. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. The article offers poetry criticism of the poem facing it, by yusef komunyakaa. He sees the gruesome deaths of his compatriots in the many. Historical and literary context for yusef komunyakaas facing it. His grandparents were church people and he has said in interview the old testament informed the cadences of their speech. Facing it is telling a story of a person who is visiting the vietnam war memorial.
Yusef komunyakaa s facing it is poem about the authors visit to the vietnam veterans memorial and his personal experiences in the vietnam war. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq. A primary tool that yusef komunyakaa uses to interconnect his emotions are imagery. Yusef komunyakaa facing it essay 487 words 2 pages. Perhaps because it was written down by scribes, who were most likely associated with the church, it gained its christian concepts or perhaps these symbols from the old testament were present in the poem beforehand.
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. Yusef komunyakaa, born in 1947, wrote both february in sydney and facing it. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa cruel and terrible events forever leave a mark on our memory. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaas facing it. Every time that he is looking at the names on the memorial he is seeing his friends and himself fighting side by side.
Connell 8 october 20 komunyakaa s poems of sorrow and guilt yusef komunyakaa was born in 1947, in bogalusa, louisiana. He served in the united states army from 1969 to 1970 as a correspondent, and as a managing editor of the southern cross during the vietnam war, earning him a bronze star. Poetry community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Im looking for the stanza by stanza analysis of facing it poem by yusef. Yusef komunyakaa reads his poem facing it about seeing the vietnam veterans memorial wall in washington, d.
Facing it is a poem that encapsulates numerous themes and points of view regarding the vietnam war and related issues. In 1984, komunyakaa began to reflect on his experiencesalthough his decision to write about vietnam wasnt entirely deliberate. Facing ita poem by yusef komunyakaa in honor of american. It is a reflection on komunyakaas first visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. He faces an inner conflict when he finds his reflection. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1007 words 5 pages. Dec 09, 20 this one i have explicated differently than the previous posts.
Which characteristic of postmodern writing is most clearly shown in the two works where is the narrator in komunyakaa s facing it. Facing it by yusef komunyaa is a poem about vietnam. The old woman made mint candy for the children whod bolt through her front door, silhouettes of the great blue heron. 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.
Use of imagery and figurative language in facing it by. 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. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa speaks of one mans reaction to seeing the vietnam veterans memorial in washington, d. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1052 words. The author relates that the poem allows the poet to see his own mortality clearly in the tombstonelike face of the vietnam veterans. Facing it is a poem by american poet and author yusef komunyakaa. He served in the united states army from 1969 to 1970 as a correspondent, and as managing editor of the southern cross during the vietnam war, earning him a bronze star he began writing poetry in 1973, and received his bachelors degree from the. Yusef komunyakaa was born in bogalusa, louisiana in april of 1941. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 732 words. My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. As a veteran of the vietnam war, yusef komunyakaa revisits the experiences and pain of having been in one of the most difficult wars. The speaker is a vietnam veteran visiting the vietnam veterans memorial in.
Yusef komunyakaa on how writing and art has changed him duration. Yusef komunyakaas poem facing it takes advantage of a unique. The most well known part of the vietnam veterans memorial is the vietnam veterans memorial wall, which is the focal point of facing it. Born in bogalusa, louisiana in 1947, yusef komunyakaa was the first. For further information on his life and works, see clc, volume 86. Komunyakaa was born in the conservative rural south on the cusp of the civil rights movement. 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. 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.
Yusef komunyakaa speaks in a gravelly southern baritone, tinged with a cajun flavor that reflects his childhood years in louisiana. Komunyakaa has composed this poem by alternating between short choppy lines and longer, drawn out phrases. It is the second poem written by komunyakaa about vietnam. The following entry provides an overview of komunyakaas career through 1994.
Analyzing theme in facing it by yusef komunyakka essay. 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. Yusef komunyakaas poem facing it takes advantage of a unique setting the from english 2 at lone star college system. Among the three images that stood out to me was my black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. Unfortunately, humanity fully cognized the term of war. Yusef komunyakaa 1988 you and i are disappearing yusef komunyakaa 1988. Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 100year archive of poetry magazine. Yusef komunyakaa grew up in the deep south during the dawn of the civil rights movement. Yusef komunyakaa was born in 1947 in the quiet mill town of bogalusa, louisiana.
Written one year after komunyakaa first visited the memorial, facing it was the second poem of the volume that the poet finished. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. Komunyakaa is a recipient of the 1994 kingsley tufts poetry award, for neon vernacular and the 1994 pulitzer prize for poetry. Feb 19, 2015 the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa, he discusses the aftermath of the vietnam war and the emotional effect it had on him as one of the soldiers. It is a poem in which the writer uses imagery and figurative language to express his feelings and his thoughts.
My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. Despite its age and seeming isolation, the beowulf poet seems to have been familiar with the christian religion and its symbols. In his poem facing it, yusef komunyakaa, writes about the struggles of living after his experiences during the vietnam war. Though he spent much of his tour of duty in the field, witnessing combat and reporting. Books by yusef komunyakaa author of neon vernacular. As a veteran of the vietnam war, yusef komunyakaa revisits the experiences and pain of having been in one of the most difficult wars in us history, as he visits the vietnam veterans 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. Poetry analysis of facing it by yusef kounyakaa 809. Which characteristic of postmodern writing is most clearly. It explores the war experience of komunyakaa, which reflects on the poem that he has written in retrospect on the vietnam war. First, the title is a clear summary of yusef komunyakaas poem. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1052 words 5 pages facing it is a poem by yusef komunyakaa. Yusef komunyakaa has 64 books on goodreads with 167 ratings.
Poems by yusef komunyakaa academy of american poets. Blue light lounge sutra by yusef komunyakaa youtube. Especially, when these events are directly related to person, the memory reproduces every second of what happened. Komunyakaa served in vietnam and was discharged from the army in 1966, during which time he wrote for army newspaper southern cross. Facing it, by yusef komunyakaa, a poem about the conflict between a man and his mind as he visits the vietnam veterans memorial site, is one example that has a deep meaning and is loaded with imagery. The poem begins with the speaker facing the black granite wall of the memorial. A vietnam veteran, he did not write about the war until more than a decade after returning to the united states. There are certain moments in ones life when an incident is so powerful, emotionally or physically, that it leaves a mark on a person. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1007 words.
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