Their transformation was both physically and mentally, as they have to strip every humane emotion form their bodies. With the narrative’s new alteration, Komunyakaa states, “We wove / ourselves into the terrain,” until the point where the jungle and all that it houses recognize the men as part of the terrain. Komunyakaa emphasizes these points in the lines, “We hugged bamboo & leaned / against a breeze off the river.” The soldiers had truly merged with a part of the environment as they mimicked the actions of the fauna. Throughout the poem, Komunyakaa reveals with metaphors how soldiers, immersed into the war of gore and deception, are psychologically affected. Within the line, “We aimed at dark-hearted songbirds,” Komunyakaa implies the depravity
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Their success shown in the line, “We weren’t there. The river ran / through our bones,” is brief. These men are losing a part of themselves in the jungle as they transform for survival into these “chimeras,” these beasts that maintain the image of being human but are permanently changed. In Komunyakaa’s words, these changes were the “Chameleons / that crawled our spines, changing from day / to night,” that helped support the “illusion” of this poem. Chameleons are reputable for both their ability to blend with surroundings and the innate stillness it posses. A symbolic image that provides two very important traits for soldiers involved in guerrilla …show more content…
Each man had made himself into a chimera, into an illusion of a brutal war weapon, and the results for their actions have altered they way they now view the world. If the “ghosts / from Saigon to Bangkok,” haunt their steps and whether the memories of America and the women waiting for them have been corrupted. The Vietnam War is well known for its brutality and devastation reeked upon the land and minds of the men. In Komunyakaa’s poem, he eloquently represents the changes and pains a soldier took in order to survive with the illusion of a chimera, a beast unique too each and every soldier as they survive guerrilla
Their success shown in the line, “We weren’t there. The river ran / through our bones,” is brief. These men are losing a part of themselves in the jungle as they transform for survival into these “chimeras,” these beasts that maintain the image of being human but are permanently changed. In Komunyakaa’s words, these changes were the “Chameleons / that crawled our spines, changing from day / to night,” that helped support the “illusion” of this poem. Chameleons are reputable for both their ability to blend with surroundings and the innate stillness it posses. A symbolic image that provides two very important traits for soldiers involved in guerrilla …show more content…
Each man had made himself into a chimera, into an illusion of a brutal war weapon, and the results for their actions have altered they way they now view the world. If the “ghosts / from Saigon to Bangkok,” haunt their steps and whether the memories of America and the women waiting for them have been corrupted. The Vietnam War is well known for its brutality and devastation reeked upon the land and minds of the men. In Komunyakaa’s poem, he eloquently represents the changes and pains a soldier took in order to survive with the illusion of a chimera, a beast unique too each and every soldier as they survive guerrilla