Yusef Komunyakaa Poem Analysis

Yusef Komunyakaa is a creative writer who specialized in poetry, he was born Bogalusa, Louisiana in 1947. Once Yusef graduated from high school he entered the army and served in the Vietnam War. Once he returned from the war he was awarded a bronze star and continued to get more degrees involved in writing. Yusef wrote several books of poetry. In one of the books about the Vietnam War, the final poem is titled facing it. In the poem the narrator is Yusef himself, and his state of mind is sad when he is looking back at his time in the war. By the end his state of mind slightly changes has Yusef faces his feelings. A similar situation happened to me when I had to face the death of my father some time back. The situation is not exactly the same, …show more content…
When the solder is looking at the memorial he says “dammit: No tears” ( Komunyakaa line 4) which means he has strong feelings from looking at all his brothers and sister in arms that lost their life. The fact that the narrator is sad is further attributed to by him saying “I’m stone. I’m flesh.” (Kom.5) the saying is very meaningful, it states that the man is made of flesh, but he feels like stone from surviving a war that lost so many people. When the soldier starts looking at the stone he flashes back to his time in the war and even says he is “Half expecting to find my own in letters like smoke.” (Kom.15) he touches the name of a friend, and I assume it is a friend who Yusef saw die since right after he touches the name he “sees the booby traps white flash” (kom.19) the narrator sees a women and child visiting the memorial and thinks that she is trying to rub off the names, but really she is brushing the sons hair. The narrator is sad with all the memories of the war, but he is facing it his own demons. This poem facing it is a perfect fit to be the final poem in a book about war. People should face the feelings and demons that are hiding deep in all peoples …show more content…
When I received the news of my father’s death I was distraught and unable to face my feelings properly. I drove to Florida after finding out and the entire drive I was trying to face my feelings. Upon reaching my two brothers and other family members the feelings I had where just pushed deep into my soul, until the day of the funeral. It was a small funeral of only family and during the viewing all the feelings came flooding back and with the support of my family I was able to work through it. I can remember the first moment I really faced my feelings was when me and my brother where the pallbearers, since me and him were his sons it was only right that me and him helped deliver him to his final resting place. By facing my problems I was able to live with the pain and look to my younger brother to remind me of how I need to be strong for his sake and my