Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any particular rhyme scheme or strictly metered pattern. Komunyakaa has composed this poem by alternating between short choppy lines and longer, drawn out phrases. Both of these styles of writing utilizeenjambment.
Facing It
Launch Audio in a New WindowBY My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. I said I wouldn’t dammit: No tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. I turn this waythe stone lets me go. I turn that wayI’m inside the Vietnam Veterans Memorialagain, depending on the light to make a difference. I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke. I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap’s white flash. Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall. Brushstrokes flash, a red bird’s wings cutting across my stare. The sky. A plane in the sky. A white vet’s image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I’m a window. He’s lost his right arm inside the stone. In the black mirror a womans trying to erase names: No, she’s brushing a boy’s hair. Yusef Komunyakaa, Facing It from Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems. Copyright 2001 Interesting statistics about the Vietnam War names on the wall:The youngest Vietnam KIA is believed to be Dan Bullock at 15 years old.
The oldest person on the Wall is Dwaine McGriff at 63 years old.
At least 5 men killed in Vietnam were 16 years old.
At least 12 men killed in Vietnam were 17 years old.
There are 120 persons who listed foreign countries as their home of record.
At least 25,000 of those killed were 20 years old or younger.
More than 17,000 of those killed were married.
Veterans killed on their first day in Vietnam 997 (unconfirmed)
Veterans killed on their last day in Vietnam 1,448 (unconfirmed)
Number of Chaplains on the Wall — 16 (2 Medal Of Honor)
Number of Women on the Wall — 8 (7 Army, 1 USAF – 7,484 served)
There are 226 Native Americans on the Memorial.
There are 22 countries represented on the Memorial.
Most common name on the Memorial “Smith” with 667 veterans.
The most casualties for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 casualties.
The most casualties for a single month was May 1968, 2,415 casualties were incurred.Here is your writing assinment: After reading the poem twice, write an full explanation (in poetry an explication) of what is going on in the poem. First start with an opening paragraph that summarizes the overall poem, it’s general meaning. Then proceed as you have been doing in your other papers. The poem analysis I have provided will be helpful, so I recommend reading that before you start writing your paper. If you borrow heavily from the analysis, use a (citation) stating where your ideas originate. Use “quotations” from the poem and underline them or use boldtext so that I can spot them as I read through your paper. This paper should be a minimum of two pages with at least 5 quotations. You will also provide a conclusion at the end, stating your opinions or summarizing your own ideas.
