Audio recordings of classic and contemporary poems read by poets. Facing us by amanda johnston poems academy of american. Pleasure dome gathers over twentyfive years of work, including early uncollected poems and a rich selection of new. My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. Audio recordings of classic and contemporary poems read by poets and actors, delivered every day. The poem is about the author, a veteran visiting the vietnam. Showing 1 to 20 of 1,941 podcasts friday, april 17, 2020. The it in komunyakaa s poem refers both to the war and. Its a way of expanding and talking around an idea or a question. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1052 words 5 pages facing it is a poem by yusef komunyakaa. With his characteristic blues and jazzinflected lyricism, komunyakaa. Both of these styles of writing utilize enjambment. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1007 words 5 pages. Yusef komunyakaa s most popular book is neon vernacular.
Hear yusef komunyakaa read and reflect on the history of war, from the roman era to vietnam. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa poems academy of american poets. Facing it is a poem by american poet and author yusef komunyakaa. The speaker could well be talking to himself, whispering perhaps, as he takes a look into the black stone. 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 komunyaka by danilsa ynfante on prezi.
Yusef komunyakaa born april 29, 1941 is an american poet who teaches at new york. Widely known for his poetry about the vietnam war, pulitzer prizewinning poet yusef komunyakaa s writing has also explored themes of home, black resilience, and jazz and blues music. 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. Learn about yusef komunyakaa s influences that helped shape facing it, and other important details about yusef komunyakaa. Yusef komunyakaa has become one of americas most compelling poets. A summary and analysis of yusef komunyakaas facing it. In facing it, only the second poem hed written in retrospect about vietnam, komunyakaa s response to his war experience is deeply shaped by his visit, a year earlier, to lins memorial. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa has a tone that will haunt a reader well after they are done reading it.
Yusef komunyakaa lesson plans and teaching resources yusef komunyakaa at the academy of american poets biography, links to a few poems and other sites. It is a reflection on komunyakaa s first visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. Use of imagery and figurative language in facing it by yusef komunyakaa in his poem, facing it, yusef komunyakaa describes his ambivalent emotions. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1052 words. Yusef komunyakaa links to poems, biography, bibliography, and commentary. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa deals with the themes of memory, war and survival. Komunyakaa was recently the guest of honor at a weeklong seminar at james madison universitys furious flower poetry center, called facing.
Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa essay 675 words. The it in komunyakaa s poem refers both to the war and the black. Inspired by the monument, komunyakaa confronts his conflicted feelings about vietnam, its legacy, and, even more broadly, the part race plays in america. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1007 words. Analysis of facing it by yusef komunyakaa 732 words.
Through komunyakaas poem, the reader witnesses a black veteran facing his past in the vietnam war at the vietnam veterans. The ever so controversial vietnam conflict, also known as the vietnam war. Facing it by yusef komunyakaa is a 31 line poem that does not adhere to any particular rhyme scheme or strictly metered pattern. Yusef komunyakaa s poem facing it is a reflection of the psychological impact of the memorial, which illustrates one mans visit to the wall. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the. Thieves of paradise wesleyan poetry series komunyakaa, yusef on. Use of imagery and figurative language in facing it by.
My fathers love letters audio only by yusef komunyakaa. The poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa 1077 words bartleby. 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. The poet, who received the bronze star and edited the southern cross, dedicates this book to his brother.
Yusef komunyakaas dien cai dau is another collection of vietnam war poetry. Yusef komunyakaa reads his poem facing it about seeing the vietnam veterans memorial wall in washington, d. Part of the poetry everywhere project airing on public television. Produced by david grubin productions and wgbh boston, in. Why does the speaker expect to find his own name in the stone. Komunyakaa has composed this poem by alternating between short choppy lines and longer, drawn out phrases. What is the theme of the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa. Yusef komunyakaa, original name in full james william brown, jr. Facing it, by yusef komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all americans are familiar with. In 1984, komunyakaa began to reflect on his experiencesalthough his decision to write about vietnam wasnt entirely deliberate. About this poet yusef komunyakaa was born in bogalusa, louisiana. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Yusef komunyakaa, born in 1947, wrote both february in sydney and facing it.
Poet yusef komunyakaa first received wide recognition following the 1984 publication of copacetic, a collection of poems built from colloquial speech which demonstrated his. Yusef komunyakaa writes movingly about his vietnam war experience in his poem facing it. It is a poem in which the writer uses imagery and figurative language to express. 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. Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 100year archive of poetry magazine. A vietnam veteran, yusef komunyakaa faces his past whilst visiting.
Fourteen years after the vietnam war, veteran and contemporary poet yusef komunyakaa wrote about facing the vietnam veterans memorial wall and the. Poems by yusef komunyakaa academy of american poets. Figurative language is used in poems, songs, books. I met my wife in a bookstore and read her my poetry before our first conversation was over. My black face fadeshiding inside the black granite. This post brings to you a summary and analysis of the poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa. With new and selected jazz poems wesleyan poetry series komunyakaa, yusef, evans, sandy, williams, christopher, zolin, miriam, feinstein, sascha, grabowsky, paul on. Books by yusef komunyakaa author of neon vernacular. Analysis of poem facing it by yusef komunyakaa owlcation. 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 komunyakaa has 64 books on goodreads with 167 ratings. This poem was very well written, and i respect all that was said in the context of the poem. I wrote this poem after yusef komunyakaas poem facing it. Yusef komunyakaas books of poetry include taboo, dien cai dau, neon vernacular, for which he received the pulitzer prize, talking dirty to.
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