Source: Hubpages
"Facing it"
by Yusef Komunyakaa
In the poem “Facing It,” written by Yusef
Komunyakaa the speaker is an African American war veteran who took part in and
survived the Vietnam War. The overall tone of the poem is very detached and
melancholy. This tone is achieved through the use of euphony and imagery. Line
19 “…shimmer on a woman’s blouse” is an example of euphony which helps to
create dreamy and fuzzy vision. However, there is also solid and rigid tone
created by strong words and short lines: “dammit : No tears,” and “I’m stone.
I’m flesh.” The repetition of the consonant sound “-sh” such as “Brush strokes
flash” elicits soft mood and image. The alliteration like “face fades” helps to
create the flow of the rhythm in the poem. The profound diction like “clouded
reflection,” “floats”, “mirror” and “smoke” reflects the image of the speaker
being trapped in the state of purgatory or limbo. The state of the speaker is
also depicted by some figurative language. For example, “I’ m stone. I’m flesh”
shows the speaker’s contradicting forms. “Stone” represents the monument in
honor of the Vietnam veterans while “flesh” symbolizes “civilians.” Therefore,
by saying “I’m stone. I’m flesh” the speaker implies his dual existence. In
addition, “I turn this way – the stone lets me go. I turn that way - I’m
inside” shows it is inevitable that the speaker cannot be fully included in
either the memorial or society. Furthermore, during the Vietnam War, African –
American soldiers experienced racism. Line 17, “I touch the name Andrew
Johnson” alludes to the 17th president of the U.S who opposed giving
rights to African – Americans. The poet could pick any name from the “58, 022
names,” but he chose “Andrew Johnson” to bring voice to the anger of African –
American soldiers and the indignation of all soldiers towards the government
which sent them to Vietnam.
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