Use of Imagery and Figurative Language in “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa In his poem‚ “Facing It”‚ Yusef Komunyakaa describes his ambivalent emotions towards the Vietnam War of which he was a veteran. Reflecting on his experiences‚ Yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the Vietnam War and his feelings about how racism has played a part in America’s history. By using visual imagery and metaphoric language throughout the poem‚ Yusef is able to reflect the sad and confused emotions he
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a Pulitzer prize‚ and 8 other various prizes and awards from prestigious foundations. He was compared to poets such as T.S. Eliot‚ William Carlos Williams‚ and Langston Hughes. You may ask‚ who am I talking about. Yusef Komunyakaa. Born on April 29‚ 1947‚ in Bogalusa‚ Louisiana‚ Yusef Komunyakaa is the oldest of 5 children. Komunyakaa is a very culture oriented poet. He is known by his short lines‚ simple diction‚ jazzy rhythm and feel‚ and his rootedness in past experiences of growing up in the
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Wojahan starts off his review by praising Yusef Komunyakaa as one of our period’s most significant and individual voices. He goes on to note that along with the realese of Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems Komunyakaa was also able to publish a book-length sequence entitled Talking Dirty to the Gods and how this simultaneous release is a true testament to how well respected Komunyakaas’ work is. Wojahan obviously holds Komunyakaas’ work in high regard himself stating that “In reading almost
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Caught in the middle of innocence and guilt‚ a young boy is ambivalent between hope and reality after merely picking berries. The poem "Blackberries" by Yusef Komunyakaa‚ published in 1992‚ illustrates the author’s childhood experience in a candid yet heartbreaking image. Komunyakaa frankly describes his struggle growing up; additionally during a specific day picking blackberries to raise money in hopes of a better future Komunyakaa is painfully reminded of his less fortunate beginnings. Through
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the loss of a family member or friend.This loss impacts everyone differently. All of us have or will experience the loss of someone close. Some individuals experience intense grief‚ whereas others are able to move on easily. The poem “English” by Yusef Komunyakaa explores the perspective of a boy who befriends a girl who is later shot to death by soldiers. “English” explores events that occur before the girl’s death. The poem “While I Slept” by Robert Francis explores the narrator’s experience of
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Yusef Mitchell jr is a very extravagant great young man. He makes very good grades in school he is very respectful to any and everyone no matter who it is. All of a sudden it was this one day that Yusef did something that was very breath taking. He got caught hanging with the wrong crowd and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. What he did could have possibly had a very big impact on his life. One day yusef and his brother did something very bad. Yusef had never
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Akeem Barnes Professor Fairey Personal Criticism 5-12-13 Facing it I stood nervously in front of my eighth grade English class praying that nobody would laugh at the poem I was about to read aloud. My peers were used to reading Langston Hughes‚ Edgar Allen Poe‚ or Maya Angelou‚ and I did not want to disappoint them by trying something new. The assignment given to our class was for everybody to choose a poem‚ read it aloud‚ and explain why it relates to them. How was I going
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The Reflections of War In the poem‚ “Facing It‚” Komunyakaa uses his personal experience while visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial after surviving the Vietnam War and the mental affect of the reality that death has left. In the poem the author uses imagery to illustrate to the reader the feelings he experiences while dealing with the loss of his fellow comrades. “I go down the 58‚022 names‚ half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke.”(14-16) While at the memorial he is reminded of
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On the outside of Yusef Komunyakaa’s "Thanks" is a very hopeless type of story about a young man in the Vietnam War who recounts events in which could have been his last. He gives thanks to certain objects‚ as if they were the reason that he did not in fact get shot‚ or that he didn’t trip over a landmine. The thanks he is giving could be interrupted as thanks to God for these objects‚ or a downright statement of a lack of god in his life or this war. Komunyakaa is making a statement about the war
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Yusef Komunyakaa is a Black American poet who currently teaches at New York University. Yusef rose from being the son of a carpenter to becoming one of the most extraordinary poets writing today. In 1947‚ the eldest of five children James William Brown was born in a small town of Bogalusa‚ Louisiana. He would later grow up and reclaim the name Komunyakaa his grandfather had once lost as a stowaway in a ship from Trinidad. He was raised during the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. He served
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