Yusef Komunyakaa has spent decades fighting. With a life spanning the Harlem Renaissance‚ the Civil Rights Movement‚ and the Vietnam War‚ he is no stranger to turmoil. Growing up in a small‚ segregated Louisiana town dominated by the Klu Klux Clan‚ many of Komunyakaa’s poems express a need for escape. However‚ his poems also share a theme of perseverance. The poems “Slam Dunk & Hook”‚ “Ode to a Drum” and “Venus Flytrap”‚ show not only Komunyakaa’s unique style of writing‚ but his encompassing theme
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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 loss
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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 American South and being
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Facing It‚" by Yusef Komunyakaa talks about a war which most‚ if not all Americans are familiar with. The ever so controversial Vietnam Conflict‚ also known as the Vietnam War. This poem was very well written‚ and I respect all that was said in the context of the poem. "Facing It‚" discusses his visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.‚ and his emotions that he experienced while he was at the memorial. I can not imagine what the feelings would be like to see one of my friend ’s name etched
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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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Just like every other war‚ the Vietnam War was a tragic age where blood was spilled and sorrow filled the hearts of people from both sides of the battlefield. Yusef Komunyakaa was one of the many who mourned over lost loves and friends. His poem describes the heartache he encounters as he visits the memorial for all the lives that were lost. Post-traumatic memories flood him all at once and he envisions some of the slain veterans and citizens reflecting in the wall of names. He is bitter at the
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Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” describes a Vietnam War veteran’s painful experience of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington‚ D.C. In his poem I couldn’t help but be impressed by its vivid imagery. Reading the lines‚ Komunyakaa makes it so easy to envision what he describes. It makes me feel like I’m there. Through the use of vivid imagery‚ Yusef Komunyakaa shows the veterans’ response to the Vietnam War memorial by using both literal and figurative illustrations. Literally
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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 a series of allusions and metaphors‚ Komunyakaa’s
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Analysis of "Facing it" by Yusef Komunyakaa Cruel and terrible events forever leave a mark on our memory. Especially‚ when these events are directly related to person‚ the memory reproduces every second of what happened. Unfortunately‚ humanity fully cognized the term of "war". "Facing it" by Yusef Komunyakaa reveals another several sides of the war. Poem tells the reader about which consequences‚ the war left and how changed people’s lives. The hero identifies itself with the Vietnam Veterans
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Facing It Yusef Komunyakaa‚ Pulitzer Prize winning poet grew up in Bogalusa Louisiana. Yusef had an interesting childhood including an abusive father‚ a love for jazz music‚ and a side of patriotism. He joined the army in 1965 during the heart of the Vietnam War. This is where Yusef got a lot of inspiration to start to write his poetry. War brought him a lot of personal experiences that he later turned into award winning poetry. ‘Facing it” is a poem expressing the struggle of life and death also
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