"Facing It"by Yusef Komunyakaa

2/19/2015

Now that you have read and analyzed the poem, "Facing It" by Yusef Komuyakaa, select 3 strong images from the poem and discuss their literal AND figurative meanings. Finish your response by explaining how these images and their metaphorical meaning helps your understanding of the theme of the poem (hint: revisit the title of the poem).

PLEASE ADD WORD COUNT AT END OF EACH BLOG ENTRY!

Primary Blog Entry Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned "pen name" given to you in class. Due by 11:59 pm on Friday night (2-20-2015).

Secondary Blog Entry Expectations (read everyone's first responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned "pen name" given to you in class. Due by 11:59 pm on Sunday night (2-22-2015).

(3 total blog entries for this assignment)

2/19/2015 11:47:09 pm

"Facing It"
means that hes literally facing the wall of vet names. But also means that he has to face and accept the facts of what happened during that war, all the memories and flashbacks. This says that you have to face your fears at some point in life, you can't runaway forever.

"I said I wouldn't dammit: No tears."
He is crying. As much as he doesn't want to show weakness and emotions he cant help but mourn over the loss of his friends in the war.

"I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby traps white flash."
He gets flashbacks of booby traps white flash when he comes upon the name Andrew Johnson. It was his friend and he saw what had happened.

2/19/2015 11:52:26 pm

I agree with your opinion about "Facing it," he has to over come his good or bad experiences of the Vietnam war. But still stuck in his mind all of the memories that occurred. Facing the pain that happened is hard to overcome and deal with, but its better than being miserable and not dealing with it.

2/20/2015 07:00:59 am

I like how you worded your response, basically it is hard for him to come into the light with the past that took so many people. It's like no matter how deep he tried to hide behind that black granite the past came to light and gave him closure.

2/20/2015 02:09:49 am

I like the idea that the literal meaning of the title "Facing It" is about him actually facing the wall that he is looking at. I like this idea because the entire poem is basically about his experience facing this wall and getting flashbacks about the war. I agree with what you said when you said the title figuratively means that he has to face and accept the facts of what happened and that he can't go back and change what already happened.

2/22/2015 04:51:54 am

i agree with how you analyzed these three images that the poet gave us through the poem. i really do feel like facing it meant more of the fact he has to face what happened during the war and bring it to reality.like that you picked “ i said i wouldnt: no tears “ as you second images because i just skimmed right over it and seeing it in your blog it made me see the image that he trying portray is exactly what you thought that he's not trying to show his weakness of the tears that keep coming but he couldn't help but mourn over his friend Andrew that has fallen during the war. you last image “i touched the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby traps white flash” your inference on this is one of many inferences that could be made me on the other hand would of went more to Andrew Johnson was booby trapped and the poet feeling like its his fault for Andrew death . he has survivor remorse.

3/2/2015 09:52:01 am

You capture the the meaning of the poem so well. It seems like you have some unspoken passion about this poem because you interrupt it so good. I agree with you completely on the meaning of the poem and on what the author was trying to get us all to understand about life. It seems like he was trying to give us a life lesson without really trying to portray that is was a life lesson.

3/3/2015 07:03:36 am

i like the writers idea in this blog response because they goes back to the title name and also touches base on how it has an explanation on the emotion the character in the poem is feeling. He explains how his fear was over come by the time he was out the war and older later down in life but the memories he has will never be forgotten and none of the names will be forgotten. They also talk about Andrew Johnson and how the main character seen his friend die in a booby trap and mentioning the white light.

2/19/2015 11:47:22 pm

People have to face their own fears in order to overcome them. A crisis has happened and "I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap's white flash." He sees a flashback of the Vietnam war looking through the memorial wall. He's facing depression and the only way to feel remorse is to breath in all the pain and let it go. Still stuck in his mind forever all the difficulties he over came.

2/19/2015 11:48:44 pm

Good way to state your opinion (:

2/19/2015 11:51:30 pm

In the poem "Facing it" by Yusef Komunyakaa the title gives it away, he is basically facing the past (though he's looking at a black granite wall). In the poem he is visiting the Vietnam memorial, "My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite." he is nothing but a shadow compared to these names that still mean something. "A white vet's image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I'm a window." Komunyakaa is paying attention to reflections since his skin color is dark his reflection hides, but since the white vet looking through him like a window is pale you can see his reflective blur. The poets attitude is basically a sign of guilt when he comes face to face with these names because he made it out of Vietnam alive and they didn’t. “...a woman’s trying to erase names; No she’s brushing a boy’s hair.” The poet is looking at the reflection of a woman brushing a boys hair thinking that she is erasing names, he would like them to be erased because he doesn’t want to face the fact that these men, all 58, 022 names of men are dead.

2/19/2015 11:56:48 pm

I agree when you say " he would like them to be erased because he doesn't want to face the fact that these men, all 58,022 names of men are dead". I don't think anyone would want to accept the fact of death with anyone they once knew. Its not easy to overcome that loss even after great time.

2/20/2015 12:00:08 am

Your feed back is interesting, but do you believe that he overcame this tragic event of the war? I believe he did. yes he was depressed and hurt from his men passing away, but he had a flash back of the past and all the horrific events he seen and he's facing it all. Its hard to have the courage to go to the Vietnam Memorial especially when he was in the war but its better facing your fears then not too.

2/23/2015 01:52:58 am

I agree with your opinion because I kind of was thinking the same thing but at the same time, I feel like the lady was maybe shading over the name to keep it as a memory for herself.

3/2/2015 10:38:57 am

i like the way that you stated your opinion i also have to agree with what you are saying about how the author is feeling a type of guilt towards seeing the names of all of the dead solders that fought in Vietnam. I feel like this guilt is placed on him because of these dead solders families that will be weeping about their dead family member, but in all reality the author did nothing wrong, but i also think he feels guilty when he sees that young boy at the wall of names which shows us that little boy must have lost his father to the war. i love the way you answered this, great job

dos

2/19/2015 11:55:05 pm

"my black face fades,..." he is facing the memorial and instead of seeing his reflection he focuses on the names again. He then begins to remember the events of the war he was in.
"...half expecting to find my own in letters like smoke." he doesn't believe he is alive and cant seem to come to terms with the fact that he survived,

2/20/2015 12:04:27 am

The poet starts off this poem by saying “My black face fades, hiding in the black granite” (Komunyakaa 1-2). Very literally his dark face disappears with the black reflection of the granite, but metaphorically he is placing himself in the wall. He sees his reflection, but to him it is so much more than just a reflection. He experienced the same things that all of the names on the wall experienced; however, for some reason he survived. He feels as if he should be on the wall rather than looking at it, so he places himself inside. The poet describes a red bird that flies in the reflection from lines 22 and 23. He may have actually seen a bird, but right after he sees a plane in the sky. To anyone else this is just a bird and a plane; to this man it instantly becomes a memory of the war. He may see a plane dropping the Agent Orange on the jungles in Vietnam. By the end of the poem on line 30 he describes a woman who appears to be erasing a name, but ends up being a woman brushing a child’s hair. For a moment he thinks she is erasing a name; as if she does not want the name to be on the wall anymore. She could have been expressing her sorrow, hoping that erasing the name would bring back her lost loved one. In everything that the man notices it forces him to face his memories of war.
254 words

2/20/2015 12:07:49 am

In order to understand the poet’s point of the poem, we must analyze the poem by the images that he makes visible. The three images I’m going to analyze are first ‘’ I’m stone. I’m flesh” the literal meaning to this is that he is human which is the meaning of flesh and he is stone because he matches with the stone and can’t see his self through the reflection. The metaphorical meaning is that he their physically but he might feel as if he should be on the granite wall too. The second image I’m going to analyze is “brushstrokes flash, a red bird’s wings cutting across my stare.” This means literally that he got distracted by a red bird flying across the sky and reflecting off of the granite. The metaphoric meaning is that he can’t focus and easily distracted because red represented the blood that was spilled that he doesn’t want to remember. The last image is “he’s lost his right arm inside the stone’’ meaning he could of either really have lost his right arm from war or he not reflecting of the granite. But the metaphorical meaning is that his right arm is really in the stone because stone is permanent and that is permanent.

2/22/2015 11:21:39 am

I agree with your metaphorical meaning because he used imagery words and phrases to draw pictures in the readers minds.

2/23/2015 05:37:20 am

I agree, analyzing something is the most important thing when trying to understand something or someone. Your opinion of this poem is very accurate and I agree.

2/20/2015 12:09:56 am

In the poem there was 3 images that stuck out to me the most, I feel like they made the poem come together as one. 1. “My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite.” 2. “I’m stone. I’m flesh.” lastly 3. “Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse but when she walks away the names stay one the wall.” In the first image at first I believed that the author actually meant that because of his completion he blended in with the Black granite wall. But I soon realized that the author actually meant that it is because he was so caught up looking at the wall and examining the names on the wall, his reflection of his face faded hiding away. The second image had me confused to the point where I felt as if it didn’t fit with the rest of the poem. Why would someone call themselves a stone and flesh? It didn’t make sense but that’s when I realized that he is a stone on the outside and flesh inside. Meaning that he has a protective shell on the outside but on the inside he is soft, warm, and just needs to be healed. Lastly the third image got me thinking, how did he come up with that statement. I mean yeah obviously when someone walks by the wall the names would look as if they are on their clothes. But it’s the fact that he made it seem like the names would go with them as if the names on the wall weren’t dead. The names on there are there permanently and will not move even if people do walk by it. It seems like he was finally coming to terms with it actually being true. These images help to support the poems theme because at first you are in shock and amazed by what you are seeing. But then you start to realize that you’re not strong enough to just keep pretending like it’s not eating you alive. So finally you come to the terms that what has happened will NOT change so you start dealing with it trying to Face what has happened.
Word Count: 360

2/20/2015 07:04:34 am

I agree with the imagery you used. Like He is paying more attention to the reflections so his eyes see what seems to be something else.

2/20/2015 12:11:01 am

In the poem “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa the author uses great imagery that has both literal and figurative meaning behind them. The first line of the poem, “My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite.” is a great example of well used imagery that has literal and figurative meaning. The literal meaning of this quote is that because of his dark skin complexion, his face blended in with the black granite memorial that he was looking at. While, the figurative meaning is that he became one with the wall, that everything around him cancelled out and all his focus was on the black granite wall. Another quote that shows this is, “I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap’s white flash.” The literal meaning of the quote is that he saw this name on the wall, Andrew Johnson, and the writing on the wall was in white. He was describing what he was looking at. However, the figurative meaning behind it was that once he saw this name, he had a flashback. This is because he said “I see the booby trap’s white flash.” Which tells how Andrew Johnson must have died from a booby trap and he had witnessed it happen, which is the flashback he is referring to. At the end of the poem the author says, “In the black mirror a woman’s trying to erase names.” She could literally be up against the name trying to get rubbings of the imprint of a name, probably of a loved one. This is a common thing you would see people do. But the figurative meaning could be that this woman was trying to erase the name off the black granite, almost as if she just didn’t want to believe that person was gone. That she wanted the name off the wall because she didn’t want to come to the fact that, that person was gone. This last quote really relates back to the title of the poem “Facing It” This is because the title and the poem is about realizing that you can’t do anything about the past but remember it. That you basically have to face the fact that what happened can’t be changed. (Word count 371)

2/20/2015 12:13:05 am

The theme of this that no matter how hard you try the people you fought, trained with and watched die will always be in your memories. For example, “names shimmer on a woman’s blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall.” This tells us that no matter who walks past the Veterans Memorial, they will always feel that person who lost their life fighting in this war. Another is when he said “to find my own in letters like smoke,” he’s saying that should have been him on that wall and not his friend. “I touch the name Andrew Johnson: I see the booby trap’s white flash,” the veteran is having a flash back to the day he saw Johnson die because he knew him and Andrew was probably a close friend or family member. This can help you understand what this person is going through watching his friends die and trying to accept their lost because it’s haunting him in his sleep. His mind has been clouded with the thought of that should have been him instead of his friend. Everyone who visit the wall is trying to accept their lost and go on with their life.

3/2/2015 09:43:16 am

I completely agree with you on this, I feel like the same exact way. In order for you to get over someone or something that you have lost is to confront it head on. You can’t just think that if you don't acknowledged what has happened it will go away. If you can admit to what has happened and try to be okay with it then those are the first steps to getting over it. That's what I feel like the author was trying to explain in this poem. It seems like we can both agree that is what they author was trying to get readers to understand with this poem.

2/20/2015 12:14:04 am

The poem “Facing It” says that you need motivation in order to move on with a tragedy in your life. The poem addresses acceptance and guilt. While reading this poem I learned that in order to get passed the type of guilt the author is going through you will need acceptance while facing the loss of friends and loved ones. “Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall.” The metaphorical meaning of this image is that the names are forever engraved in the black granite and the people’s names on that wall are forever gone. “Brushstrokes flash, a red bird’s wings cutting across my stare.” The metaphorical meaning of this image is that it could be a flashback from the war when the airplanes was on fire and dropping deadly chemicals that will affect the people and their drinking water forever even till this day. The people that were affected by these chemicals will be forever scared and it will stay within their families for generations and generations. “A white vet’s image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I’m a window.” The metaphorical meaning is that a white vet image is in memorial looking through or ass the author like a window. 216

2/20/2015 12:14:23 am

In the poem “Facing it” by Yusef Komuyakaa is basically about a Black solider who was thinking about the past a lot. In the poem he went to visit the Vietnam Memorial (“My black face fades.”) Here he’s explaining how while he’s looking at all the names on the wall his face starts to blend in with the granite wall. This was a way to keep the memories that he had while in the Vietnam War fresh and never forget the different people and remember what they all had to go through. Being a part of the war meant a lot to him as far as being able to remember all of the different situations they were involved in. The poet’s attitude toward this poem is kind of a guilt problem and I believe this because he feels as if some of the people who died while in the war didn’t deserve it and he believes that his life should’ve been taken instead of theirs. This poem is very sad because we as readers don’t understand what he went through while in the war. (184)

2/20/2015 02:13:59 am

I never thought about the idea that the author has put guilt into the poem. You can tell, in a way, that this man is guilty. But in the sense that he thinks "why was it him and not me?" The poem is obviously very sad because you can see that he is struggling to get past this traumatic event that happened to him. Not many people can understand that kind of pain. Literally watching someone you know die right in front of you and seeing their name on this wall with a bunch of other people that died at the same time. In a way though you can tell that he's proud of what he did, even though it was a sad experience.

2/26/2015 01:46:02 am

I also feel as if he felt some sort of guilt for all of the people that he probably couldn't save, and all of the people that he watched die. He definitely feels as if it could of been him that died and he does have guilt but is still probably grateful to be a survivor.

2/22/2015 06:16:15 am

The quote “ my black face fades” does mean when he looking at the names he sees his reflection in the granite wall of names . I don't really see how this is the way he kept the memories he had from the war.i feel like everything after that doesnt really match that exact image there was another or maybe two that could be and used for the guilt he had and how he has survival remorse towards the people dying and especially his friend andrew dying . i feel as if you definitely knew what you were refering to you just didn't or forgot to put the quote or example.

2/22/2015 11:18:49 am

I agree with you. The imagery makes me picture him looking at all the names he can see in his reflection and the guilt he felt afterwards.

Troy Reyes

2/20/2015 02:54:53 am

In the poem ,”Facing It” by Yuself Komuyakaa he explains many times in different ways how depressing it is to know the people he has lost in the war and now he sees names of the men who have fallen before him and his feelings of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In one line of the poem in the very beginning he says,”dammit no tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh.” And this quote helped me understand the metaphorical meaning helps my understanding of the poem because I felt like he was holding himself back from crying for seeing graved names on this wall of stone of the soldiers who were fighting with him in this war, it shows and gives a deeper understanding and a feeling of emotion that he tries to control. Another quote that made me see where his feelings were and put myself in his shoes is,” I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke.” This quote shows me he didn’t think he’d make it out of that war and he didn’t expect too, he fought with his brothers who fought beside him. The name of the poem itself ,” Facing It” it tells you how his world completely comes to a reality of death. The last quote that really kind of makes you think a little deeper was, “In the black mirror a woman’s trying to erase names: No, she’s brushing a boy’s hair.” I think the quote is telling the reader that the woman who wants to erase the names is a widow with a son that lost a father due to the war.

2/26/2015 01:44:31 am

I agree, I feel as if he has guilt torwards what has happened in the war and all of the things that he had to go through, I believe that his emotions were put on paper during this poem and he truly spoke from what he felt.

3/2/2015 09:28:19 am

i am in total agreement with you, i believe that he was in an extreme depression, and he was in a state of mind where he blamed himself as if he was the one who costed his teams life, when he isnt at fault for that, but when he refers to himself as stone i think of the author being litteral since he is looking at the reflection on the stone, but i also believe that he means it mentally too, but like stone the author cracked and became emotional.

2/20/2015 03:22:02 am

“My black face fades, hiding inside the black granites”. The literal meaning of the first image is that the author has lost not only his self-image, but also his sense of who he is as he hides his “black face” in the black granite. “My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning”. The literal meaning of the second image is that the author is looking at his reflection on the memorial wall of all his fallen comrades, pulling him towards the walls as if someone is swaying him to come join them in their faithful path to the other side. “I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke”. The literal meaning of the third image is that the author anticipated his faith of vanishing from the face of the earth, having his name be written on the walls next to his brethrens. These three images helps me understand the meaning of the poem because Yusef has lost his peacefulness in a way that can never be undone, and that he watches others and finds it shocking that they can continue living normal lives and be in the presence of the memorial, without it hindering their ability to function in any noticeable way. (218)

2/20/2015 06:02:48 am

Facing It
In the article “Facing It” I feel as though it was a hard experience for Yusef Komunyakaa in his time in the Vietnam War because he has witnessed death and feels like every time he closes his eyes he can see it. When he says “I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap’s white flash”. By him saying that, I can picture in my head he’s feeling guilty and thinks it should’ve been him to step on the trap and not anyone else. “I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own letters lime smoke” is almost like he’s saying he is a survivor that’s having guilt behind it all. He’s almost saying he wanted to be that one to step on the trap and get blown up instead of one of his soul mates. This flashback is coming to him about what should’ve went differently.

2/22/2015 04:21:24 am

I agree with your opinion about Yusef’s experiences in the Vietnam War and how it affected him because after losing many of his comrades, he feels as though it was his own fault for letting them died at his hands and can never forgive himself for that. But he does have to over come his mistakes in the past and pay his respects to his falling brethrens who fought to not only protect their country from any threats that comes at them, but to protect each other no matter what, even if it costs them their life, they will always make sure that their comrades are safe and protected. (109)

2/22/2015 12:09:07 pm

I totally agree with your opinion, its hard to go to such a huge memorial like that especially when you could've been one of those names up there. I think he also is reliving his time there and even maybe reliving the day he saw his friend killed.

3/3/2015 10:07:41 am

I like the idea this writer had for their blog response they brought up Yusef's problem when he closes his eyes he sees his soldiers dying and speaks about Andrew Johnson seeing the booby traps white flash. The writer also brings up feelings of regret and guilt for not being the one who stepped on the booby trap. I feel as if this writers idea of the situation in the poem is feeling like things should have went different and he should be dead with his name on that wall. I don't feel as if its wrong but i can catch that thought as well throughout the poem maybe things could have been different. (113)

2/26/2015 01:40:51 am

In the poem "Facing It" the literal and figurative meanings of his writing were deep. As the title can be looked at in many different ways I believe that the deeper meaning behind the words "Facing it" is that he understands that he cant change anything that happened during the war and he knows that eventually he is just going to have to deal with the guilt he may feel and realize he's just going to have to face his problems head on. The war probably played a big role in his "guilt" during the poem because he probable remembered all of the people that he seen die and that he couldn't save and it played a part on his life.

3/2/2015 11:00:48 am

In the poem "facing it" three of the strong imagery that really stuck out to me was when the author said "My black face fades,
hiding inside the black granite. I said I wouldn't, dammit: No tears. I’m stone. I’m flesh" I feel the metaphoric sense of this phrase is that he feels like that he should be part of that wall, which is dead, but when he says no tears i'm stone i'm flesh i feel like he means that inside he feels like he is stone, no emotions whats so ever but like stone he cracks and begins to cry, an that's why he says hes flesh which tells us that he realizes that this is real and he is still alive, but what the author means literally is that when he says i'm stone i'm flesh he is seeing his own reflection through the granite. Another form of imagery that i noticed was "I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke. I touch the name Andrew Johnson". The author thinks that it isn't real that he is dead, and what he means is about his name being written in smoke is that he believes that his name would suddenly appear on the wall of names. What he is literally seeing is dead solders names written in a grey smoke graving and he then a name he recognizes crosses his vision. The last form of imagery that sticks out to me is "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." the metaphoric meaning to this is that he feels as if he doesn't exist to this survivor and that his right arm was taken from him by the wall. The literal meaning of this is that the pale solder is looking through his reflections at the names that his reflection is on, and when they state that he lost his right arm to the wall i think it refers to that this Vietnam survivor lost his arm to the war. 358 words

3/3/2015 05:35:57 am

The title facing it is a literary device because 2 meanings to it a literal and deeper meaning. The Literal meaning of the title of this poem is a guy staring at himself in this wall because it so shinny there a reflexion of himself and he sees it so he is literally facing himself but theres a deeper meaning to the title. The deeper meaning is that when he sees his reflexion hes really looking at himself as a solider one that has gone through this tragic war, he has seen his friends die, and here he his facing his fading reflexion just a window he cannot go into he can only see it,its a chapter in his life that he cannot fix or relive. Also it could mean he is facing his fears and all his mistakes from the war hes just "facing it". Another image would be when he says his dark face is fading, the literal meaning is that since he is dark skin he can barley see himself in he black granite but the figurative meaning is that the person he was before he way is fading and that the war changed who he really was and he cant change back too how he was before the war. Another image would be when he thinks he sees a woman erasing names but shes really just brushing a childs hair, the literal meaning is the woman brushing a childs hair but the figurative meaning is that hes wishing that the woman was erasing names and that it would take away the loss of his friends and erase his pain and sorrow.

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