Yusef Komunyakaa

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Grief, war, survival—the list goes on and on. These topics and emotions, as well as hate, anger, lust, fear, and hurt, are some the most petulant topics in literature. In his poem, “Facing It,” Yusef Komunyakaa tells his story and experience with these emotions. The poem begins with the author reminiscing and experiencing nostalgia as he is at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial “again.” He then goes on express that he is having bad memories of past experiences. Next, skimming through the list of names at the memorial reminds him of a person who lost their life. At the end, he unfortunately experiences a daydream or vision that puts him in a bind. Komunyakaa wastes no time in loading his poem with themes. He touches on grief, war, survival, memory,
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