Komunyakaa

Both uses are functional in this poem. The physical chimera the enemy represents, gives way to the chimera in the mind of the soldiers: We hugged bamboo & leaned against a breeze off the river,slow-dragging with ghosts from Saigon to Bangkok, with women left in doorways reaching from America The feared images of the past and promise for the future is that which can't be camouflaged. It is forced to the fore of ones thoughts.The fight about to be commenced is a focused vision," a world revolvedunder each man's eyelid."is an alternate expression of life passing before ones eyes. This vision prompts the realization that the soldiers don't belong here and their demise would be senseless under such circumstances.This is a statement about the war itself. The word "Chimera" also serves as political commentary. The use of words and phrases familiar to one in order to fully express the nature of the Vietnam experience carries on. The poem "You and I are Disappearing" is a series of similes that repeats in an unrealized effort to find an image that describes the image of a Vietnamese girl engulfed in flames: She burns like foxfire in a thigh-shaped valley A skirt of flames dances around her at dusk The similes are truly unable to visualize the incoherent morality of the image."Komunyakaa uses several images to display the horror before him."3 The vision is beautiful and horrible. The inability to find a fitting simile

War is one of the most controversial topics in today’s society. However, because poetry tends to focus on the experiences of the author, it is quite widespread. Grief, fear, and pain are some of the most prevalent emotions in literature. In his poem, “Facing It,” Yusef Komunyakaa tells his experience with war and how it has affected him. The poem begins with the author experiencing a loss of identity as he is at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Then, he experiences nostalgia whilst reminiscing his past. Lastly, he experiences flashbacks that deter his ability to distinguish the past from the present. Komunyakaa wastes no time in loading his poem with themes. He touches on grief, war, gaining control, acceptance, and sentimentality. The

The soldiers who had attended the war were shown to have died brutally, like “cattle”, yet when reaching the home front, it is seen that they are laid to rest in a much more civil and dignified manner. The concept of this can be seen as an extended metaphor throughout the entire poem, with the battle front seen as a world filled with violence, fear and destruction, where as the home front is perceived as a place marked by order and ritual, a civilized world. The second sonnet opens with “What candles may be held to speed them all?”, invoking a more softer and compassionate tone towards the audience, more specifically through Owen’s use of a rhetorical question. It captures the readers’ attention, engaging them to feel empathetic and notice the shift of energy from anger and bitterness to a sadder and more somber tone. Owen’s use of descriptive language, as simple as it seems, such as ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ provokes the audience to view the horrors of the war as if they had been placed onto children, because in reality the ‘men; who had signed themselves into war to fight in glory for their country had really only just been boys themselves.

The relationships between parents and their sons in the Iliad are not relationships we expect to see in today’s society. The Iliad portrays the relationships between fathers and sons as something more than just physical and emotional. It is based on pride and respect for one another. The expectations of their son are more so to pass on their fathers reputable name and to follow in their father’s footsteps of being noble warriors. These relationships are the driving forces in the Iliad, making each son in the Iliad identifiable first by their father’s name. An outcome of the father–son relationships is ancestral loyalty among the characters which play a prominent role in war. Therefore, not only does the Iliad share a major war story, but

A Comparative Study of the Shield of Achilles and the Shield of Aeneas In Homer’s great work, the Iliad, Achilles is given a set of armor, including a glorious shield which allows him to return to battle and carry out his revenge against Hector. Likewise, in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is sent

In this free-verse war poem, the idea of 'journey' extends itself to cover both the physical and emotional aspects of the subject matter of the poem. Repetition and word

This epic poem eulogizes the acts of chivalry executed by the men during the Trojan War. “My friends, quit yourselves like brave men, and shun dishonour in one another’s eyes amid the stress of the battle. They that shun dishonour more often live than get killed, but they that fly save neither life nor name.” ( Homer Book 5). Agamemnon, the son of Atreus, tells the soldiers that they are to be courageous in battle and their good deeds will carry through with them until death, but that those who are glorious will seek death long after the cowards and deceivers. Those that are loyal to their society will be brought to mind as ideal and rewarded by the gods and their commonwealth. In The Iliad, Homer’s description of a noble hero is one that will have enough bravery to fight in battle. The desire the be godlike is voiced

Andy Dai Term Paper 1 The idea of kleos otherwise known as glory in Greek, and honor is one of the most essential motifs of the Iliad. For many warriors depicted in the Iliad, honor was vital and personal. For many, Glory earned in battle was more important than one’s life. Glory or the lack of, was remembered long after one’s life. Possibly the greatest fundamental part of honor to the fighters of the Iliad was courage in battle as shown throughout multiple books. Throughout the course of this book we can see how different characters display these traits and how they influence the course of the war. Even though the Achaeans and Trojans are enemies they display a similar view, the acquisition of glory is more significant than life

In Neon Vernacular, Yusef Komunyakaa brought to the forefront the struggles of African American soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War. They fought for the freedom of the very ones that denied them their freedom to be equal and the same as their white counterparts. The collection of poems really delve into the everyday matters that were a constant reminder to the African American soldiers that they were free to fight, but not free to be as those white soldiers that they fought beside. An analysis of Komunyakaa’s work opens the eyes of those who felt that the Vietnam War zone was an equal opportunity for all those who fought for America. Also,the realities of racism that existed in the Vietnam War are highlighted in the Neon Vernacular.

Compare and contrast essay War is a scandalous topic where peoples’ views differ as to what war is. Some people see it as pure evil and wicked while others think that it is brave and noble of what soldiers do. Looking at poems which had been written by people

When faced with the countless problems of war including death, disease, sorrow, and loss, soldiers develop and intense bond between one another as they seek support in one another. A brotherhood is formed among these soldiers who rely on one another for protection and companionship amid a time in their

Nowhere in the Iliad is Hector's superiority more obvious than when he is contrasted with his brother Paris, the man who bears the sole responsibility for the chaos and terror that engulfs Troy. Hector finds Paris "polishing (and) fondling his splendid battle-gear, his shield and breastplate, turning over and over his long curved bow" (VI, 243-245).

As long as there is thought there will always be debate as to the relevance and applications of any figure that has potential symbolism deeper than its appearance. We see it with the Bible, with its accompanying fundamentalism, literalism, interpretationalism, and its downright detractors. Attention given to an object for such a prolonged time is bound to foster battleground for linguists, philosophers, and literary scholars. Additionally, we see it with the Shield of Achilles in Homer's The Iliad. The Shield is a literary figure of beauty which the world has enjoyed, despised, and revered for several millennia. Its lengthy and detailed description forces any reader to, if not look past it for higher meaning, at least imagine and

The Iliad, by Homer, is an epic poem set in the era of the Trojan War, accounting the battle logs during the time of conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, the text’s tragic protagonist. The heroic outlook on life, in Iliadic terms, is exemplified through the construction of one’s honor through hard work. Being an aspect of the heroic outlook of life, this value is demonstrated through his contribution and dedication to the Trojan War, his experience with neglect from the deities, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon, and, lastly, his longingness towards Briseis, his dear lover.

First of all, Auden uses the ekphrasis in “The Shield of Achilles” as a means to denounce the mores and practices of his society. Auden’s “Shield of Achilles” is derived from Homer’s “Shield of Achilles. Both authors make a description of the Achilles’ shield. One (Homer’s) is ameliorative and the