Yusef Komunyakaa Memorial

“Facing it” by Yusef Komunyakaa and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, are two powerful poems with the graphical life like images on the reality of war. It is apparent that the authors was a soldier who experienced some of the most gruesome images of World War I. In “Ducle et Decorum Est” Owen tells us about a personal experience in which he survived a chemical warfare attack. Although he survives, some of his fellow troops do not. As in “Facing It” Komunyakaa is also a soldier who has survived a war. Komunyakaa response to his war experience is deeply shaped by his visit to Lin’s memorial. Inspired by the monument, Komunyakaa confronts his conflicted feelings about Vietnam, its legacy, and even more broadly, the part race plays in

First artwork is the Vietnam War Memorial in 1982, designed by May Lin. What I see in this picture is that it looks like a park area is created having a lot of fresh green grass and long trees. It also have very elongated walls. The walls are made from mirror-like surfaces that reflects the images of the surrounding trees, monuments and people. As it is a Vietnam War memorial place, I observe that people staring at the walls depicts that the walls have something related about the Vietnam War. It can have written description about the specific people participating in the Vietnam War. It’s like a long granite wall inscribed with the names of all those men and women that sacrificed their lives during this war. I also see how these mirror like

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 Memorial, mourns all those killed and who did not return. That is why the poem is dramatic. War has become a part of the hero's life, even after the ending.

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 felt while visiting the Vietnam memorial.

“Facing It” a powerful sonnet, brings both exact and metaphorical meanings to the reader. As seen in “I see the booby trap’s white flash,” (18) where there is no room for a different interpretation, but a flashback; which invites the reader into the world of war. It is up to the vet to see himself as something other than a man of war and the Vietnam Memorial allows them to release their pain into the stone, the black granite; releasing the empty pain that is carried for years. “[H]alf-expecting to find / my own [name] in the letter” (15, 16) and the portrayal of “I am a window” (27) allows others to see through the vet what a veteran took away from the war. Not all came back whole either mind or body and Komunyakaa displays this within the reference of “his right arm / inside the stone” (28, 29) and how this soldier wishes the names and pain could be erased by the simple movement of a

The artist of the memorial, Maya Lin, is an American of Asian descent who is famous for her sculptures and land art. Her most famous work, the Vietnam Memorial, was chosen in a contest, and her designs both mesmerized and angered many people. Since them, works and designs she has created for competitions have been mainly memorials and remembrances based on historical events. Her works are intended to use the natural texture and geology of the space around the monument to its advantage in its creation.

In Trethewey’s “Native Guard,” graves symbolize of the futility of mankind’s efforts to conceal its evils, and of failure to combat the racist system put in place by white America. For years, Trethewey’s mother fought to protect her daughter from the hatred and prejudice in America. Her protest against the hatred of America was snuffed out by abusive partners and the nascent racism of America. In the poem “Graveyard Blues,”she describes the atmosphere of the graveyard as blues-y and dreary. She “wander[s] now among names of the dead: My mother’s name, stone pillow for my head,” her mother’s name now only a marker of her lifetime of suffering. Not only a problem in Trethewey’s time, racism and inherent discrimination was an issue for even the African American heroes of the Civil War, the Native Guard receive no recognition from the historians of the fort or the Daughters of the Confederacy. In the poem “Elegy for the Native Guards, Trethewey states that there are “no names carved for the Native Guards— 2nd Regiment, Union men, black phalanx. What is monument to their legacy?” They receive no honorable grave. They receive the most barbaric of burial rites, doomed to have “fish dart among their bones.” The bodies of the native guard are cast out of sight into the ocean, neglected in an attempt to forget the evils committed against them. Their forgotten and neglected grave symbolizes the futility of fighting against the racism of America, as well as the futility in concealing

The memories and feelings that the memorial brings forth from the veteran are the driving force to the tone of the poem. The poems is heavy and heartbreaking. It clearly shows that the visit to the memorial has an enormous impact on the author. The author describes several different visions he has while at the memorial. The visions that he has are as real to him as if they were physically present. The author makes it easy to see and feel things through his eyes. The words used to describe his thoughts and feeling evoke emotions of sadness and at times, even despair.

After creating her visionary Vietnam Veterans Memorial she suffered much controversy and criticism. Many Veterans believed her simple black wall with listed names was a “black wall of shame”(Ergas 265) and insulting to the traditional idea of white marble and statues of soldiers the veterans had expected. Critics even began using her asian background to discriminate against her, which had not been an issue for Lin before this time. Even Ross Pero after finding out she was asian was heard to call her an egg roll. Lin feels if her lineage had been known at the time of the contest she never would have won. This criticism almost caused Lin to exit the world of art forever, if it hadn’t been for the immense impact the wall had on visitors and the sheer number of them. Many visitors found closure and rejoice in finding there loved ones names and leaving flowers. The rubbings of loved ones names even

Yusef Komunyakaa is an alum of Colorado State University, as well as a writer with a 43 year long career, and a poet with a widespread reach throughout the poetic community. At his poetry reading on April 21st, he read a wide variety of poems, ranging from some of his experiences during the Vietnam war to girl “consumed” by fire. It is interesting to observe traits of his poetry -- like who his audience is, imagery, rhythm, and agency of the speaker in the poem -- and how those relate to the contents of his poetry.

Since the opening of the Emancipation Memorial in 1876, there has always been controversy regarding the accuracy of the message that the monument provides to its viewers. The Emancipation Memorial has become an example of the criticisms that many warped monuments face today, such as heroification. In order to have an effective monument, Loewen believes that the monument needs to be honest in the story that it shows, which includes not omitting any important figures, no racism, and no glorification and heroification of figures or ideas in the monument. Many have agreed that the image depicted in the Memorial is deceiving and creates a misleading historical memory for tourists. Historical memory is the way in which an event is remembered, influenced by monuments, books, movies, and other forms of propaganda. This is significant because the historical memory of the Emancipation Memorial has had a large impact on the group of Americans who have seen the Memorial as a validation for their thoughts that Lincoln was the sole figure who freed blacks from the awful chains of slavery. The degree to which the Emancipation Memorial needs to be toppled is extremely urgent. The monument should be toppled because of the degree of historical inaccuracy that the monument depicts onto the viewer’s historical memory.

“General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson” by Mort Kunstler depicts the notorious Confederate General entering Winchester, Virginia on May 25th, 1962 and receiving a hero's welcome. This shows wars more romantic side, with the General receiving glory from the townsfolk by having a parade in his name. The painting shows the rewards one gets from being a veteran from the people around them. In the painting a boy and a girl are next to the famous General giving him flowers. The painting shows how much the confederates love, adore and admire him. He has children chasing after him in the streets and thousands of people having a parade in his honor just because he’s going through the town.

Veterans are more susceptible to the memories of war, pain, suffering, and death. Memorials such as the Vietnam Memorial bring back many memories for veterans when they view these memorials. Those memories can attack the mind, and cause a veteran to feel vulnerable. Many veterans can only associate those memorials with the pain, suffering, and death that they had seen while at war. Yusef Komunyakaa expresses the pain that is felt within war veterans when they remember memories of war and survival in his poem "Facing It."

Monuments are used to memorialize and honor moments, individuals and events of the past. Some monuments do this better than other monuments. In creating a monument there are three essential factors a group or agency should consider to make the monument as effective as possible: location, design features, purpose and backstory. Why these factors? Location and design factors play a massive role in the reception the monument will receive, based on its environment, size and looks a monument will be perceived differently. The purpose and backstory are the two single most important factors to consider in creating a monument. The monuments history, its reason, is the reason just? Is the purpose proper? Does it accurately memorialize the subject? All these questions come with the purpose and backstory of a monument.

During this time many people rose to prominence to include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Malcom X. There are several verses within the poem that can easily be attributed to the ongoing struggle that the African Americans were facing, and that times would be changing. “For the loser now will be later to win, For the times they are a-changin’”(Dylan) and “Come senators, congressmen, Please heed the call Don’t stand in the doorway Don’t block up the hall… There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’ It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls” (Dylan) illustrates the struggle that African Americans were facing. During the time that the song written and the years following Dr. King, President Kennedy, and Malcom X were all assassinated for the role that they were playing during the events of the civil rights movement. The older generation was unable to accept that indeed the times were changing and were dragging their heels down a road that was vastly different from what they had travelled when they were younger. They soon found that there was nothing that they could do to stop the change.