Summary Of Facing It By Yusef Komunyakaa

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"Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa contains a very reflective tone, lost in the memories the Vietnam Veterans Memorial contains. He compares his own experiences of survival to the perspective he carries as he stands before the wall. As Komunyakaa reads through the inscriptions on the stone, he “half-expect[s] to find [his] own letters like smoke” (6-7). This implies despite his survival, part of him is still living among the fallen soldiers, stuck in the war as if his survival is only physical. The Vietnam War was a great controversy among Americans, most trying to erase the battles they've witnessed in history. This fact clearly resonates with Komunyakaa as he watches other onlookers through the reflection: “In the black mirror a woman's trying