“Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa: A Critical Analysis

   My black face fades,   

hiding inside the black granite.   

I said I wouldn’t  

dammit: No tears.   

I’m stone. I’m flesh.   

My clouded reflection eyes me   

like a bird of prey, the profile of night   

slanted against morning. I turn   

this way—the stone lets me go.   

I turn that way—I’m inside   

the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

again, depending on the light   

to make a difference.   

I go down the 58,022 names,   

half-expecting to find   

my own in letters like smoke.   

I touch the name Andrew Johnson;   

I see the booby trap’s white flash.   

Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse   

but when she walks away   

the names stay on the wall.   

Brushstrokes flash, a red bird’s   

wings cutting across my stare.   

The sky. A plane in the sky.   

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. In the black mirror   

a woman’s trying to erase names:   

No, she’s brushing a boy’s hair.

·         Trauma and Memory

• The poem delves into the complex interplay between trauma and memory, exploring how past experiences can continue to shape the present. The speaker’s struggle to process his experiences in the Vietnam War is evident throughout the poem, as he grapples with haunting flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and the emotional scars left by the conflict. The line “I see the booby trap’s white flash” vividly evokes a traumatic event, highlighting the sudden and unexpected nature of these memories. The poem suggests that trauma can be both a source of pain and a defining aspect of one’s identity.

·         Identity and Belonging

• The speaker’s sense of identity is deeply intertwined with his wartime experiences. He questions his place in the world and struggles to reconcile his past with his present self. The line “My black face fades” suggests a loss of identity or a feeling of invisibility, as the speaker seems to be disappearing into the collective trauma of the war. The poem explores the ways in which war can disrupt a sense of belonging and leave individuals feeling disconnected from both themselves and the world around them.

·         The Power of Language

• Komunyakaa explores the limitations of language in conveying the full extent of human suffering. The speaker struggles to find words to express his complex emotions and experiences, highlighting the inadequacy of language to capture the depth of trauma. The line “I’m stone. I’m flesh” contrasts the speaker’s hardened exterior with his underlying humanity, suggesting that words alone cannot fully convey the complexities of the human experience. The poem implies that silence and unspoken suffering may be as significant as the words that are spoken.

·         The Enduring Nature of War

• The poem emphasizes the lasting impact of war on both individuals and society. The memorial wall serves as a constant reminder of the past and the sacrifices made, highlighting the enduring nature of war’s consequences. The line “the names stay on the wall” suggests that the effects of war cannot be erased or forgotten. The poem implies that war leaves a lasting legacy that continues to shape the present and future, even long after the conflict has ended.

·         How does Komunyakaa explore the theme of identity in the poem?

• Komunyakaa grapples with the complexities of identity, particularly as an African-American Vietnam veteran. The speaker’s “black face fades” into the black granite, symbolizing the erasure of his personal identity within the collective experience of the war memorial. His blackness is physically and metaphorically absorbed by the memorial, reflecting the struggle of veterans of color to be recognized in national memory. The line “I’m stone. I’m flesh” captures this duality—he is both a human being and a figure who has become hardened by his experiences, torn between the roles of individual and collective representation.

·         What role does memory play in shaping the speaker’s experience?

• Memory is a central force in “Facing It”, as the speaker’s visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial brings past trauma to the surface. The names on the wall trigger memories of lost comrades, such as Andrew Johnson, whose name recalls “the booby trap’s white flash.” The speaker relives moments from the war as if they were happening in the present, illustrating how deeply ingrained the traumatic memories are. The memorial, meant to be a place of remembrance, also becomes a site where the speaker’s memories blur the line between past and present, as shown when he “half-expects to find [his] own” name among the dead.

·         How does Komunyakaa depict the relationship between the living and the dead?

• Komunyakaa portrays the living and the dead as intertwined, with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial acting as a medium between them. The reflective surface of the wall blurs the distinction between the speaker and the names of the dead, as the “black granite” reflects both the speaker’s image and the inscribed names. This creates a visual and emotional merging of the living with the dead. The speaker observes a “white vet’s image” floating “closer” to him, as if the dead veteran’s spirit is reaching out from the wall. The connection between life and death is palpable, particularly when the speaker touches the wall and sees “the booby trap’s white flash,” linking a tactile experience in the present with a fatal event from the past.

·         How does the poem address the impact of war on the individual?

• The poem deeply explores the personal and psychological impact of war on the individual. The speaker’s interaction with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stirs up unresolved emotions, particularly grief, guilt, and trauma. He wrestles with his own survival, feeling both present and absent in the world, as reflected in the line, “I turn this way—the stone lets me go.” The war’s psychological scars are evident in his anticipation of seeing his own name among the fallen, signifying survivor’s guilt. The inability to fully separate from the memories of war, and the haunting imagery of names shimmering on a woman’s blouse, suggest that the speaker remains trapped in the conflict, even in a time of peace.