An Analysis of Facing It Yusef Komanuyakaa's poem "Facing It" is a brutal examination of the effects war leaves on men. The reader can assume that Komanuyakaa drew inspiration from his own experiences in Vietnam, thus making the poem a personal statement. However, the poem is also a universal and real description of the pain a soldier feels when he remembers the horror of war. He creates the character of the poem by using flashbacks to the war, thus informing the reader of why the speaker behaves and feels the way he does. The thirty-one verses that make up "Facing It" move back and forth between the present and the past to tell the story of a man's life. The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. . He speaks openly and simply, as if talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word phrases and rambling thoughts; This is all an aspect of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines rhyme adds to the idea of ​​ordinary conversation, as most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is disjointed and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and moving from one thought to the next very quickly. His outward actions of touching the wall and looking at all the names make him react inwardly. He remembers the past and tries to suppress the emotions that rise within him. The first two lines of the poem create a mood of fear and sadness that is constant throughout the rest of the poem. The choice of the word “black” to describe the speaker’s face can convey several messages (502). The most obvious meaning... middle of paper ... "The speaker tells his audience that the dead soldier was a young man. The tenderness of his age further amplifies the horrific nature of the war. The character and the Vietnam veterans memorial wall depend on each other to express the intention of the poem The intention of the poem is to show that war is deadly, far from glorious and extremely real Even though the years. have passed, these memories still affect the way he lives Just standing in front of the wall reminds the speaker of all of this The veterans memorial comes to life while the speaker is in his presence, it forces him to. remembering painful memories and even crying, which he promised himself not to do. The character in the poem reacts to the power of the wall and realizes that he must face his past and everything. which relates to it, in particular Vietnam..