According to Merriam-Webster, sorrow is defined as a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others. The duration of grief and the dimensions of sorrow extend beyond mere words. They encompass the introspective thoughts of a remorseful soldier, exemplified in Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It”. Komunyakaa, himself the speaker in the poem, shares his visceral experience at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where he peers into the depths of the black granite abyss and finds the haunting gazes of his fallen comrades staring back at him. The intended audience is not specific, but rather a general one. Through vivid description, Komunyakaa portrays the profound impact of guilt and remorse on a veteran of war, as he encounters the penetrating eyes of his comrades etched onto the smooth surface of the wall.
The wall itself compelled the poet to write his poem, as he documented his experience there. It was sharply dug into the ground, its walls covered in seven lists of the lost, with eyes staring back. The central theme is that even those who survive the war are never truly free from its grasp. In line 5, the speaker declares, “I’m stone. I’m flesh,” acknowledging that he not only sees the war, but lives it as well. Though not literally made of stone, when he stands in front of the memorial wall, he sees his own reflection and perceives it in the same way he sees the faces of the names on the wall. This notion of him being unable to escape the war is reiterated multiple times throughout the poem. In lines 15-16, he futilely scans for his own name among the fallen, like a ghost in search of peace. In line 10, he turns towards the wall once again and feels himself falling into the memorial once more.
The poem “Facing It” delves into the concept of veterans being unable to forget the war they experienced, but it takes a more intense approach through its style and word choices. The veterans are depicted as unable to escape the memories of war which their own reflections symbolize. When the speaker looks at his reflection, he sees a part of himself that perished alongside his comrades. The memorial itself is personified as a beast that ensnares the speaker, refusing to release him, much like the war itself. This is evident in line 10, where the metaphorical stone “lets [the speaker] go” momentarily, resembling an enemy soldier freeing him from captivity. The speaker’s entrapment continues through implied metaphor, with line eighteen referring to the wall as a “booby trap”.
The passage highlights the significance of a specific reference. The term “booby trap” not only symbolizes a booby trap in its literal sense, but also brings to mind Andrew Johnson’s fatal encounter with one. When the speaker touches Johnson’s name on the wall, it is possible that he witnessed the soldier’s death caused by a booby trap, causing him to relive the intense moment characterized by a sudden burst of light. While the wall represents war itself – not literally, but subjectively for the speaker – gazing at its reflective surface leads to scattered thoughts and detachment from reality. The shattered reflections of life on the dark stone prevent him from immersing himself in its boundless expanse. These fragmented thoughts can be observed in lines 20-25 as the speaker swiftly transitions from one reflected object to another: a soaring bird, an airplane, a female tourist, and another veteran. Instead of dwelling on post-traumatic stress disorder or emotions like sadness, guilt, or anger, this poem offers a distinct portrayal of war’s aftermath. It resonates with the loss of personal identity experienced after surviving a conflict that claimed numerous lives.
In spite of my strong bond with Uncle Dan, he seldom discussed his time in the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, when he did talk about it, I could discern the same tormented expression in his eyes that the speaker in Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem conveys. The unfiltered and sincere way in which Komunyakaa depicts the mentality of a veteran deeply resonated with me. While my uncle lacked a literal stone wall to seek refuge behind like the speaker, the weight of his memories seemed to ensnare him similarly. This realization leads to the conclusion that for veterans, remembrance itself becomes a confinement; even if they survive and come home, they can never truly evade the war. These memories persist, keeping their minds aflame with war and impeding any possibility of finding solace. This poem serves as a reminder that those who have not experienced war firsthand may blissfully remain ignorant.
