Yusef Komunyakaa- Facing It
*The Speaker seems to be hiding from something at the beginning of the poem, it could be his feelings or the reality of the past that is actually settling in.
*"Im stone, I'm flesh" He is going from memory of the present, he is remembering what happened while he was in the Vietnam war. His reflection that is depending on the light is making him turn from stone to flesh. by the second.
*He clearly survived the war, but his friend Andrew Johnson didnt, as he puts his finger on the name, the horrible death replays in his mind, Andrew was killed by the booby trap and the speaker saw it all. He thought that he too should be dead.
*The lady that walked by could be someone that also escape death, and as she passes the wall, Andrew remains dead, the she could have saved him but chose to let him die.
*The white Vet's image is Andrew, he is now bringing the name on the wall to life. He should have beem dead, he didnt go out like a soldier, he didnt fight back to save his friends's life, he hid inside the black granite. Now Andrew doesn't see him as a real soldier, He sees right through him.
*As the vet fades into the stone, or disappears, he sees a lady that is trying to erase the names, could that be Andrew's wife that doesnt want to believe that he is dead? or Maybe Andrew's Mother? as he realizes that she is brushing a little boys' hair, that little boy could be Andrew's son, now mourning his deceased father.
Some interesting perceptions, but be careful about inventing narratives outside the poem's concerns--ie., no need to take all this too literally. Let's say that the speaker is dealing with details of the present--what is happening right before him--and how these become involved in his inner conflicts. So, there is no "actual" connection between the woman, the white vet, and the name--though these all play a role in the poem's imagination/image structure. BTW--we know that the soldier "Andrew Johnson" came from the same hometown as Komunyakaa, but not necessarily that they were friends (in any case, the name plays a role in another thematic strain in the poem--see essays on PF accompanying the poret's page). See other blogs in current ( (Jackson, Falcone, Amanda, Alexandria, etc.) and previous classes on this poem
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