“Facing it” by Yusef Komunyakaa and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, are two powerful poems with the graphical life like images on the reality of war. It is apparent that the authors was a soldier who experienced some of the most gruesome images of World War I. In “Ducle et Decorum Est” Owen tells us about a personal experience in which he survived a chemical warfare attack. Although he survives, some of his fellow troops do not. As in “Facing It” Komunyakaa is also a soldier who has survived a war. Komunyakaa response to his war experience is deeply shaped by his visit to Lin’s memorial. Inspired by the monument, Komunyakaa confronts his conflicted feelings about Vietnam, its legacy, and even more broadly, the part race plays in
As for Owens, in the third stanza he is speaking directly to the government officials, and the people that made the propaganda, (lines 21-25) are all quotes that prove that he is speaking to government officials. Owen is speaking as if he is angry with the government. In (lines14-16) Komunyakaa draws attention to the reality and magnitude of loss through stating the exact number of men killed. However, he also underscores his inability to fully accept this reality by expecting his own name to be present, and written "like Loading...Manning Page 4 smoke". Smoke adds a surreal quality, as smoke vanishes almost as it appears, and is a direct contrast to the memorial, with names permanently engraved of those who died and therefore whose names will never vanish. The one name Komunyakaa reaches out and touches is that of Andrew Johnson in line 17. It’s as if he is blame himself for the death of his friend. Komunyakaa blames his self for not be able to save his friend. Owen is the same way as he describes his fellow troop dies from the gas attack. (line 16) Owen try’s his best to save his fellow troops by yelling for the boys to put their mask on (line 9). To Komunyakaa, the names do not represent the loss of war, these names represent a multitude of individuals, and the memories he shared and events his witnessed with them. However, as he in fact