Question

Which lines from the poem “Facing It” best communicate the author’s internal conflict to the reader?
I said I wouldn’t,
dammit: No tears.
I’m stone. I’m flesh.
(lines 3-5)
My clouded reflection eyes me
like a bird of prey, the profile of night
slanted against morning.
(lines 6-8)
I go down the 58,022 names,
half-expecting to find
my own in letters like smoke.
(lines 14-16)
A white vet’s image floats
closer to me, then his pale eyes
look through mine. I’m a window.
(lines 25-27)

Answer 1

Lines 3–5 ("I said I wouldn’t, / dammit: No tears. / I’m stone. I’m flesh.") best communicate the speaker’s internal conflict. The speaker’s angry resolve not to cry clashes with the admission of being both "stone" (stoic) and "flesh" (vulnerable), a stark paradox that shows the tug-of-war between controlling emotions and being overwhelmed by them.