In this excerpt, the author intends to create a vivid and emotional impact on the reader through sensory details and imagery. The use of specific details such as the names on the wall, the white flash of the y trap, the red bird's wings, the pale eyes of the vet, and the woman brushing a boy's hair all contribute to the overall aesthetic of the poem.
The author's description of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with its shimmering names and the reflective black mirror, creates a haunting and contemplative atmosphere. The imagery of the y trap's white flash and the vet losing his arm inside the stone evoke a sense of loss and sacrifice. The moment when the woman tries to erase names but ends up brushing a boy's hair adds a personal and poignant touch to the scene.
Overall, the author's intention is to immerse the reader in the experience of visiting the memorial and to evoke feelings of remembrance, sorrow, and connection to the past. The powerful imagery and sensory details used in the excerpt help to convey the emotional weight of the Vietnam War and its impact on those who served and those left behind.
Read this excerpt from the poem, "Facing It," about the Vietnam War, by Yusef Komunyakaa:
I turn this way—I'm inside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial again, depending on the light to make a difference. I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own letters like smoke. I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the b00by trap's white flash. Names shimmer on a woman's blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall. Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's wings cutting across my stare. The sky. A plane in the sky. A white vet's image floats close to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I'm a window. He's lost his right arm inside the stone. In the black mirror a woman's trying to erase names: No, she's brushing a boy's hair.
Describe the aesthetic impact the author intends for this excerpt to have on the reader. Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.
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