“Exploring Facing It and Foamy Sky”

Does one actually have to get shot in order to die? In the poems “Facing It”, by Yuset Komunyakaa, and “Foamy Sky”, by Miklos Radnoti, the issues war and death are addressed. Both authors make great use of imagery and diction to paint dark pictures about their experiences with war. The message conveyed in both is that even if you physically survive a war, your soul may not be intact, because war has a way of degenerating a person.
The authors use great skill in setting the tone in their poems; in “Facing It,” the tone is dark and somber and in “Foamy Sky” the tone is dreary and unnatural. In “Facing IT,” the first two lines, "My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite.", Komunyakka combines alliteration, assonance, cacophony, and great diction to create an unpleasant feel. The alliteration, “…face fades”, accentuates what that the persona is feeling. The assonance throughout the two lines helps focus the reader on the dark imagery, becaus...