Elements in the poems written by luminary poets like Maya Angelou, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Judith Ortiz-Cofer reveal the power of language for confrontation with questions about self-discovery, memory, and perseverance. “Facing It” is one of Yusef Komunyakaa’s poems that brings readers on an emotionally testing trip inside the details behind the battle. In “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica,” with powerful religious symbolism, Judith Ortiz-Cofer explores the cultural dimensions of a Latin deli. Nevertheless, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou constitutes an inspirational poem on persistence in society. These poems cherish such a deep meaning that this journal portrays by using the symbolic significance, literary devices, and personal observations of these poetries.

In the reflective poem “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa, readers are invited to find out more about war, loss, and memory as inner parts of one process. The author discusses the subjective part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in terms of feelings and memories related therapy (Binghadeer, 2022). The title refers to the trend of commitment in combat and how one is supposed to deal with emotions arising therefrom. The words “My clouded reflection eyes me/ like a bird of prey” (Komunyakaa 6-7) hold an undeniable tone that questions one about the survivor guilt referenced in trauma memory by war. Years of life and memory are short-lived, but the anticipation of his name “on walls like smoke in letters” (Komunyakaa 16) outlines this notion. Mid-war bleakness may be offset by the upstrokes or crimson bird’s figure with wings, which can signify optimism and endurance.

On the other hand, in “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica,” Judith Ortiz contemplates the cultural value of a Latin deli and how this symbolizes nostalgia and identity. For instance, Catholic elements such as “San Juan” (Ortiz 11) are used to make it a complex religion. Therefore, Catholic symbols symbolize not only customs and diversity but heritage as well as their religious beliefs. These early influences of her life culled from the Puerto Rican and American cultures dictate Ortiz’s multi-genre approach that she further digs into ethnic gaps related to a mixed culture background (Poetry Foundation, 2020). The value of culture and psychological attachment to the cultural self has been reinforced by customers’ loyalty to purchasing from a store even though paying more money means. When residents of the neighbourhood enter that deli to sit down and have something, a feeling is generated: apace with holiness and community.

In addition, Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” can be seen as an inspirational poem that focuses on self-compassion and the capability of overcoming misfortune. The phrases “I rise” and “I am the dream and hope of slave” (Angelou 40-43) imply an attempt to stand up proudly and definitively. Angelou is not only charismatic but also compelling; words from her create more emotions. The poem transcends beyond its literary identity, being a rendition that connects to all joy and sadness, representing what it means to be African American.

In conclusion, the three poems are essentially about resistance, memory, and self to varying degrees. The poets of this volume deal with the symbolic expression of seemingly complex emotions and social issues in their own lives. By telling their own stories, all of the poets inevitably construct a narrative that proves this experience to be truly an expression of human universality.

References

Angelou, M. (1978, August 12). “Still I Rise.” Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise

Binghadeer, R. (2022). Trauma, History, and Terror in the Poetry of Yusef Komunyakaa and Sinan Antoon. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.3904

Komunyakaa, Y. (2001). “Facing It” from Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47867/facing-it

Ortiz, J. C. (n.d.). “The Latin American Deli: An Ars Poetica.” University of Pennsylvania. https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/romance/spanish/219/13eeuu/cofer.html

Poetry Foundation. (2020, November 1). Judith Ortiz Cofer. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/judith-ortiz-cofer