Analysis Of 'Untitled Blues'

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Poetry is one of the deepest emotional expressions in the written world. Vilém Flusser writes in his article, “poetry is usually understood as a language game whose strategy is to creatively enlarge the universe of languages. This universe becomes poetically broader and deeper through the manipulation of words and sentences, the modulation of linguistic functions, a game with the meanings of words and sentences, rhythmic and melodic modulation of phonemes” (71). Not only does poetry express emotion and feeling in a unique manner, but it in many cases also delves deeply into the author’s cultural background. Yusef Komunyakaa makes this clear in his poem “Untitled Blues.” Composed in 1984, this poem exemplifies the unique conditions of an African American male living in the city of New Orleans. “Untitled Blues” epitomizes the themes of injustice and music within …show more content…

In order to understand this theme within Yusef’s poem, it is important to first understand it is not simply a form of artistic expression, but a reflection of the unjust reality Yusef faced during his time in Vietnam. Yusef is one of numerous African American men who were tasked with fighting in order to preserve the freedom and protection of the South Vietnamese people, a freedom that these brave soldiers did not possess. Guersney writes, “the irony of this situation lies in the fact that these soldiers were asked to fight a War in the name of democracy, to kill in order to secure rights that they themselves were being denied” (1). Samuel Vance quotes one of these soldiers who states, “how am I, as a Negro, supposed to feel about going to a place where I got a good chance of not coming back, and if I do get back, I 'm still treated like a second-class citizen” (23)? Consequently, this racism along with the bitter irony of fighting for the rights of another nation, inspired Komunyakaa’s use of injustice in “Untitled

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