Blog 6 EP

Dien Cai Dau is a collection of Vientam War themed poems written by Yusef Komunyakaa. His poem Tu Do Street reveals the racial segregation he experienced as a black soldier fighting in Vietnam. Komunyakaa shows similiarities between the culture of segregation era southern United States and the culture of the people of Saigon. They have adopted even the dirtiest parts of american culture, rascism. American GIs have separated themselves from their black counterparts and only the fear of battle will bring them together at all. Komunyakaa beleives that the two groups are closer than they believe. Sin does not descriminate against either of the two races and Komunyakaa sees that both groups are commiting the same sins. The groups are brought together by their sins as they commit the same sins. Their sharing of prostitutes brings them even closer in share of disease. Through these acts both groups are moving closer to their mutual fate of an aftelife in hell. Despite segregation, the white and black soldiers are much closer than they believe.
In Komunyakaa's poem Communique the poet shares his view of the USO and their attempts to boost soldier morale. Again race comes into play as Komunyakaa are looking to see Aretha Franklin but are instead given white entertainers like Bob Hope, a dance troupe and a rock and roll band. The USO fails to give the black soldiers something from home to fight for. Komunyakaa also notes that these people are brought from home and given a totally secure area to live in while all around them the war goes on. Planes drop bombs around the base but the entertainers are never in danger. Eventually home gets to go home and the soldiers, the ones in danger, are left to continue the fighting. As with most aspects of the Vietnam War the soldiers are left behind and forgotten about.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the theme of Komunyakaa's poem Losses. He narrates the story of a soldier who losses his ability to live a civilized life after the horrors of the war. The soldier is afraid of the physical harm he can do to loved ones so he shuns them from his life. He lives a life of isolation.He is always paranoid and ready to drop to the ground or duck behind a tree at even the slightest noise. He also experiences dark hallucinations where suddenly he is back in Vietnam as a soldier. All of this breaks his heart and the hearts of the ones around him who cannot bear to seem him act the way he does but are unable to help. Komunyakaa portrays this man as anonymous because that is how many of the veterans were, anonymous and left to deal with their struggles alone. This poem is a critical view of the way that americans treated their soldiers and keft them to deal with their struggles after they struggled for America's problems.