Poem selections from Dien Cai Dau:

1. “To Have Danced with Death”
2. “Saigon Bar Girls, 1975”
3. “‘Missing in Action”
4. “Losses”
5. “Facing It”

Purpose: To analyze race and violence in relationship to the Vietnam War in Dien Cai Dau

Skills/knowledge practiced: Textual analysis; close reading; writing with citations; use of textual evidence; developing argument; analysis of poetry and poetic language; following proper MLA formatting guidelines; paraphrasing quotes

Submission instructions: Please submit your 200-400 word response as a Word doc on Blackboard (no paper copies will be accepted). Every submission should include at least one quote from the text.

Grades will be based on the completeness of your submission (including textual quotes + sufficient word count length) as well as proper grammar/spelling and the depth of your critical analysis. Four points total:

• 1 pt. for proper citation use;
• 1 pt. for sufficient length;
• 1 pt. for sufficient depth of content/engagement;
• 1 pt. for proper assignment formatting.

Assignments should be formatted as follows: 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced with header, page numbers, Times New Roman font, Word Count listed, Works Cited page on separate page, submitted as Microsoft Word or PDF. This may seem like a lot but it is the golden standard for document preparation, and if properly followed will make your writing immediately more consistent and easier to read. See the following for an example: MLA Citation Template and Example.pdf

select a single poem above and analyze 2-3 of its poetic images. What does Komunyakaa’s imagery suggest about the particular nature of race and violence in the context of the Vietnam War? What insight does it give us regarding the international politics and racial ideology of the United States during that era?