Naming of Parts

Naming of Parts
  by Henry Reed

A Formalist Approach

    Today we have naming of parts. Yesterday, 
We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning, 
We shall have what to do after firing. But today, 
Today we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens likecoral in all the neighboring gardens, 
And today we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see, 
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel, 
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures, 
Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers: 
They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt, 
And the breech, the cocking-piece, and the point of balance, 
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards, 
For today we have the naming of parts.

Analysis:

In this poem, the author used some military jargon such as the parts of the gun and other terminologies relating to its function. There are two point of views in the poem; the first belonging to the instructor and the other belonging to the young military recruit.What adds on to the spice of this poem is not the point of view of the instructor but the latter. As the instructor keep himself busy discussing the different parts of a gun, the young recruit already wandered in the vastness of his imagination. 

Some of the words that suggest other color for the young boy's imagination are: early bees assaulting which represents the men or the boys, fumbling the flowers which may symbolizes girls being made love to, and easing the spring which may suggest an ecstatic release. What make these imagination even more vivid is the fact that in the first line of the last stanza, the author capitalized the first letter of the word spring which implies that it was an allusion to a real thing.

There may be a twist in the tone of the poem but it takes a keen imagination to notice it and understand what it really meant.