Naming of Parts: A Soldier's F
Many soldiers understand that their particular occupation means that a time could come when they would have to give up their life for their country. The thoughts of one particular soldier are provided in the poem, "Naming of Parts" by Henry Reed. As the instructor lectures his soldiers about the different parts of a weapon -- a tool of war created to cause death, the listening soldier envisions elements of nature that are life giving. Reed uses structure, connotation, and imagery to compare the parts of a weapon with elements of nature in order to show how one particular soldier thinks about life and living things when confronted with the thought of his own mortality. The title, "Naming of Parts", has special significance in that the parts of a weapon are not entirely what the poem is about. Although the instructor tells the students they will be learning the names of different parts of their rifle, the soldier is half-heartedly listening as he daydreams about "Japonica/[which] Glistens like coral (4,5). The flower's name has a very musical sound to it, the assonance of each syllable is soft and offers a very feminine connotation. Because Japonica have red petals, and because they are shimmering like coral, it implies that
Because the young soldier is inexperienced, he is probably a virgin and can only imagine what it would be like to make love with a woman. As the instructor continues the lesson with the naming of the "safety-catch, which is always released/With an easy flick of the thumb" (13,14), the reader is provided an image of a man unbuttoning his pants, as if to undress. The instructor carries on with the naming of the "bolt" (19) and explains its purpose is to "open the breech" (20). The phallic symbolism of the bolt becomes more evident when the instructor repeats the action of the bolt as it moves "rapidly backwards and forwards" (21). The recruit echoes his instructor's words: "rapidly backwards and forwards" (22), as he describes the "early bees [...] assaulting and fumbling the flowers" (23). The pollination of flowers can be likened to a man impregnating a woman, as both bring about new life. Because the soldier describes this action as "fumbling" however, the reader is presented with the image of man who is groping awkwardly, as though he is clueless as to which action to take next, implying that the young soldier is most probably a virgin, but would rather think about making love than war. This poem contrasts the two distinct worlds of the instruct
Some common words found in the essay are:
Japonica/which Glistens, Henry Reed, , backwards forwards, soldier envisions, rapidly backwards forwards, echoes instructor's words, rapidly backwards, probably virgin, particular soldier, elements nature, echoes instructor's, instructor's words, listening soldier,
Approximate Word count = 853
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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