Analisis Puisi Naming of Parts

NAMING OF PARTS (by Henry Reed)

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 like coral in all of the neighbouring 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
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and 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 naming of parts.



Aalysis :
This poem is telling about the man who study how to use a gun for war but when he study, he makes a imagination about nature. The speaker is an inductee soldier who is being shown how to care for and use his rifle by a professional arms instructor. the main message of the whole sequence ('naming of parts' is one of a three part sequence of poems called 'lessons of the war') is that war takes people away from the things that they really care about - the things that really matter.

in 'naming of parts' reed's soldier is trying to pay attention to the rifle demonstration, but is constantly being distracted by the signs of spring he can see through the window of the classroom. The ridiculous training is placed in direct comparison with nature's greatness in all things; the fragility of flowers, the variance and the endless work of the bees to do their task.
This poem is more than a contrast between war and nature; it's a love poem. One word gives it all away, Japonica, a flower that can only be found in Japan and some parts of Philippines. The soldier has fallen in love with a Japanese woman during the war, and he is daydreaming about her. To love this woman is to love his enemy. The unnatural nature of this love is enforced by his
military beliefs. Henry Reed is merely portraying a man's conflict with the idea of an interracial relationship during a war.