Formalist Analysis of Henry Reed's 'Naming of Parts'

Today, we have naming of parts. Yesterday,

We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,

We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,

Today we have naming of parts. Japonica

Glistens like coral in all of 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, 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.

The poem started with the line, "Today, we have naming of parts" which appears repeatedly like a refrain in a song; reminding the 'audience' of the 'speaker' of their only task at hand (which is the naming of parts). But parts of what? The parts pointed out by the speaker in lines 7-9, 13, 19, and 20 are: the lower sling swivel, the upper sling swivel, the piling swing swivel, the safety catch, the bolt, and the breech, respectively. This, then, gives us the idea that the speaker names the parts of a gun. But the speaker reminds his audience that the parts he points to are objects that "[they] have not got". This tells the reader that the speaker is the sole authority with a gun in hand; thus, conjuring the image of an instructor in front of a class.

However, there seem to be two voices present in the poem although the 'instructor' appears to be the only one giving out instructions. The sudden shift of thoughts - from the identification of the mechanical parts of the gun to a seemingly nostalgic reminiscence of a more subtle environment than the presumable 'classroom' - hints us with whose voices are present. The shifting of thoughts can be found at the end of every stanza; this one for example: "Japonica/ Glistens like corals in all of the neighboring gardens/ And today we have naming of parts" (lines 4-6). This constant shift from a  'gray' or 'dull' present to a refreshing thought of 'greenery' or 'garden' shows to the reader that at every beginning of each stanza, the speaker is the 'gun instructor' while the mingling of nostalgic reminiscence of beauty and youth at the end of each stanza introduces the 'young students' of the instructor. They are young for their thoughts are refreshing; they are young novices who are yet to be introduced to the arts of violence or 'war'.