Naming of Parts (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Henry Reed
- First Published: 1946
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: World War II, Military life or service, Soldiers, Armies, Guns
The Poem
“Naming of Parts” is a thirty-line lyric poem divided into five stanzas. The poem depicts a group of infantry recruits receiving a familiarization lecture on their rifles. The title reflects the practical, if prosaic, necessity of knowing the proper term for each of the rifle’s parts. Readers hear two distinctive voices in the poem—that of the insensitive, boorish drill instructor giving the lecture and that of a sensitive, young recruit whose mind is wandering during this mind-numbing discourse on rifle terminology. The key to understanding the poem is...
[The entire page is 1577 words long]
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