The theme of "Naming of Parts" by English poet Henry Reed
is “War”. In this poem, the poet explores war’s effects on young men who desire in their
hearts to enjoy life for the beauty it offers. However, these men are inducted into
warfare by their respective governments and these governments’ geopolitical
agendas.
The focus of this poem is contrasting
the mechanical, boring, ‘naming of parts’ of a weapon of warfare, with the aesthetically
pleasing elements of life. These pleasing aspects of life include the natural beauty of
the physical environment around them, the flora and fauna of the earth. This is
expressed in the line “Japonica/Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring
gardens”.
The contrast here, as the
theme of War is explored, is that the soldiers are under duty to learn and understand
the parts of a rifle (and how they work). They will become proficient at killing, while
the earth and its beauty and bounty are witnesses against them of their destructive
behaviour.
In essence, the world around us, in
its splendour, silently accuses humankind of its penchant for chaos and destruction. The
world around us does not take sides. It laments for all opposing parties who engage in
war and its destructive results.
This
abomination of the ruination of the creation is also referred to in a line in the Book
of Revelation in the New Testament, which says, “… and that you should give
reward to your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear your name,
small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth. (Portion of Revelation
11:18; American King James Version).
The theme of War is also discussed
in that Henry Reed considers that men of war, - in fact all who engage in war, whether
voluntarily or involuntarily - are not of eloquent gestures when they perform warlike
acts. Humankind in general is not eloquent at all when it inflicts pain on one another.
Nonetheless, simple branches of trees “Hold in the gardens their silent,
eloquent gestures”. People can destroy the eloquence of the environment
around them.
Other pleasing aspects of life are
also conveyed in the discourse in the poem, especially about the beauty of lovemaking.
As noted above, this isn’t obviously pointed out. Upon studious reading, this is
recognized; it is an indictment against human beings for considering War not Love,
within the Family of Man. It evokes a 1960s nostalgic “Make Love not War” feeling,
however hackneyed and antiquated that seems today. The poem includes a reference to bees
– the birds and the bees if you like.
The poem
speaks of horrific War against the backdrop of spring, love, almond-blossoms, flowers,
and such. War is man-made. It is mechanical in its cold precision. It often relegates
feelings to the basement of our psyche, so that on the upper floors we concentrate on
the objectives of War.
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