This poem, "Basic Training," is a simple picture of military life and structure which becomes much more intimate as the work progresses. All of the rigors of transforming a man into a soldier are listed here: polishing boots to pass inspection, making no excuses for anything, standing interminably at attention, doing menial and mindless tasks, marching and finishing without falling or failing. Each of these tasks are designed to make the man surrender self in order to become a soldier: ﻿