Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass By Simon Armitage Flashcards
(8 cards)
Title:
Sense of conflict which established right at the beginning with the title
Structure
No clear consistency of a rhyme scheme
Few enjambment
Length irregularity feels fragmented as if it was cut replicating a chainsaw cutting grass
The sounds gives the impression of the engine roar and gearing to go
between the stanzas is that there is no enjambment between them, with each one contained within its own section with end-stopped lines. In some ways this could be seen as the control of humanity over natural form and structure with unnatural barriers
Agenda
Critique of hegemonic masculine behaviour that leads to toxic masculinity
Context
Simon Armitage is a British poet holding the position of poet Laureate
Industrialisation - The chainsaw represents the rise in mechanization and technological advancements which threaten the lively hood of nature
Representative of loss of human control
Colonialism - Chainsaw is a metaphor for colonialism representing the forceful exploitation and conquest over indigenous people and lands
Dehumanisation
Freudian Perspective - Focus on the repressed emotions and unconscious desires
ID, Supergo, and ego
Themes
Man vs Nature
Gender Roles
Social Class
Stanza 1:
“It seemed an unlikely match.”
“grinding it’s teeth”
“it knocked back a quarter-pint of engine oil”
“plastic sleeve”
“juices” and “oozed”
“winter” and “darkroom”
Declarative sentence instantly portrays that there is a battle, or ‘match’, that will take place in the poem. The way that Armitage calls it ‘unlikely’ implies that people do not expect a fight between man and nature, and even less expectant of man versus industrialism.
Foreshadows violence
Eponymous pampas grass that prevails which subverts our initial expectations as the chainsaw is made to be prepotent
Personification of the chainsaw as a man with rather animalistic traits - morphism
Hard G sound gives an impression of strength and rage
This implies that man and industrialism are on the same level, and have the same amount of power to destroy, or not destroy, nature.
Colloquial line imposes the image of a person ‘knocking back’ a pint of beer or alcoholic beverage
The chainsaw is personified to be viewed as a parallel of man as drinking beer is stereotypically associated as a masculine activity
The chainsaw is presented as violent and aggressive
The chainsaw is gendered as very masculine
Allusion to contraception
Use of phallic imagery
Reinforcement of the zoomorphic qualities of the chiansaw
Connotations of a sinister, dreadful environment from which the chainsaw has emerged from
The chainsaw could represent the repressed feelings and desires of the speaker
Stanza 2:
“From the summerhouse” “still holding one last gulp”
“weightless wreckage of wasps and flies”
“fed it out like powder from a keg”
“gunned the trigger.”
Sharp juxtaposition from “All winter”
Alliteration creating a whispy sound replicating the tranquil feelings of summer
Adjective weightless suggests insignificance or lack of substance
Wreckage is symbolic of the aftermath of the chainsaw’s power and the devastation caused by it
Wasps and flies are viewed as a symbol of irritation - Even minor forms of life are collateral in the chainsaw’s path
Descriptive, detailed simile - Keg is a barrel of gun powder linking to the idea of destruction and havoc the chainsaw will attempt to commit against nature
Lexical field of war and military conflict - reader anticipates an explosion
G sound is very aggressive which is further emphasised by the us of punctuation creating an abrupt stop
Linked to death and destruction leaving readers to anticipate what may happen next
Stanza 3:
“instant rage”
“metal lashing out at air”
“its mood to tangle with cloth, or jewellery, or hair.”
“bloody desire”
“sweet tooth”
“for flesh of the face and the bones underneath”
“rear up into the brain”
Verb lashing is very powerful
Personification of chainsaw ‘lashing out’ like a wild animal
Juxtaposition as metal is hard and air is soft and intangible
Creating vivid aural and visual image of violent, thrashing movement
The chainsaw is given emotion to feel alive and volatile
Tricolon creating rhythmic emphasis
These items are associated with femininity, delicacy, and vulnerability
Sexual undertone as “tangle” suggests entanglement, invasion, and violation
Oxymoronic violent phrase - Desire represents passion and attraction whereas Bloody adds a visceral edge suggesting that desire is dangerous
Homographic pun referring to the chainsaw’s teeth while also acknowledging the common phrase “sweet tooth” used to describing someone who excessively craves something sweet to eat. This links to the concept of human greed leading to destruction
Graphic imagery - This line uses gruesome, anatomical detail to create vivid image of deep, bodily harm
“Flesh” and “bones” evoke a sense of brutality that is penetrating
Use of fricatives expresses the harsh nature of the chainsaw
Hyperbole
Metaphor for the psychological impact of aggression
Hyperbole - exaggeration to show the extreme potentisl of the chainsaw’s power
