Chainsaw versus the Pampas grass - Simon Armitage Flashcards
Title
the battle between machinery and nature
‘It seemed an unlikely match.’
the extended metaphor of battle
‘hook in the darkroom’
assonance conveys that the chainsaw is waiting for action
‘juices ran from its joints and threads’
- alliteration emphasis, the masculine act
- stereotypical qualities, of a male
‘oozed across the guide-bar and the maker’s name, into the dry links.’
The stanza gives the chainsaw a monster-like feel to it - men in a pub imagery
‘From the summerhouse’
connotations of peace and tranquillity
‘weightless wreckage of wasps and flies,’
Alliteration develops imagery of death
‘day-glo orange power line’
assonance, suggests the mundane process for dramatic effect
‘fed it out like powder from a keg’
simile conveys imminent danger
‘the rush of metal lashing out’
violence describing a mundane task
‘cloth, or jewellery, or hair.’
comparing pampas grass with women - battle between sexes
‘bloody desire’
oxymoron, imagery of death and destruction in contrast with desire
‘flesh of the face’
alliteration shows ruthlessness of chainsaw
‘drumming’ ‘gargle’
sound imagery - the disgusting side of human nature
‘The pampas grass with its ludicrous feathers’
reference to femininity and excess contrasts to chainsaw
‘stealing the show’
Theatre imagery - alliteration, that the pampas grass is selfish and the centre of attention
‘footstools, cushions and tufts’
reflections of feminine beauty
‘twelve-foot spears.’
highlights resilience
‘sledgehammer taken to crack the nut.’
use of contrast and onomatopoeia, emphasises the unnecessary brutality of chainsaw
‘– this was a game.’
caesura allows the reader to pause and reflect about how violent the scene is
‘severed or felled or torn’
imagery of death and decay, violence of the chainsaw
‘cut and raked, cut and raked’
persistence, repetition
‘sliced or split’
sibilance - emphasises the usefulness of the machine and its owner against the pampas grass
‘match -‘
caesura shows him watching his attempts fail
‘for a minute more, and went out.’
alliteration conveys that the owner used more tools in one last attempt to destroy the pampas grass
‘I left it at that.’
He had been defeated
‘weeks’
time has been used to show a shift in narrative
‘new shoots like asparagus tips’
simile - resembles vitality
‘wearing a new crown.’
upper - class societal supremacy suggests how the speaker is bitter
‘like the midday moon.’
simile - obsessive nature, shows his defeat
‘man-made dreams,’
alliteration contrasts with the natural strength of the grass
‘The seamless urge to persist was as far as it got.’
the pampas grass will always continue to grow
Overall messages
- considers the power dynamic - female vs male, man-made world vs natural world
- considers the traditional form of masculinity to be violent, an ephemeral form of power
- mankind’s persistent and reckless attempts to reign over nature are failed and pointless
- stereotypes for each binary opposition can be misleading and isolating
Notes
- extended personification of a man’s fight against pampas grass
- extended metaphor of a battle
Structure
- 8 stanzas, irregular stanza length emphasises the anarchy of war
- no rhyme scheme
