Chainsaw vs the Pampass Grass Flashcards
Analysis for ‘all winter unplugged’
‘nose down’
‘under the hatch’
represents the repression of masculinity as this poem was written in 2008 where there was a crisis in masculinity.
‘knocked back a quarter pint of engine oil’
colloquial language alludes to masculinity in drinking culture. the chainsaw is almost like a drunken, aggressive hooligan.
‘I trailed the day-glo orange power line… fed it out like powder from a keg’
The simile suggests the dangerous potential of the chainsaw
‘clipped’ ‘flicked’ ‘walked’ ‘dropped’
Active verbs to represent the destrustive nature of masculinity.
‘I let it flare, lifted it into the sun’
The language has connotations of ritual in some form of holy worship, he sees the chainsaw as giving him God-like power.
Why does the speaker metaphorically compare the size and shape of the grass to ‘footstools and cushions’?
To link the grass to the domestic world, presenting it as stereotypically feminine and contrasting with the raw masculinity of the chainsaw
The speaker uses shorter words and phrases to describe the chainsaw e.g ‘overkill’ or ‘it didn’t exist’. Why?
The short monosyllabic phrases represent the mechanical, devastating power of the chainsaw.
‘looking down from the upstairs window like the midday moon’
This simile depicts the defeated speaker as powerless and out of place - his aggression has come to nothing.
Rhyme scheme?
No regular rhyme svheme which reflects the raw, uncontrolled energy of the chainsaw.
‘perfect disregard’
Oxymoron reflects the callous and cruel nature of masculinity
‘tooth’ ‘bones’ ‘flesh’ ‘kick back’
Animal imagery to represent the inate primal qualities of masculinity
‘ludicrous feathers and plumes’
Natural imagery presents the Pampass Grass as feminine and careful, contrasting the uncaring nature of masculinity.
‘docked’ ‘dabbed’ ‘lifted’
Notable change to more gentle verbs to suggest masculinity/the chainsaw is calmed. This contrasts with earlier aggression.
‘that wouldn’t be dug with a spade or prised from the earth.’
-End stop to emphasise the futility of the chainsaw’s show of masculinity to present it as futile.
‘chocked with soil’ ‘fouled with weeds’
Change in dynamic verbs as the femininity/ the natural world now becomes active and is stronger and prevails.
‘Like cutting at water or air with a knife.’
-End stop and simile combine to suggest that his masculinity is futile and he ultimately fails.
‘Sprang up’ ‘riding high’
Dynamic verbs to represent how the natural world/femininity triumphs
‘On it’s hook the chainsaw seethed.’
personification to emphasise the futulity of the aggression in masculinity.
‘Seamless urge to persist’
Chainsaw’s desperation represents the desire for masculinity to persist in a repressed society.
