Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass

This free verse poem is about the constant battle between man and nature, and Simon Armitage
has demonstrated so beautifully that man will never win, which is the sad and unavoidable truth.
He has also demonstrated the contemporary battle between man and machinery, which is a very
industrial concept, true to the Post 2000 poetry that we are analysing here.

Stanza 1:
The poem begins with a declarative sentence, ‘It seemed an unlikely match’, which 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.
Armitage says that ‘the chainsaw swung / nose-down from a hook in the darkroom’ which
introduces the weapon of choice on man’s behalf, but also introduces a machine that man is up
against. The chainsaw is personified in this stanza as Armitage says that when it is ‘offered the
can / it knocked back a quarter-pint of engine oil / and juices ran’, which really imposes the
image of a person ‘knocking back’ a pint of beer or alcoholic beverage. There is a perception that
this personification shows a relationship between man and machinery, as ‘engine oil’, such as
petrol, and alcohol are both substances that can be used to set something alight, and this
forebodes the end of the sixth stanza. This implies that man and industrialism are on the same
level, and have the same amount of power to destroy, or not destroy, nature.
Stanza 2:
This stanza shows the chainsaw, and subsequently man  preparing for the battle against nature.
The first nine lines of this ten-like stanza is structured in an asyndetic list, very gradually showing
how man is getting prepared, and the speaker evidently knows that this battle was coming
because of how detailed the preparation is.
The theme of violence is very prominent in this stanza, such as the simile ‘like powder from a
keg’ and then the last line of the stanza reads ‘Then dropped the safety catch and gunned the
trigger’. The simile focuses on the nouns – the objects that are going to be used to fight – but the
declarative sentence focuses on the verbs – the actions that will be taken. The difference between
figurative and literal language here is very pertinent because Armitage has shown that it is the
perpetrator that matters in a fight, not the weapon they use, implying that the fight between man
and machinery is over because man has won.
Stanza 3:
The preparation that we saw in the latter stanza is obliterated now because Armitage says there is
‘No gearing up or getting to speed, just an instant rage’ which implies that the machine has a
mind of its own, which is reiterated when Armitage writes that the chainsaw has ‘perfect
disregard’.

This stanza describes the chainsaw in depth: it has ‘bloody desire’, a ‘sweet tooth / for the flesh of
the face and the bones underneath’, and a ‘grand plan to kick back against nail or knot / and rear
up into the brain.’ This imagery represents that the chainsaw likes to attack people, due to
the common nouns ‘flesh’, ‘face’ and ‘bones’ building up the body of a human – this brings the
battle back for man and machinery. However, man just allows the chainsaw to ‘flare, lifted it into
the sun’.
We soon realise, however, that the pampas grass is being personified itself, as the narrator says
that he felt the chainsaw’s ‘drive-wheel gargle in its throat’.
Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass
Stanza 4:
This stanza is short but is one of the most important of the poem. This stanza brings in another
image of the conflict between genders, so we now have three battles going on at the same time,
all involving humanity. This is the stanza:

‘The pampas grass with its ludicrous feathers

and plumes. The pampas grass, taking the warmth and light
from cuttings and bulbs, sunning itself,
stealing the show with its footstools, cushions and tufts
and its twelve-foot spears.’
The way that Armitage describes the pampas grass having ‘ludicrous feathers and plumes’
implies that it has appearance value, much like women. The pampas grass is juxtaposed with the
the ‘cuttings and bulbs’, who represent men in this stanza, and men are now inferior to women,
showing the age of feminism.
Nature is fully brought into the poem now with the representation of the ‘pampas grass’, and the
dominance that nature has in this description portrays that nature is overriding humanity in this
fight, and can be inferred to be overriding humans in life.

Stanza 5:
Now that we have seen the pampas grass bloom, it is back to machinery, except this time
Armitage says the ‘sledgehammer taken to crack the nut’ instead of ‘chainsaw’, which almost
implies that the man has the wrong weapon for this battle. The narrator even says that ‘all that
was needed here was a good pull or shove’ to kill the pampas grass, implying that man is stronger
than machinery.

In this stanza there are two parenthetical declarative sentences that blatantly imply that this battle
is not real: ‘it didn’t exist’ and ‘this was a game’. The way that Armitage has used these
statements suggests that these battles were not real, and perhaps is trying to argue that the fights
of man and nature, man and industrialism, and man and woman are all ‘games’ concocted by
society to make everyone conflicted with everyone and everything.
The man is trying everything to cut the pampas grass down, such as ‘lifted the fringe of the
undergrowth, carved at the trunk’ and ‘ripped into pockets of dark, secret / warmth.’ which
indicates the desperation that man has to win, and the competitive aspect of this almost degrades
the likelihood for man to win at all.

Stanza 6:
This stanza is a climax of human capacity – demonstrating the frustration that man feels when
things do not go according to plan. The man ‘clear[s] a space to work’, which foreshadows the
climax with more preparation. He ‘cut and raked, cut and raked, till what was left / was a flat
stump the size of a manhole cover’, and the way that this ‘flat stump’ was the size of a ‘manhole
cover’ implies that the man will be swallowed up by the ‘manhole cover’ and the pampas grass
will continue to dominate.
The man ‘drove [a spade] vertically downwards into the upper roots, / but the blade became
choked with soil or fouled with weeds’ which indicates yet again that man, and machinery, are
being dominated by nature. The verbs ‘choked’ and ‘fouled’ are very explicit, and creates the
image that nature’s opponent is truly being swallowed up.
Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass
The climax comes – which was foreshadowed in the first stanza – where man:

‘poured barbecue fluid into the patch

and threw in a match – it flamed for a minute, smoked
for a minute more, and went out. I left it at that.’
The ‘barbecue fluid’ links to the ‘engine oil’ and alcohol imagery in the first stanza as it is
flammable, and this is exactly why man used it in his battle. The way that it ‘flamed for a minute,
smoked for a minute more, and went out’ tells man that they can defeat nature quickly and
abruptly, through this abrupt language. The three stages of the burning of the pampas grass is also
indicative of the three battles that are being fought throughout the poem.

The way that man ‘left it at that’ has both the sense of victory and the sense of giving up, but the
reader does not know which it is yet. This in itself is a conflict.

Stanza 7:
This stanza shows the pampas grass being reborn and developing ‘like asparagus tips’. The
pampas grass is ‘wearing a new crown’, with the adjective ‘new’ being important – it is ‘new’
because the pampas grass died and then came back to life all ‘new’, which is something that a
human cannot do, therefore the pampas grass will always win. The ‘crown’ imagery shows that
the pampas grass is dominant in all areas – nature and female.

Stanza 8:
The ‘chainsaw seethed’ now that the pampas grass grew again, but the narrator says he ‘left it a
year, to work back through its man-made dreams’. This shows that both man and machinery have
lost because of the dominance of nature. The phrase ‘man-made dreams’ is slightly oxymoronic,
as ‘dreams’ are more natural than they are ‘man-made’, which is just developing yet another
conflict. The final line of the poem reads:
‘The seamless urge to persist was as far as it got.’

This shows that man has given up on ‘persistence’ and battle, because nature is controlling and
dominating life.

This poem is built upon the premise of conflict, and the reader can find so many juxtapositions,
oxymorons, and thematic conflicts that Armitage has cleverly intertwined into his poem.

Themes:
 Violence.
 Gender.
 Conflict.
 Industrialism.
 Nature.
 Dominance.
 Humanity.
 Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass
 Society.

Main Themes:

One of the predominant themes in this poem is the idea of masculinity versus
femininity. The main way in which Armitage presents this theme is through the
use of personification. The chainsaw is personified throughout the poem in
order to portray several stereotypical aspects of masculinity, for example:
 Inability to refuse a challenge – e.g. “When offered the can / it knocked back a
quarter-pint of engine oil” (stanza 1), with the phrase “knocked back” implying a grudging
desire to complete the task it has been set.
 Violent temper – e.g. “No gearing up or getting to speed, just an instant rage” (stanza
3), which highlights how the chainsaw (and, by extension, stereotypical men) will very
quickly unleash pent up anger (which is not often expressed until it reaches extremes –
another typically masculine feature).
 Overreaction – e.g. “This was the sledgehammer taken to crack the nut … Overkill”
(stanza 5), which suggests that men are prone to reacting in an extreme manner to things
which make them angry, even though this is not necessary, and may not even be effective
(which is seen in this poem, when the pampas grass grows back).
 Sulking – e.g. “Back below stairs on its hook, the chainsaw seethed.” (stanza 8),
which implies that the chainsaw (and, similarly, men), will remain angry for a long time
after the loss of a battle, without moving on or admitting defeat.
Meanwhile, the pampas grass represents many stereotypical aspects of
femininity, for example (all in stanza 4):

 Narcissism – e.g. “The pampas grass with its ludicrous feathers and plumes”, in which
the word “ludicrous” implies that such accessories are unnecessary and self-centred,
suggesting that the pampas grass (and, by extension, women) has a high opinion of itself.
 Desire for attention – e.g. “taking the warmth and light … stealing the show”, which
implies that the pampas grass (representing women) will go to great lengths to be the
centre of attention, often imposing itself on others in order to direct their attention towards
it.
 Preoccupation with physical appearance – e.g. “sunning itself”, which suggests that
women will spend large amounts of time trying to make themselves look attractive.
In this conflict, it is implied that femininity is victorious against masculinity, as, in
spite of the speaker’s violent attempt to destroy the pampas grass, it quickly
grows back, with the poet stating that “by June it was … wearing a new crown”,
which suggests both that it has defeated the ‘masculine’ chainsaw (as a “crown”,
whether literal or metaphorical, would clearly mark something out as a ruler or
victor) and that such defeats occur regularly (as the adjective “new” implies that
this ‘crown’ is one of many).
 Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass
Certain lines in the poem also suggest a conflict between nature and the man
made; for example, the opening line, “It seemed an unlikely match.” could
suggest that the speaker feels as though machinery such as the chainsaw was
not intended to be used against nature in this way, while the fact that the
pampas grass regrows itself without any human intervention (“new shoots like
asparagus tips sprang up from its nest”) while the chainsaw requires extensive
assistance by the speaker (such as needing “engine oil” to function, and
requiring the speaker to switch it on in the first place in order for it to do
anything) hints that the speaker sees nature as being superior to anything
created by humans.
Other Features:
 Sibilance (repetition of ‘s’ sounds) and assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) create
an impression of hissing and seething (e.g. “The seamless urge to persist was as far as it
got.”).
 Assonance when describing the pampas grass implies a lack of substance (e.g.
“ludicrous feathers and plumes”).
 Hard and plosive consonants create a sense of anger and aggression (e.g. “back to the
socket and flicked the switch”).
 The shorter stanzas at the end of the poem imply that the anger and confidence which
the speaker (and the personified chainsaw) had at the beginning of the poem have been
subdued.

‘Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass’ The title of the poem makes the focus very clear,
helping to immediately encourage a reader to consider both a “Chainsaw” and “Pampas
Grass” and in turn the contrasts between them. The use of ‘versus’ helps to add more
interest to what would otherwise be an arguably ‘plain’ title, because it indicates that there is
going to be comparison, or even some form of battle between the two. This helps a reader to
recognise the theme of power in the poem, and also helps to ensure that this perspective is
key from the beginning of the poem, rather than being one that is developed over time.

Poem Structure

There are a total of eight stanzas in this poem, however they don’t follow a particularly
strong pattern or have as much consistency as others in the ‘Poems of the Decade’
Collection such as ‘Eat Me’ or ‘On Her Blindness’. Instead, there is variation in the line
length, going from one extreme of just three of four words on a line, to three times that at 9
or more words. This inconsistency could cause confusion for a reader, particularly when
coupled with the variation in stanza length. The mix of line lengths could also be seen as
representing the destructive nature of the chainsaw, and it’s reckless and unrestricted power
in turn damaging and destroying the structure of the poem, making it look more uneven and
fragmented. However, one element of similarity between the stanzas is that there is no
enjambment between them, with each one contained within its own section with end-stopped
Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass
lines. In some ways this could be seen as the control of humanity over natural form and
structure with unnatural barriers, with some readers perhaps considering the difference in
the poem if there were free-flowing stanzas with less end-stopped lines; an arguably more
‘fluid’ and ‘natural’ structure. Throughout the poem there is also a conversational structure,
with a mix of short and long sentences, a generally informal tone with phrases such as
“knocked back”, and a range in punctuation all combining to create this effect. For example,
the ellipsis in “spider’s wool…” creates an extended pause, whereas the regular use of
hyphens further breaks up the structure of the poem. This is likely to be highly effective for a
reader if read aloud because it would further emphasize these pauses and breaks in the
natural rhythm of speech.

Poetic Techniques

One of the key poetic devices used by Armitage is personification, from the very first stanza
with the description “grinding its teeth” and “it knocked back”. These descriptions help to
make the object seem more formidable through the combination of the existing qualities of a
chainsaw with the added ability and power of humans. Therefore, this could be interpreted
as showing a representation of humans and their destruction of the environment. There is
also the use of sibilance, with through its connotation of snakes and danger, makes a reader
feel wary of the chainsaw and the potential for danger and destruction. The inclusion of
“juices” on the line adds a natural element, linking to death of animals and habitat, or even
the idea of something carnivorous and hungry. Ideas also become more apparent due to the
repeated use of certain sounds in the poem, such as “felt” “flesh” and “flare” occurring
repeatedly towards the end of the third stanza, which can sound like the humming of an
engine, further evoking ideas of power and human machinery. Powerful and dominant
language is also used consistently, with the plosive sound on “dismissed” helping to
reinforce this idea, and link to masculine strength. Surprisingly these descriptions are not
constrained to just the chainsaw, but also the pampas grass with lines such as “its twelve-
foot spears” indicating an overlooked ability of the grass, and by extension the natural world,
to defend itself.

Important Lines

“the chainsaw seethed”

This is one of the most striking examples of personification and comes in the final stanza of
the poem, with sibilance adding to the already emotive “seethed” to show a burning passion
and emotion that the chainsaw has come to posses. Readers may feel intimidated and
apprehensive of what the next year may bring when the chainsaw returns, with this
encouragement to imagine the future being an effective way to make the poem more
memorable.

“plant juice spat from the pipes and tubes”

The use of “spat” demonstrates that the chainsaw has no regard for nature, which although
strange, could make a reader feel sympathetic towards the pampas grass and therefore
nature as a whole for it to be destroyed in this violent way. The imagery of “plant juice” links
strongly to blood, with this mental image verging on being disturbing.

“sunning itself, stealing the show with its footstools”

Simon Armitage’s Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass
Despite the chainsaw being the key negative image in the poem, there is still sibilance in
this line describing the pampas grass, perhaps indicating to a reader the potential for power
and danger which is held in nature. As shown through the remainder of the poem, the grass
is able to survive despite all the effort to destroy it, even with relative calm and ease as this
line suggests.

Power: There is extreme power exhibited by the chainsaw throughout the poem, with the
potential of harm adding to the sense of power and brutality. However, the grass also shows
power albeit more subtly in that it is able to survive. This battle and contrast between to
types of power is a key consideration throughout the poem, and important for influencing the
response of a reader.

Masculinity: The masculine power is highlighted through phallic imagery in the poem. Even

with males being stereotypically seen as the physically stronger sex, the lack of femininity
could highlight the flaw in this masculine situation and inability for the chainsaw to succeed,
making ‘Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass’ a fairer fight than it may have seemed initially.

Conflict: This theme is shown through the battles and fights between the chainsaw and the
pampas grass, acting as representation of the battle between humanity and man-made
materials with the natural world and nature.