Compare and contrast the ways in which poets explore the theme of violence in
“Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass” by Simon Armitage and in “The Gun” by
Vicki Feaver.
Poems of the Decade explores a variety of aspects at the break of the year 2000 to 2010. Both poems,
“Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass” by Simon Armitage and “The Gun” by Vicki Feaver carry
dangerous and sinister undertones and investigate the theme of violence and aggression. While
“Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass” is an amusing depiction of one man’s violent, and doomed to fail,
battle with nature, “The Gun” explores the concept of intoxicating power through the use of destructive
hunting imagery. It’s palpable however that both pieces carry connotations of violence.
From the very beginning, just from the titles, it’s easy to tell what kind of connotations both poems carry
and what recurring motif will be present. Both the nouns “Chainsaw” and the “Gun” are threatening
weapons that are used to destroy objects and cause death. They carry strong connotations of violence and
danger and create a sense of apprehension for the reader. In addition, Simon Armitage’s poem title
indicates, specifically using the word “Versus”, that there will be comparison or even some sort of battle
in the poem which again adds to the violent connotations. The poems then however branch into different
structures. In the “Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass” there is a variation or inconsistency in line and
stanza length. This mix of line and stanza lengths may represent the destructive nature of the chainsaw
and its reckless and unrestricted power in turn damaging and destroying the structure of the poem, making
it look uneven and fragmented. This portrays the violence and killing present in the poem. “The Gun”, on
the other hand, uses diverse punctuation to create an effect. What it does is that it shapes the rhythm of
the poem in a certain way by creating intended pauses. For instance, in the last stanza, Feaver uses the
colon in “cooking: jointing” as a caesura that jars the poem’s flow and rhythm, perhaps showing the
unnatural impact that guns’ violence and killing has on the world. It could be said that the same thing is
done in the first single line where there is an enjambment between the words “house” and “changes.” This
opens the poem with an unnatural break, once again visually and audibly demonstrating the horrific effect
guns and hence violence has on the world.
Both poets also use effective literary and language techniques to convey the theme of violence in the
poems. In “The Gun”, the semantic field of death and guns works simultaneously with specific sounds to
help reinforce the violent, destructive imagery and highlight the murderous power of guns. For example,
short, sudden, and plosive sounds from specific word choices are wielded, along with hard consonant
sounds, such as “dead”, “polished”, “wood”, “stock”, “shot” and “head.” These sounds are harsh and
possibly may be interpreted as creating the sound of shooting and bullets which emphasises the violence
depicted. The connotations of these words, especially “dead” and “shot”, also contributes to the idea of
violent, disturbing power and damage. Moreover, Vicki Feaver illustrates strong contrasts and juxtaposed
images throughout the poem. Firstly, in the first stanza, the narrator’s partner “lays [the gun] on the
kitchen table stretched out like something dead.” This simile suggests the gun is a symbol of death. It
clearly has an inherent sense of danger around it and its mere presence feels threatening. This is then
juxtaposed with the “green-checked cloth” on that table. This description of the cloth gives the kitchen a
very calm and domestic feel, already adding to the idea that kitchens are typically seen as safe, inviting
places. The gun’s raw, frightening power and violent presence therefore contrasts the cosy atmosphere of
the kitchen, making the violence that it brought with it all the more apparent and emphasising it greatly.
Violence is also strongly shown when the poet writes “Then a rabbit shot clean through the head.” In this
stanza, the speaker’s partner goes from zero to sixty very quickly which creates an unsentimental,
merciless, and brutal image for the readers and highlights great violence and what owning a gun can do to
a person. Furthermore, an interesting word choice in the poem is the verb “trample.” This verb shows
