vultures poem essay pdf

Vultures Summary & Analysis by Chinua Achebe

  • Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
  • Poetic Devices
  • Vocabulary & References
  • Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
  • Line-by-Line Explanations

vultures poem essay pdf

In Chinua Achebe's "Vultures," a pair of grim birds nuzzling each other after devouring a rotting corpse become a metaphor for the uneasy fact that human beings are equally capable of love and evil. Just as vultures can feast on death and still cuddle, the speaker observes, the man who runs a Nazi death camp might pick up chocolates for his beloved children on the way home; cruelty and tenderness can coexist in the same person. Whether that's cause for hope or despair, the speaker can't quite decide—but despair seems more likely. The poem first appeared in Achebe's 1971 collection Beware Soul Brother, and Other Poems .

  • Read the full text of “Vultures”

vultures poem essay pdf

The Full Text of “Vultures”

“vultures” summary, “vultures” themes.

Theme The Uneasy Coexistence of Evil and Love

The Uneasy Coexistence of Evil and Love

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “vultures”.

In the greyness ... ... to hers.

vultures poem essay pdf

Lines 13-21

Yesterday they picked ... ... telescopic eyes...

Lines 22-29

Strange ... ... to the wall!

Lines 30-40

...Thus the Commandant ... ... return...

Lines 41-51

Praise bounteous ... ... of evil.

“Vultures” Symbols

Symbol The Vultures

The Vultures

  • Lines 4-21: “a vulture / perching high on broken / bones of a dead tree / nestled close to his / mate his smooth / bashed-in head, a pebble / on a stem rooted in / a dump of gross / feathers, inclined affectionately / to hers. Yesterday they picked / the eyes of a swollen / corpse in a water-logged / trench and ate the / things in its bowel. Full / gorged they chose their roost / keeping the hollowed remnant / in easy range of cold / telescopic eyes...”

“Vultures” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

Juxtaposition.

  • Lines 7-16: “nestled close to his / mate his smooth / bashed-in head, a pebble / on a stem rooted in / a dump of gross / feathers, inclined affectionately / to hers. Yesterday they picked / the eyes of a swollen / corpse in a water-logged / trench”
  • Lines 30-40: “...Thus the Commandant at Belsen / Camp going home for / the day with fumes of / human roast clinging / rebelliously to his hairy / nostrils will stop / at the wayside sweet-shop / and pick up a chocolate / for his tender offspring / waiting at home for Daddy's / return...”
  • Lines 43-51: “that grants even an ogre / a tiny glow-worm / tenderness encapsulated / in icy caverns of a cruel / heart or else despair / for in the very germ / of that kindred love is / lodged the perpetuity / of evil.”

Personification

  • Lines 22-29: “Strange / indeed how love in other / ways so particular / will pick a corner / in that charnel-house / tidy it and coil up there, perhaps / even fall asleep—her face / turned to the wall!”
  • Lines 5-6: “broken / bones of a dead tree”
  • Lines 9-12: “a pebble / on a stem rooted in / a dump of gross / feathers”
  • Lines 20-21: “cold / telescopic eyes...”
  • Lines 43-45: “an ogre / a tiny glow-worm / tenderness”
  • Lines 46-47: “icy caverns of a cruel / heart”
  • Lines 48-49: “the very germ / of that kindred love”
  • Lines 1-4: “the greyness / and drizzle of one despondent / dawn unstirred by harbingers / of sunbreak”
  • Lines 8-9: “his smooth / bashed-in head”
  • Lines 13-16: “they picked / the eyes of a swollen / corpse in a water-logged / trench”
  • Lines 19-21: “the hollowed remnant / in easy range of cold / telescopic eyes...”
  • Lines 32-35: “fumes of / human roast clinging / rebelliously to his hairy / nostrils”
  • Lines 1-2: “greyness / and”
  • Lines 2-3: “despondent / dawn”
  • Lines 3-4: “harbingers / of”
  • Lines 4-5: “vulture / perching”
  • Lines 5-6: “broken / bones”
  • Lines 7-8: “his / mate”
  • Lines 9-10: “pebble / on”
  • Lines 10-11: “in / a”
  • Lines 11-12: “gross / feathers”
  • Lines 12-13: “affectionately / to”
  • Lines 13-14: “picked / the”
  • Lines 14-15: “swollen / corpse”
  • Lines 15-16: “water-logged / trench”
  • Lines 16-17: “the / things”
  • Lines 17-18: “Full / gorged”
  • Lines 19-20: “remnant / in”
  • Lines 20-21: “cold / telescopic”
  • Lines 22-23: “Strange / indeed”
  • Lines 23-24: “other / ways”
  • Lines 25-26: “corner / in”
  • Lines 27-28: “perhaps / even”
  • Lines 28-29: “face / turned”
  • Lines 30-31: “Belsen / Camp”
  • Lines 31-32: “for / the”
  • Lines 32-33: “of / human”
  • Lines 33-34: “clinging / rebelliously”
  • Lines 34-35: “hairy / nostrils”
  • Lines 35-36: “stop / at”
  • Lines 39-40: “Daddy's / return...”
  • Lines 41-42: “bounteous / providence”
  • Lines 43-44: “ogre / a”
  • Lines 44-45: “glow-worm / tenderness”
  • Lines 45-46: “encapsulated / in”
  • Lines 46-47: “cruel / heart”
  • Lines 48-49: “germ / of”
  • Lines 49-50: “is / lodged”
  • Lines 50-51: “perpetuity / of”

“Vultures” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Hollowed remnant
  • Charnel-house
  • Belsen Camp
  • Bounteous providence
  • The perpetuity of evil
  • (Location in poem: Lines 2-3: “one despondent / dawn”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Vultures”

Rhyme scheme, “vultures” speaker, “vultures” setting, literary and historical context of “vultures”, more “vultures” resources, external resources.

A Brief Biography — Learn more about Achebe's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.

Achebe's Legacy — Read an article discussing Achebe's literary reputation and ongoing influence.

The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.

Achebe on African Literature — Listen to Achebe talking about what it means to be an African reader and writer.

An Interview with Achebe — Listen to an interview with Achebe in which he discusses his writing and his time as a radio broadcaster.

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Vultures by Chinua Achebe | Summary and Analysis

Critical appreciation of vultures by chinua achebe.

vultures poem analysis

Published by Chinua Achebe in 1971, Vultures is a poem of four uneven stanzas, written in free form. It discusses the elements of love and evil in the world, using a comparison of vultures with the Commandant at Belsen Camp to highlight the link between humans and nature.

Vultures | Summary

The poem starts with a dull, gloomy setting . It is a grey dawn, and the despondence isn’t diffused even by the vultures perched on the branches of a dead tree . There are two of them- presumably mates – nestled close together, and one of them has a pebble on a stem tangled its unkempt feathers. Yesterday, those vultures had found a corpse in a trench , and had picked away its eyes and eaten everything of its bowel. After being full and satisfied, they found a place to rest close by, so that the remnants of the body were still in their line of sight.

After this description, the perspective switches from the vultures to thoughts about the peculiarity of love. It is strange how love, which is otherwise so particular, can still exist in even the eeriest of places- and when it does, it prefers to turn it’s face to the wall rather than to look at the darkness that surrounds it. The third stanza then shifts its focus to the Commandant at Belsen Camp, who at the time is finishing work and going home for the day. He smells like burnt bodies, and stops at the sweet shop on his way home to pick up chocolate for his child, who is eagerly awaiting his return.

The final stanza talks about how there is always light in the darkness, and love in evil. The poet wonders if it should be praised that even an ogre is gifted with a tiny bit of tenderness – a soft glow in its otherwise cold and emotionless heart- or whether it should be despaire d that for every small speck of love, we find huge amounts of evil.

Vultures | Analysis

Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian poet and novelist. He is known for crafting his fiction around elements of reality – similar to how, in Vultures, he uses nature and human beings to depict abstract concepts like love, light, darkness, good and evil. This poem uses strong imagery . Achebe also employs extended metaphors and descriptions to portray emotions . His comparisons also assist in painting the scene in the readers’ minds most vividly. Vultures is split into four uneven stanzas, and does not have a specific rhyme scheme. It is written in third-person free form , and the personification of emotions is employed to form a stronger sense of understanding and relatability.

Vultures Poem Analysis, Stanza 1

In the greyness and drizzle of one despondent dawn unstirred by harbingers of sunbreak a vulture perching high on bones of a dead tree nestled close to his mate his smooth bashed-in head, a pebble on a stem rooted in a dump of gross feathers, inclined affectionately to hers. Yesterday they picked the eyes of a swollen corpse in a water-logged trench and ate the things in its bowel. Full gorged they chose their roost keeping the hollowed remnant in easy range of cold telescopic eyes…

Achebe begins the poem by creating a despondent atmosphere . The use of vultures in the story is symbolic of death and greed . This is further emphasized by the line “ perching high on bones of a dead tree .”- the specification of the tree being dead is to represent the meaning behind the vultures. It is these details that not only set the scene but also help the readers understand the general theme of the poem. The vultures are described with a “ smooth bashed-in head, a pebble on a stem rooted in a dump of gross feathers. ” and were said to have been eating a corpse’s remains . This creates a dark and rough aura around the birds, making them seem uncaring and heartless . However, in subtle contrast , one vulture is “nestled close to his mate” and “ inclined affectionately ”. There is a sharp difference between the cold mechanicalistic nature of the vulture’s appearance and their fond actions towards one another- yet, they coexist. This is a small hint to the larger topic of the poem: the presence of light in darkness and love in evil. Here, the vultures- which represent dark, unforgiving things- are the evil, but the love they have for each other is the light within that cave.

Vultures | Poem Analysis, Stanza 2

Strange indeed how love in other ways so particular will pick a corner in that charnel-house tidy it and coil up there, perhaps even fall asleep – her face turned to the wall!  

The vulture is a symbolic element used to set the scene, and now in stanza two , the focus shifts away from the vultures and towards the abstract themes of love. It is interesting to note that Achebe personifies ‘love’ to a certain degree, referring to the emotions as ‘her’ and describing its presence in one’s heart as though it were a person living on the earth- portraying ‘love’ as ‘light’ and ‘death’ as ‘darkness ’, a clever comparison is made through imagery. “ Strange how love will pick a corner in that charnel-house tidy it and coil up there ”-  a charnel-house is a building where corpses and skeletons are kept- it symbolizes lifelessness and destruction. Saying that love will ‘ coil up there’ is hints at the way love can appear even in the most dreadful times and within the most heartless people. The line “ Perhaps even fall asleep – her face turned to the wall!” suggests that though love will remain there, she is so horrified by the atrocities she sees that she prefers to be blind to it. So she remains there, in the dark place, but faces the wall so she does not have to witness anything. The imagery of ‘love’ as a woman persisting even in a place as terrible as a charnel-house, refusing to look at the dead bodies but also refusing to leave, is the perfect depiction of the presence of love in the most awful and unexpected situations.

Vultures Poem Analysis, Stanza 3

…Thus the Commandant at Belsen Camp going home for the day with fumes of human roast clinging rebelliously to his hairy nostrils will stop at the wayside sweet-shop and pick up a chocolate for his tender offspring waiting at home for Daddy’s return…

The third stanza moves from the description of abstracts to the observation of a human – the Commandant at Belsen Camp . It is very interesting that Achebe chooses to include a description of a man here after two stanzas about nature and emotion – this is what links the concepts of humans and nature together in this poem. He shows how darkness and light exist everywhere – not just nature and animals, but in human beings, too. The Commandant is described rather unfavorably – Achebe possibly uses the Commandant as a human form of the vulture. Both represent death and darkness, and draw the necessary connection between human nature and simply nature.

The Commandant smelled of “fumes of human roast” which tells the readers what he did that day- burnt human beings to death . However, he is picking up sweets for his child. Within the cruelty and ruthlessness of a war criminal, we see a soft side – the affection he holds for his son or daughter . Despite everything he did that day, all the people he harmed and deaths he saw, he returns to a young child with love in his heart . This once again highlights the presence of light even in the darkness. It evokes the thought that everyone has some good inside them, no matter how terrible their nature or profession may be. The contrast between his “human roast” scent, and the use of the words “tender offspring” to describe his child, form a clear picture of the struggling coexistence of two elements in a human being. “ Waiting at home for Daddy’s return…” shows that the child is unaware of everything her father does at work- she just wants to see him. This display of childish innocence and naivety is representative of love and light.

Vultures Poem Analysis, Stanza 4

Praise bounteous providence if you will that grants even an ogre a tiny glow-worm tenderness encapsulated in icy caverns of a cruel heart or else despair for in the very germ of that kindred love is lodged the perpetuity of evil.

So far, through three stanzas, we have seen and felt the existence of love within the darkness- through nature , through abstract personification , and through human interaction . The affection for the mate was the light in the vulture’s darkness, the ‘woman’ named love was the light in the eerie corpse room, and the “ tender offspring” was the light in the life of the merciless Commandant. In the final stanza, Achebe concludes the poem with a g eneral reflection. He muses these thoughts and wonders whether to be happy or sad about this small presence of love.

He says “e ven an ogre a tiny glow-worm tenderness encapsulated in icy caverns of a cruel heart .” Ogres are known in mythology for feeding on human beings – once again, bringing in the theme of death represented by the vulture, the charnel house and the Commandant. Either for feasting on remains of corpses, containing corpses, or creating corpses , each stanza had a representation of deat h. In the final stanza, it is the ogre, who eats the human alive. The poem discusses that despite being such a terrifying and ruthless creature, it has a miniscule amount of tenderness in its heart. The phrase ‘ icy caverns’ underlines how brutal and loveless the ogre’s heart is. This depiction once more signifies the presence of light in darkness.

However, the poet wonders whether this is a thing to be praised or despaired . Is it a positive thing that no matter how much darkness there is, we will still find at least a flicker of light? Or is it a misfortune that we can never find light unless it is surrounded by total darkness? These two perspectives are similar to the yin-and-yang, which depicts dualism – the interconnected yet contradictory forces of the natural world: we cannot find one without the other. Another point to note is the way Achebe finished the poem- most specifically, his placement of the lines about praise and despair. This order-structure is a clever way to resonate with the readers, as the closing line of a poem can set the tone for its final perception. It is interesting that Achebe chose to end the poem after stating the despair rather than the praise- it creates a sustaining feeling of bleakness after the poem comes to a close, as the darkness seems enduring and unending.

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By Chinua Achebe

In the greyness and drizzle of one despondent dawn unstirred by harbingers of sunbreak a vulture perching high on broken bones of a dead tree nestled close to his mate his smooth bashed-in head, a pebble on a stem rooted in a dump of gross feathers, inclined affectionately to hers. Yesterday they picked the eyes of a swollen corpse in a water-logged trench and ate the things in its bowel. Full gorged they chose their roost keeping the hollowed remnant in easy range of cold telescopic eyes… Strange indeed how love in other ways so particular will pick a corner in that charnel-house tidy it and coil up there, perhaps even fall asleep – her face turned to the wall! …Thus the Commandant at Belsen Camp going home for the day with fumes of human roast clinging rebelliously to his hairy nostrils will stop at the wayside sweet-shop and pick up a chocolate for his tender offspring waiting at home for Daddy ’s return… Praise bounteous providence if you will that grants even an ogre a tiny glow-worm tenderness encapsulated in icy caverns of a cruel heart or else despair for in the very germ of that kindred love is lodged the perpetuity of evil.

 Summary of Vultures

  • Popularity of “Vultures”: “Vultures” by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian poet, is a beautiful piece of poetry. The poem first appeared in 1971 in Collected Poems . The poem obliquely presents the stark reality of colonialism and its impacts on the locals. The beauty of the poem, however, lies in its metaphor of vulture that feeds on dead bodies and still loves each other amid the ruins .
  • “Vultures” As a Representative of Colonial Mindset and its Predatory Tactics: Chinua Achebe presents a vulture sitting on a dead tree looking despondently in the rain with greyness in the atmosphere . It is sitting close to another vulture, showing love with each other having bald heads as if pebbles in the grass . Yesterday, they had had their fill with a swollen-eyed corpse. They gulped everything. Now they are waiting for the next onslaught of hunger to be ready to eat up the rest. Yet, they are showing love with each other among the dead bodies, sitting in the charnel house and taking rest. Similarly, the Commandant at Belson also treats his subjects cruelly and predates on them. Yet, when he leaves his duty and goes home, he brings chocolates for his offspring, showing tenderness of his heart. Leaving it to the readers to draw the conclusion , Achebe says that God must be praised for showing love and tenderness residing in the hearts of predators such as ogre as well as showing evil in some the hearts of some “kindred love.”
  • Major Themes in “Vultures” : Predation, love and barbarism are three major thematic strands of this poem. Achebe has beautifully presented the predatory rapacity of colonialism through the Commandment at Belson, equating him with the vultures enjoying their feast at the charnel house. Yet, Achebe says that both show the other side of their barbarism that is love. When vultures have their full, they show love for each other and when the commandment is tired of cruelty over his subjects, he shows love and tenderness for his children. The poem, then, asks the readers to praise the Lord that he has put love in hate and hate in love in almost all his creatures.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Vultures”

literary devices beautify poetically or prose writing to make the text readable. The analysis of these devices in the poem as given below shows this fact.

  • Assonance : Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /o/ in “and drizzle of one despondent”, /a/ in “dawn unstirred by harbingers” and the sound of /e/ in “feathers, inclined affectionately.”
  • Alliteration : It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words such as /h/ in “his hairy” and /th/ in “thus the.”
  • Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /d/ and /r/ in “dawn unstirred by harbingers”, /l/ and /s/ in “rebelliously to his hairy / nostrils will stop,” and the sound of /g/ and /n/ in “that grants even an ogre.”
  • Enjambment : It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break ; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
for in the very germ of that kindred love is lodged the perpetuity of evil.
  • Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “will pick a corner”, “tidy it and coil up there, perhaps” and “at the wayside sweet-shop.”
  • Metaphor : It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of metaphors of vulture or ogre to show rapacity and predation.
  • Personification : The poem shows the use of love as a personification as if it has life and emotions of its own.
  • Symbolism : Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows the use of symbols of night such vulture, dead tree, dump, and charnel house to show predation and rapacity of colonialism.

 Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Vultures”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  • Diction and Tone : The poem shows very simple but comparative diction with a serious and sardonic tone.
  • Free Verse : The poem does not follow any metrical pattern or rhyme scheme . Therefore, it is a free verse poem.
  • Stanza : A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas with each having a different number of verses.

Quotes to be Used

These lines from “Vultures” are relevant to quote when praising the Lord for his blessings.

Praise bounteous providence if you will that grants even an ogre a tiny glow-worm tenderness encapsulated in icy caverns of a cruel heart.

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Chinua Achebe

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  • Chinua Achebe: Vultures

Vultures by Achebe is a very vivid and memorable poem. It has evocative images because the author shows how life can be alluring and disgusting at the same time,

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Essay: “Vultures” Poem by Chinua Achebe

‘Vultures’ by Achebe is a very vivid and memorable poem. It has evocative images because the author shows how life can be alluring and disgusting at the same time, and he makes everything very lifelike. The poem has memorable images as it makes you think that we can’t see life just as light or darkness because sometimes they fuse together paradoxically. It is also memorable because the author is comparing humans with vultures in an extended Metaphor.

 This poem begins with the scene of two vultures (which are a couple) on a tree. The day before they had eaten human guts, this makes it very unusual to locate dead corpse in that setting. This poem reflects the idea of being strenuous that love can exist in such a dull scene.

The poem describes how a tremendously evil and cruel commandant entered a sweet shop and bought some chocolate for his children. This manifests that the poem is an extended paradox and it also exposes how Achebe compares this brute and simultaneously lovable man, to the vultures.

Additionally, it commences in a negative manner, with the phrase “In the greyness”, this occurs because the word ‘greyness’ makes the reader expect a dull atmosphere throughout the poem. The author uses alliteration to make the images more remarkable, for example; ‘drizzle of one despondent down’ it uses the letter‘d’ to create a heavy sound. The poet also uses paradox to distract the reader and make him confused and avoids him from experimenting if the poem is talking in a favourable or negative way.

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   ‘Harbingers of a sunbreak’ is an oxymoron, harbingers are messengers who frequently arrive to the villages with unpleasant news, this word is fused with the word “sunbreak” which is a word which reflects optimism and means the outcome of the sun in the morning. This is a display of the poem’s ideas as a whole as it contains dark sentiments with sparks of light in them to represent human kind.

This is a preview of the whole essay

   In the poem you can notice how the personification takes place. It gives human qualities to an object; “bone of a dead tree” shows pain and death, which is directly related to human experience. This phrase says that a branch of a tree is like a broken bone, which is impossible because only humans and animals have bones. This is personification, making the tree more emotive and frightening which makes the reader   have in mind their death. This phrase also creates a ashen atmosphere because trees are usually seen and described as alluring and usually represent life, however by saying “broken bone of a tree” the author creates negative and dead surroundings

After creating such a dull scene the author places in, a positive personification, “nestled close”, the word “nestled” creates a favourable concept because of its meaning. The writer wants to emulate that in this horrible environment there is some love; friendship love. He wants to emphasise some words more than others, to make this possible he uses enjambment, for example; “Of a swollen// corpse”. By doing this he forces the reader to pause at each word, and create itself two different images which makes him focus on the word “swollen”.

  The author utilises the word “things” in the phrase “he ate the “things” to make it hugely revolting. This word makes it especially outrageous because the reader doesn’t know what things he has eaten. The author wants the reader to imagine the most horrible things and as everyone has different ideas about our own horror it will make it even more repulsive. By using the word “hollowed” he burns an image in your mind and makes you visualize the hollow bodies that had been devoured by the vultures. The word “Strange” by itself in one line sums up your feelings among the following section of the poem, and by being alone in one line it emphasises the word, it gives the word “Strange” a lot of importance.

  Achebe shows affection as a pessimistic aspect of life, in the poem it says that love coils up like a snake in a corner, it also says that “love” is upset, angry or punished. Together with the phrase “turned to the wall”, the author personifies love. Reaching to a certain point of the poem, the author uses an ellipsis by dividing it into two supposed different stories, however, that’s what it seems from the outside, but if you , both stories is related one to another. To link these parts, the author changes line, and uses punctuation (...), he uses three dots at the end of the first part to show the poem continues, and then starts talking about the commandant “ Thus the Commandant at Belsen”, which appears to be a total different theme.

  When the poet uses the phrase “fumes of human roast” it intends to create a disgusting scene, with the word “roast” he creates a linking image which relates the phrase to the animals, food and cooking (burning). The word ´roast` is associated to the word ´human` which makes you think  of people being cooked and burned, and it seems even more revolting as the reader probably visualises itself in the same situation. With this extremely inhuman scene the author originates a cruel image referred to Commandant, he is also shown as a very horrendous man when Achebe talks about the commandant’s appearance; ´hairy nostrils`, the poet wants to incite the reader to hate this character.

  The Commandant’s children are represented as his `tender offspring´, this produces a comparison between the commandant and the vulture because normally when referring to society the `offspring´ of someone usually are their sons or daughters, the word `offspring´ is applied when we talk about animals, so this word in a way shows that the commandant wasn’t very loving towards his children. The word ‘tender’ is used to describe is normally used to describe soft meat. This creates two impressions of the same concept; his offspring is related to good meat, yet it’s also related to the vultures, which creates a memorable paradoxical image.

 The author wants the audience to see both facets of this terrible man, by saying the word ‘ Daddy’s’, this makes the commandant seem sweet and caring, and uses an enjambment  ‘ Daddy’s // return’, to make the word ´return´ stand-out. He also wants to create two different images with the word ‘return’, to make the reader think that the children miss their father, and to prove that there’s also a bit of grace in such a cruel man.

To conclude, in the last paragraph Achebe summarises the poem. He thanks God that even an ‘ogre’ (which in society is seen as a stereotype of a malicious creature) has ‘a tiny glow-worm of tenderness encapsulated in icy caverns of a cruel heart’. This means that all human kind beings with a dark inside will unfailingly have a spark of mercy in him. Achebe finally expresses that human beings aren’t good or bad, they’re a combination of both, and this is what the whole poem represents.

  The poem is made out of one stanza, which is divided into four subsections. This an unusual poem because the poet uses free verse, which makes the poem colloquial. It has no rhyme because rhymes make things amusing and musical and wouldn’t help the poet describe pessimistic aspects as he does in the majority of the poem. The four fragments link together evil, goodness, vultures and the commandant.

 Achebe uses commas and enjambment to make it a slow paced poem to read which makes it sorrowed.

  The whole poem is written in English by a Nigerian author, it is written for European readers. He wants to show that it doesn’t matter from where you belong, every war is the same as abominable and everyone has a bit of light and darkness in their hearts.                                                    

   

Vultures by Achebe is a very vivid and memorable poem. It has evocative images because the author shows how life can be alluring and disgusting at the same time,

Document Details

  • Word Count 1327
  • Page Count 3
  • Subject English

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vultures poem essay pdf

‘ The Vultures ’ by David Diop- Meaning, Summary, and Analysis

About david diop and the poem.

David Diop was a French West African Poet whose works are a part of Negritude Literature. Negritude Literature is a collection of literary works which are a voice of the Africans and aim at raising ‘ Black Consciousness ’ among Africa and its communities across the world.

It is a movement against colonialism, racism, and Eurocentrism. Diop’s works criticize and oppose colonialism. He envisioned the heroic past of his continent as a future of freedom for all humans .

‘ The Vultures ’ is one such poem of his which was written in the background of British colonization of Africa in the late Nineteenth Century. The poet had moved from his country to France when it was written.

From a distant place, he remembers the painful past of his country, when it was but a helpless victim in the hands of the invaders. He pens a poem based on a vivid retrospection of the events that had occurred during that time. With the dual purpose of explaining the adversities they had faced and installing hope in their subsequent generations.

The poem ’ The Vultures ’ by David Diop

In those days When civilization kicked us in the face When holy water slapped our cringing brows The vultures built in the shadow of their talons The bloodstained monument of tutelage. In those days There was painful laughter on the metallic hell of the roads And the monotonous rhythm of the paternoster Drowned the howling on the plantations. O the bitter memories of extorted kisses Of promises broken at the point of a gun Of foreigners who did not seem human Who knew all the books but did not know love. But we whose hands fertilize the womb of the earth In spite of your songs of pride In spite of the desolate villages of torn Africa Hope was preserved in us as in a fortress And from the mines of Swaziland to the factories of Europe Spring will be reborn under our bright steps.

Stanza-wise Summary of the Poem ‘ The Vultures ’

In the first stanza of ‘ The Vultures ’, the poet mentions the events that marked the period of British colonization of Africa. ‘ In those days ’ implies that all the accounts explained henceforth are a memory of the past.

He remembers it as a time when the invaders exerted dominance over the natives in the name of ‘ Civilisation ’. The Africans were forced to abandon their religion and convert to Christianity, through the anointment of holy water on their cringing brows i.e baptism.

The vultures are the British who, under their new regime, brought them under their tutilage or guardianship, the glory of which is stained by the blood of the natives.

The second stanza continues to describe the suffering of Africans and the injustice and cruelty of the British. There were guns and war machinery stationed all around, making the roads look like a metallic hell . Laughter was no longer an expression of joy, but a dying sound is borne out of pain.

The natives were forced into physical labor and thus languish on the plantations. But who could hear their cries? All that was heard was the singing of the paternoster or the Lord’s prayer of the Christians, which, to them, was monotonous.

The British extorted kisses from the native women, which is a direct example of sexual abuse. They made false promises in order to gain their trust and loyalty and then subdued them by pointing guns.

All these made the Africans wonder whether these foreigners were human or not, as they had not the slightest hint of kindness or mercy. They called themselves educated and civilized, but it is love that makes man, not books.

The Africans, on the other hand, were the children of their own soil, who were accustomed to farming and cultivating on their own fertile land.

The Poet concludes the poem by installing hope among the suppressed Africans and promising a renaissance. The British sang songs about the success of their bloody conquest and the villages in Africa were destroyed, emptied, and laid to waste.

Despite all these, the Africans never gave up hope. All of them, from those who were forced to work in their own country to the ones captured and enslaved in Europe, would persevere with bright steps to create a future free of colonization, so that spring or the children born to them could live happily and independently.

Themes in the Poem ‘ The Vultures ’

The central theme.

The main theme discussed here is the Cruelty and Injustice of Colonizati o n . We can observe a detailed explanation of the unfair and selfish nature of invaders and the helplessness and agony of victims.

The introductory lines themselves denote the sudden injustice forced upon the Africans with the onset of colonization. They were forced to accept a foreign civilization and convert to an alien religion. They give an image of killing and bloodshed, and the widespread use of war weaponry.

On the other hand, the phrases drowned the howling on the plantations, bitter memories of extorted kisses, promises broken and songs of pride allude to the indifference shown by colonizers towards natives, and the unethical liberties they took with the common people. The result of colonization can only be destruction, as justified by the phrase desolate villages of torn Africa.

Other themes

Prejudice towards the culture of natives.

‘Prejudice towards the culture of natives ’ is the first theme. Civilization kicked us in the face and who knew all the books are phrases that indicate that colonizers generally believe that they are a higher civilization than the natives, and discredit their culture as unscientific and crude. ‘ To civilize the natives ’ is a popular excuse used by colonizers for besieging any land.

Spread of Christianity by European colonizers

The next theme is the ‘ Spread of Christianity by European colonizers. ’ The phrases holy water slapped our cringing brows and the monotonous rhyth m of the paternoster are evidence of the fact that in the process of subjugating the people they have attacked.

European invaders forced them to abandon their culture and beliefs and convert to Christianity. They had to embrace a religion that was alien to them, which is an allusion to cultural and social exploitation.

The pride of the British regarding their conquests

‘ The pride of the British regarding their conquests ’ is another theme. Examples are monument of tutelage and songs of pride , which say that the British perceived the expansion of their empire through colonization as a prospect of victory and glory. They considered that controlling the Africans was a monument built in their respect.

The instances of slavery in the poem are howling on the plantations and mines of Swaziland to the factories of Europe . The Africans were taken as slaves and made to work in plantations, mines, and factories both in their own countries as well as Europe.

The rustic and agriculture-based lifestyle of the Africans

We whose hands fertilize the womb of the earth denotes the theme of the ‘ Rustic and agriculture-based lifestyle of the Africans ’ before they were colonized. Their beliefs and customs are closely related to the land in which they live, with which they share an emotional bonding that they refuse to part with.

The next theme is a popular concept in many literatures across the world, that is ‘ Hope ’. The line Hope was preserved in us as in a fortress implies that when placed in a challenging circumstance like colonization, or any challenge in life for that matter.

Hope is the ultimate weapon one could use to not give up and face the enemy. In this particular context, the Africans had hope still thriving within them which helped them to stand up to their oppressors and lay the foundation for a better future.

The last theme of the poem is the positive and promising nature of the ‘ Spring ’ season. This particular season in the year is characterized by beauty and freshness, as it is the time when the harsh winter is over and trees, plants, and flowers blossom again to bear fruits and fragrance.

Similarly, the concluding line of the poem, Spring will be reborn under our bright steps , indicates that when there is spring, there is rebirth and a new future for those who have fallen ( here, the Africans).

Line by Line Interpretation of the Poem ‘ The Vultures ’

In those days When civilization kicked us in the face When holy water slapped our cringing brows

The beginning line of the poem, In those days , implies that the subsequent accounts are events that have occurred in the past. Those days are the days when Africa was colonized by the British.

Civilization in the second line refers to the so-called ‘ Superior ’ education and culture of the British, which they used as an excuse to subjugate the natives. Kicked us in the face implies that the Africans were forced to accept their customs and ideologies against their will, abandoning their own beliefs in the process.

The third line denotes yet another change brought about by the British ; conversion to Christianity. Holy water here is the water that baptists use in churches to christen someone ; slapped our cringing brows implies that it was forcefully anointed on the Africans’ foreheads, to which they cringed as they were unwilling to embrace a new religion.

The vultures built in the shadow of their talons The bloodstained monument of tutelage .

The fourth line takes on the subject of the British, referring to them as vultures, on account of their savagery. The sh adow of their ta lons implies that Africa was already within their dark grip.

There they established complete tutelage or control over the natives, which they perceived as a monument or achievement, as said in the fifth line. This conquest of theirs was successful only because of the violence and slaughter of the Africans, and thus, the monument is stained by the natives’ blood. This line marks the end of the first stanza.

In those days There was painful laughter on the metallic hell of the roads

The sixth line marks the beginning of the second stanza. Again, we see the phrase In those days used, so hereby the narration of past experiences is continued.

The next line is yet another description of the agony of British Rule, wherein the metallic hell of roads implies that guns and war machinery, which are made of metal, were present all across the country, giving it a hellish appearance. Painful laughter implies that the situation was so tormenting, even laughter was a painful experience.

And the monotonous rhythm of the paternoster Drowned the howling on the plantations

The paternoster in the eighth line refers to the Lord’s prayer of the Christians, which was sung by the British like a rhythm to disperse the ideals of their religion. It felt monotonous to the African ear. The next line continues this sentence.

Howling on the plantations implies the pitiful cries of those who were forced to work in daunting conditions on the plantations. The cries were drowned, or not heard, for all that the British could notice was the chanting of their holy prayer.

O the bitter memories of extorted kisses Of promises broken at the point of a gun

Bitter memories of extorted kisses in the tenth line imply that the British extorted or forcefully obtained kisses or sexual favors from the native women, which is a bitter memory for the Poet, as he cringes at remembering that agony.

The continued sentence, The British made promises to the Africans to gain their cooperation, only to be broken at the point of a gun; the promises were all false, as once the British had had their ways, the natives were again subjected to threats and violence.

Of foreigners who did not seem human Who knew all the books but did not know love.

The foreigners in the twelfth line of the poem refer to the British, who, after all their merciless and unjust acts, no longer seemed human to the natives, as they had no humane qualities. The next line says that though they knew all the books i.e they were supposedly more knowledgeable than the natives, they did not know love, which, according to the Africans, was the primary quality in any human being.

But we whose hands fertilize the womb of the earth

The fourteenth line makes a positive statement about the Africans. They are people whose hands fertilize the womb of the earth i.e they are village folk who are accustomed to making a living out of their land since a majority of them are farmers. The womb of the ea rth implies that in their culture, they consider their land as their mother, with which they share a bond beyond that of just a geographical boundary.

In spite of your songs of pride In spite of the desolate villages of torn Africa Hope was preserved in us as in a fortress

The next line is directly addressed to the British. Songs of pride indicate the songs sung by them as a tribute to the success and glory of their invasion. The line that follows emphasizes the destruction it had caused; Africa has torn apart due to their warfare and exploitation, and the villages in it were looted and emptied of inhabitants, rendering those places desolate.

But despite having experienced such an assault, the Africans never gave up hope, as said in the seventeenth line; that particular uplifting emotion had been carefully preserved in their minds as if it were guarded in a fortress.

And from the mines of Swaziland to the factories of Europe Spring will be reborn under our bright steps.

The concluding lines of the poem are an attempt by the Poet to inspire hope among the Africans for a better future. They were enslaved and made to work both in the mines of Swaziland ( which is in their own country ) as well as abroad, in the factories of Europe.

Diop promises in the last line that spring ( the next generation of Africans ) will be reborn and lead happy lives untarnished by colonization, as a result of the bright steps of hope and renaissance their ancestors had taken.

Analysis of the Poem ‘ The Vultures ’

‘ The Vultures ’ is a poem that is written in free verse. It has no specific meter pattern or rhyme scheme. The speaker is the Poet himself, who narrates the incidents as if he were in a natural conversation.

It consists of nineteen lines divided into two stanzas, each of an unequal number of lines. The first stanza is five lines, whereas the second one is fourteen lines.

The opening line of the poem serves the purpose of establishing the timeline of the narration; In those days implies that the whole poem is an account of the past. But in the last line, the Poet suddenly switches to the future tense, using will be reborn.

The Poet first narrates some of the major incidents that occurred during Africa’s colonization by the British in the past, then uses it as a background against which he promises that despite such a loss, there is still a bright future ahead for those who had hope.

We can observe that the negative accounts mentioned throughout the poem form a foundation for the positive statement in the end. It is indeed a noteworthy transition from the darkness of colonization to the brightness of freedom.

The first stanza immediately establishes a tone of bitterness to the reader, with its violent images of vultures and blood. The mood here is one of destruction and tragedy, as the Africans had fallen prey to the cruelty of the British.

Note that the second and third lines begin with the word when articulating that the events that are mentioned mark the exact time when Africa was colonized. The third line takes the British as its subject, thereby speaking about what exactly they did during that period. The stanza ends with the word tutelage , thereby introducing the reader to the central theme – colonization.

The second stanza also starts with In those days , as if to justify again that the poem is a historical account. The next line begins with there was, indicating that such events had existed and occurred in the midst of British Rule.

The line after that begins with the conjunction and , which means the sentence is continued to mention another example, which continues to the ninth line, thereby making a whole statement that depicts the unfavorable changes brought about by the British.

The Poet begins the tenth line with O , which is an expression of fear and disgust at the helplessness of the Africans in the hands of their colonizers. The next two lines are again a continuation of that sentence with the conjunction of; these are also examples of bitter memories. The statement is concluded in the thirteenth line.

The poem takes a new turn from the next line, with the conjunction but . Here the Poet changes the flow of the poem from describing their suffering to the promising renaissance.

The repetitions of the phrase Despite in the following two lines establishes a question, and then the words spring and reborn in the concluding line render an optimistic answer to the situation. Note that this is the point where the poem changes into a hopeful and confident tone, from the earlier desolate mood.

Therefore, the poem has a varied but linear structure. The first stanza introduces the reader to the gruesome situation. Then in the second stanza, the poet lists several bitter instances to substantiate the claim of tutelage that was made in the first stanza.

In the end, there is a transition from desolation to hope, as the Poet says that despite being colonized by the British, the Africans’ spirit has not faded and will continue to persevere for freedom. The Poet is speaking on behalf of the Africans when the first-person narrative is present.

In the case of the second-person narrative, he is addressing the British. Overall, the poem challenges and condemns colonization and goads the victims to not give up and fight back.

To conclude, words in Diop’s poetry pierce through the web of the collective unconscious created by Whites. This greed to prosper and selfishness would always hamper the collective growth which is required in the growth of the exploited colonies.

Balance in nature would only be possible if every being flourishes in their gardens simultaneously and not with one fading away for the other.

Poetic Devices

Hope was preserved in us as in a fortress – here, the preservation of hope in the mind is compared to that in a fortress.

1) The vultures built in the shadow of their talons The bloodstained monument of tutelage .

Here, vultures are used to refer to the British and their tutelage is termed as a monument.

2) metallic hell of the roads – The guns and weaponry of the British is termed as metallic hell.

3) Spring will be reborn – The children born to the Africans are compared to spring.

Personification :

1) When civilization kicked us in the face When holy water slapped our cringing brows Civilization is personified as kicking the Africans, and water is personified as slapping their brows.

2) Womb of the earth – Earth is personified like a mother because the Africans came from her womb.

Enjambment :

Some continuous lines in the poem are in fact the same sentence. They are:-

1) The vultures built in the shadow of their talons The bloodstained monument of tutelage. 2) And the monotonous rhythm of the paternoster Drowned the howling on the plantations.

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The Fate of vultures : new poetry of Africa

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IMAGES

  1. 💐 Theme of the poem vultures. David Diop’s The Vultures Analysis

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  2. Vultures Poetry Lesson x2

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  3. Vultures (Bullying)

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  5. Vultures

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  6. VULTURES & other poems by Juan Bautista

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VIDEO

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COMMENTS

  1. Vultures by Chinua Achebe

    1 Summary 2 Structure 3 Detailed Analysis 4 About Chinua Achebe 5 FAQs 6 Similar Poetry Summary 'Vultures' by Chinua Achebe describes the vultures in such a disparaging and grim fashion that could be construed as a metaphor for the people responsible for the atrocities in Belsen and in particular the "Commandant".

  2. Chinua Achebe

    1 viewer 20.8K views 4 Contributors Vultures Lyrics In the greyness and drizzle of one despondent dawn unstirred by harbingers of sunbreak a vulture perching high on broken bone of a dead tree...

  3. Vultures Poem Summary and Analysis

    Get the entire guide to "Vultures" as a printable PDF. Download The Full Text of "Vultures" "Vultures" Summary "Vultures" Themes The Uneasy Coexistence of Evil and Love

  4. PDF VULTURES

    VULTURES - CHINUA ACHEBE SUMMARY • The poem begins with a graphic and unpleasant description of a pair of vultures who nestle lovingly together after feasting on a corpse. This prompts thoughts on the nature of evil. • The second section shows the rebellious nature of love and how love always will be present.

  5. Vultures by Chinua Achebe

    Published by Chinua Achebe in 1971, Vultures is a poem of four uneven stanzas, written in free form. It discusses the elements of love and evil in the world, using a comparison of vultures with the Commandant at Belsen Camp to highlight the link between humans and nature. Vultures | Summary The poem starts with a dull, gloomy setting.

  6. Vultures by Chinua Achebe. Grade 12 (Matric) Poetry by

    Line-by-line analysis of the poem Vultures by Chinua Achebe. Analysis of grade 12 English Home Language poetry by @EssopsElessons

  7. Vultures Analysis

    Popularity of "Vultures": "Vultures" by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian poet, is a beautiful piece of poetry.The poem first appeared in 1971 in Collected Poems.The poem obliquely presents the stark reality of colonialism and its impacts on the locals. The beauty of the poem, however, lies in its metaphor of vulture that feeds on dead bodies and still loves each other amid the ruins.

  8. PDF Vultures-Chinua Achebe MATCHES: CHINUA ACHEBE (Black male poet)

    Vultures-Chinua Achebe MATCHES: Nothing's Changed, Limbo, Island Man-Past and Present Limbo, Two Scavengers in a Truck, Nothing's Changed-Use of Contrast CHINUA ACHEBE (Black male poet): Chinua Achebe was born in the village of Ogidi, Nigeria in Western Africa in 1931.

  9. Poetry

    Vultures In the greyness and drizzle of one despondent dawn unstirred by harbingers of sunbreak a vulture perching high on broken bones of a dead tree nestled close to his mate his smooth bashed-in head, a pebble on a stem rooted in a dump of gross feathers, inclined affectionately to hers. Yesterday they picked the eyes of a swollen

  10. PDF Vultures

    Vultures - Chinua Achebe In the greyness and drizzle of one despondent dawn unstirred by harbingers of sunbreak a vulture perching high on broken bone of a dead tree nestled close to his mate his smooth bashed-in head, a pebble on a stem rooted in a dump of gross feathers, inclined affectionately to hers. Yesterday they picked the eyes of a swollen

  11. Chinua Achebe Vultures

    chinua_achebe_vultures - Read online for free.

  12. PDF Reading poems from other cultures: 13. Vultures

    Vultures. This audio bite is about Vultures by Chinua Achebe. ELIOT: Vultures seems difficult at first. But it's such a good poem, with such strong ideas and images, it's worth reading several ...

  13. Vultures by Achebe is a very vivid and memorable poem. It has evocative

    Essay: "Vultures" Poem by Chinua Achebe 'Vultures' by Achebe is a very vivid and memorable poem. It has evocative images because the author shows how life can be alluring and disgusting at the same time, and he makes everything very lifelike. The poem has memorable images as it makes you think that we can't see life just as light or ...

  14. Vultures

    Author. Chinua Achebe. A series of tasks to support a close reading of Chinua Achebe's poem 'Vultures'. Useful as preparation for the unseen poem section of the GCSE Literature exams. Perfect for independent learning and homework. 66.11 KB. Free download. 73 KB. Download.

  15. (DOC) Vultures by Taufiq Rafat

    The poet, in this poem, has a satiric tone criticizing the society about the loss of originality of true relations and their customs. The poem shows the influence of modernity which brings the destruction of old values by bringing the new values. There can also be seen a sort of loneliness to which the speaker has hinted and felt disappointment.

  16. VULTURES POETRY ESSAY.pdf

    Introduction Chinua Achebe, paints in the poem, Vultures, a picture of a miserable, "despondent dawn" where the harbingers of death, the vultures, closely watch their fill from a tree depicting 'broken bone". In this harsh picture, Achebe still finds the small flickering light of compassion and hope. Give ofwhat you'll cover in your presentation.

  17. PDF "Vultures" Chinua Achebe

    To decide on the tone, you need to think about the ideas and attitudes in the poem, and then decide how you would read it aloud. Assignment: Rewrite and complete the three statements below. Use your understanding of the poem, "Vultures." Part I: Tone 10 pts 1. The poem should be read in a nightmarish tone to illustrate…. (think of what the

  18. The Vultures ' by David Diop- Meaning, Summary, and Analysis

    Diop's works criticize and oppose colonialism. He envisioned the heroic past of his continent as a future of freedom for all humans. ' The Vultures ' is one such poem of his which was written in the background of British colonization of Africa in the late Nineteenth Century. The poet had moved from his country to France when it was written.

  19. The Fate of vultures : new poetry of Africa : Free Download, Borrow

    The Fate of vultures : new poetry of Africa Bookreader Item Preview ... Pdf_module_version 0.0.14 Ppi 360 Rcs_key 24143 Republisher_date 20210527170116 Republisher_operator [email protected] Republisher_time 272 Scandate 20210526061943 Scanner station49.cebu.archive.org

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