This document is a summary of 'Vultures' by Chinua Achebe. The document includes analyses regarding each line, tone and mood, structure, themes, diction, imagery etc. Furthermore, a collection of contextual questions from past papers is included in the summary.
Vultures
“In the greyness” “and drizzle of one despondent
dawn unstirred by harbingers
of sunbreak a vulture”
The colour grey is associated with ‘one despondent/dawn’ – the grimness is
something that is dreary/gloomy/greyness- emphasised by the use of alliteration in
suggests a dull start to the poem. The the ‘d’. It highlights how unwelcoming
mood is gloomy/depressing. and isolated the morning is.
‘despondent dawn’ is the personification
of the rising sun as being a despondent
person, devoid of hope like the prisoners
in the camp.
‘harbingers’-people or things that
announce the approach of someone or
something.
“Perching high on broken “bashed in head”
bone of a dead tree”
Alliteration running on two lines for This description of the vultures’ heads-
impact. suggests something that has been
damaged or harmed.
“on a stem rooted “the eyes of a swollen
a dump of gross corpse in a water-logged
feathers, inclined affectionately trench and ate the
to hers. Yesterday they picked” things in it bowel. Full
gorged they chose their roost
keeping the hollowed remnant”
The negative adjectives create images (gross/swollen/hollowed/cold) – these are
lacking life and warmth. The diction negative adjectives associated with the
‘rooted’ and ‘gross’ convey the activities of the vultures. ‘gorged’ implies
repulsiveness/unattractiveness/ugliness of they are gratified.
the bird. Again another grotesque/macabre
Their affectionate gestures/actions (gruesome and horrifying) image is
towards each other is unexpected in this associated with the vultures
context, after such a gross description of (picked/corpse/bowel/gorged), this time it
them. There is a stark contrast between is not their appearance rather what they
the reality of their characters and the do.
perception by man.
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, “in easy range of cold “Strange”
telescopic eyes”
‘range’ suggests the vultures keep their This is a reflection on us, the love within a
kill within their sight. ‘cold’ implies that human being, it is suggested by the use of
the vultures appear the word ‘strange’ it is as if the poet stops
ruthless/calculating/emotionless. to think.
‘telescopic’ suggests the
mechanical/robotic nature of the vultures.
This also give them the advantage of long-
distance vision.
The first part of the poem describes the
dark/sinister side of the vultures. The
mood is
dull/gloomy/hopeless/despair/down-
hearted.
“Strange…. Turned to the wall!” “charnel house” “coil up”
Lines 22-29 Is an extended metaphor. It A charnel house a building where corpses
suggests love is changeable and able to and bones are placed.
perpetuate evil. Love is personified in this ‘coil up’ conjures up the image of a snake
section. Love is seen to pick a corner and –again another vulgar image. This phrase
tidy up and fall asleep. Love is given illicit negative imagery, such as
human characteristics. It is a sharp evil/sinister/malevolence. The poet shows
contrast to the rotting corpse and death that contrast between love and evil, yet
mentioned in the first section of the poem. they live as one.
Ironically horrid beings can actually show
love. This shows how love can foster evil.
Because no one can truly be evil if they
are loved/or love another.
“...Thus the Commandant at Belsen” “Camp going home for
the day with fumes of”
The language here is almost Biblical. A It appears as if the Commandant ends his
Commandant was a German officer in day and is going home like any ordinary
charge of a camp or unit. worker who returns to his family after
completing his day’s work. The irony is
Belsen is the name of a WWII Nazi
that he has not had an ordinary day at
concentration camp where Jews and other
work in fact he has been directly involved
prisoners were held and killed-their bodies
in the atrocious deeds/sins committed
were often incinerated/burned. Josef
against a huge number of people as
Kramer was the Commandant of
indicated by the ‘fumes of human roast
Auschwits-Birkenau and of the Bergen-
clinging’.
Belsen concentration camp. He was
referred to as the ‘beast of Belsen’ due to This is a reminder of the Commandant’s
his criminal and cruel acts. job and creates the same revulsion as
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