Vultures – Chinua Achebe
The poem begins with an unpleasant description of a pair of
vultures who nestle lovingly together after feasting on a
corpse. The poet considers how strange it is for love to exist
in places you would not have thought possible. He goes on to
consider the 'love' a concentration camp commander shows to
his family. After spending his day burning human corpses, he
buys his child sweets on the way home.
Bergen-Belsen was one of
the most notorious
concentration camps of the
Second World War. It
became a camp for those
who were too weak or sick to
work and many people died
because of the terrible
conditions.
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
corpse in a water-logged
trench and ate the things in its bowel
Vultures eat dead
bodies but they act in
an affectionate way to
each other.
Contrast of emotions.
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 vultures in the poem eat things that are
already dead. This is different to the
Commandent, as he kills humans. Similarly, the
vultures are eating the bodies to survive. The
Commandent does not need to kill people.
Charnel-house
= a vault where
dead bodies
are piled.
‘…the
commandant
at Belsen…’
He was responsible
for the deaths of
thousands of
people.
“going home for the
day with fumes of
human roast clinging
rebelliously to his
hairy nostrils”
The Commandant
cannot forget what
he has done at work
– the smell of burning
bodies stays with
him.
“will stop at the
wayside sweet-shop
and pick up a chocolate
for his tender offspring
waiting at home for
Daddy's return”
Image of the
Commandant
buying sweets
for his child.
The words
“tender” and
“Daddy” suggest
that the child is
young and
innocent.
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 every germ
of that kindred love is
lodged the perpetuity
of evil.
bounteous
providence = all good
things that God
gives to mankind.
kindred = related by
blood, close family.
perpetuity = going on
forever.
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 every germ
of that kindred love is
lodged the perpetuity
of evil.
On the one hand, Achebe is
saying that we should give
thanks that even someone
terrible can have a little spark
of love and tenderness.
Even and “ogre” or monster can
have a “tiny glow-worm” of
tenderness. This means the
poem ends on a positive note.
On the other hand, Achebe
despairs. Some people only show
love for their own family and
allow themselves to be evil to
others. For every “germ” of love
the Commandant has for his
family, evilness still continues.
Should we despair that terrible
evil can be found in love?