Poems: Chinua Achebe’s Vulture.

Poems: Chinua Achebe’s Vulture

This blog is assigned by Megha Ma’am. In this poem, discuss the vultures in Chinua Achebe’s poem.

Q. What is the connection between the Nazis and Vultures? Illustrate your answer with the help of Chinua Achebe’s poem Vultures.

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Introduction

The poem Vultures is a deeply disturbing and philosophical poem that examines the coexistence of good and evil in the same world—and even in the same being. Through powerful imagery and historical reference, Chinua Achebe draws a shocking comparison between vultures and Nazis.

At first glance, vultures and Nazis seem unrelated: one belongs to the natural world, the other to human history. However, Achebe connects them through their association with cruelty, death, and destruction. More importantly, he shows that both are capable of unexpected tenderness.

The poem therefore does not merely describe evil; it investigates the complicated structure of evil. It forces readers to confront an uncomfortable truth: love and cruelty are not always separate—they may exist together.

About the Poet – Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe (1930–2013) was one of the most important African writers of the 20th century. He is internationally known for his novel Things Fall Apart, which explores African society before and during colonial rule.

Achebe’s works often deal with:

• Moral conflict

• Colonial violence

• Human weakness

• The struggle between tradition and modernity

He believed that literature should reflect reality and moral truth. In Vultures, Achebe moves beyond African themes and addresses a universal human problem: the mystery of evil in human nature.

Background of the Poem

The poem Vultures is connected to the historical events of the Holocaust during World War II. During this war, Nazi Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, carried out the systematic killing of approximately six million Jews. This genocide is known as the Holocaust.

The Nazis established many concentration camps across Europe. One of them was Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. Although Bergen-Belsen was not originally built as a killing center like Auschwitz, thousands of prisoners died there because of starvation, disease, forced labor, and extremely harsh living conditions. When the camp was liberated in 1945, the world saw shocking images of dead bodies and starving prisoners. These images became symbols of extreme human cruelty.

In the poem, Achebe refers to a commandant at Belsen Camp. By mentioning this real historical place, he connects the poem to actual human suffering. The reference to “fumes of human roast” suggests the burning of bodies, which reminds readers of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Achebe wrote this poem after World War II, when many writers were trying to understand how such cruelty was possible. The Holocaust forced people to question human nature. How could ordinary people participate in such violence? Were they completely heartless, or were they also capable of love?

Through this background, Achebe explores the disturbing idea that even a person involved in terrible crimes could still show affection toward his child. The historical setting of the Holocaust therefore strengthens the poem’s central theme about the coexistence of love and evil.

The Connection Between Nazis and Vultures

The connection between the Nazis and vultures lies in their shared association with death, cruelty, and destruction — along with their surprising capacity for affection.

Vultures are birds that feed on dead bodies. They are commonly seen as ugly and cruel creatures. In the poem, they are shown eating a swollen corpse, picking its eyes, and feeding on its intestines. This image creates disgust and horror. The vulture becomes a symbol of natural evil — an animal that survives through death.

Similarly, the Nazi commandant in the poem represents human evil. As an officer at Bergen-Belsen camp, he participates in the killing and burning of innocent people. The line referring to the “fumes of human roast” strongly suggests the cremation of human bodies. This image makes the reader feel the depth of cruelty committed by the Nazis.

However, the shocking similarity between the two appears when Achebe introduces the element of love.

After feeding on the corpse, the male vulture shows affection to his mate. He gently leans toward her. This action shows tenderness. It surprises the reader because we do not expect a creature associated with death to show love.

In the same way, the Nazi commandant, after spending the whole day in cruelty, goes home and buys chocolate for his child. He is a loving father. He shows care and affection to his “tender offspring.”

Thus, the parallel becomes clear:

• The vulture eats the dead but loves its mate.

• The Nazi officer kills humans but loves his child.

Both represent destruction. Both show tenderness.

Achebe calls this tenderness a “tiny glow-worm.” A glow-worm gives very little light in darkness. This suggests that even the most cruel beings may have a small spark of love.

But here comes the deeper meaning.

Achebe does not present this love as something hopeful. Instead, he suggests that this small love may actually help evil survive. If even a cruel man can love his child, he may feel justified in his actions. He may believe he is not completely evil. In this way, love does not destroy cruelty — it coexists with it.

The poem suggests that evil is not pure darkness. It contains small moments of light. But this light does not remove the darkness. Instead, it makes evil more complex and perhaps more frightening.

Philosophical Meaning

Achebe’s main message is about the complexity of human nature.

• Animals kill to survive. Their cruelty is natural.

• Humans kill because of hatred, ideology, and power.

The vulture’s cruelty is part of nature. But the Nazi’s cruelty is conscious and deliberate. Therefore, human evil is more dangerous.

At the same time, the poem questions whether having love makes a person less evil. The answer seems to be no. The Nazi officer’s love for his child does not reduce his responsibility for murder.

Achebe finally suggests that the real horror is that evil people are not monsters from another world — they are ordinary human beings capable of both love and cruelty.

Techniques Used in the Poem

1. Symbolism

• Vultures symbolize natural cruelty.

• The Nazi commandant symbolizes human cruelty.

• The glow-worm symbolizes small tenderness within evil.

2. Juxtaposition (Contrast)

Achebe places:

• Love and death

• Tenderness and brutality

• Home and concentration camp

This contrast strengthens the shocking effect.

3. Imagery

The poem uses graphic and powerful images such as:

• “Swollen corpse”

• “Fumes of human roast”

• “Broken bones of a dead tree”

These images create a dark and disturbing atmosphere.

4. Irony

It is ironic that:

• A creature associated with death shows affection.

• A human being, who is supposed to be civilized, commits barbaric acts.

5. Free Verse

The poem does not follow a fixed rhyme scheme. It is written in free verse, which allows natural expression of deep and serious ideas.

Rhyme Scheme

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme. It is written in free verse.

• Lines are irregular.

• There is no consistent rhythm.

• The flow is natural and thoughtful.

This style suits the serious philosophical theme of the poem.

Conclusion

The connection between Nazis and vultures in Vultures is based on their shared cruelty and unexpected tenderness. Both are associated with death and destruction, yet both show love in small ways.

Through this comparison, Chinua Achebe presents a disturbing truth: evil and love are not completely separate. They can exist together in the same being. However, this small presence of love does not remove evil. Instead, it may allow evil to continue.

The poem leaves the reader with an uncomfortable realization — the most frightening thing about evil is not that it is heartless, but that it is human.