Poem Vulture -Chinua Achebe

         Thinking Activity 

Hello everyone, this thinking activity is given by Yesha Ma'am. This was the group task each group has to perform on one each theme in class. 

 Introduction on Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe, in full Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, (born November 16, 1930, Ogidi, Nigeria—died March 21, 2013,Boston,  Massachusetts, U.S.), Nigerian novelist acclaimed for his unsentimental depictions of the social and psychological disorientation accompanying the imposition of Western customs and values upon traditional African society. His particular concern was with emergent Africa at its moments of crisis; his novels range in subject matter from the first contact of an African village with the white man to the educated African’s attempt to create a firm moral order out of the changing values in a large city.

                    Poem Vulture 

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 despaired that for every small speck of love, we find huge amounts of evil.

Themes

1)Nazism 

According to Merrian Webster nazism means the body of political and economic doctrines held and put into effect by the Nazis in Germany from 1933 to 1945 including the totalitarian principle of government, predominance of especially Germanic groups assumed to be racially superior, and supremacy of the leader.

From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany.

Thus the Commandant at Belsen Camp going home for the day with fumes

Belsen camp nazi concentration camp commandant has supervised brutal torture of thousands of jews  Burning smell of human flesh forcefully enters in his nostrils .Commandant does this  as part of his job and next lines we call see him even  as family man as he goes to meet his child/family. 

2)Vulture as Metaphor

Human have very scary, or dangerous bird etc concept in mind. Poet tells that in poem vultures eat humans after it's dead and that's the part of their lives. But man are killing humans as the part of their job.So in real sense humans are more harmful or merciless then birds. So here vulture is used as metaphor. Vultures are far better then humans. Because humans can do anything for money or as a part of job.

3)Ecology-Vultures 

vultures play an extremely important role in keeping their native ecosystem healthy. Vultures prey upon the dead body of both animals and humans and it remove waste from the ecological system and allow life to thrive in a healthy environment.

In poem Commandant kills other human beings as a part of job but poet tells he has the ability to choose. But he chooses to be evil. vultures eats as part of their food and that is their instinct. It is not something that they choose to do. Commandant have choices to be good or bad but he chooses to be evil and vultures prey upon dead animals and  that's the part of their system.

4)Humanism 

In first stanza  appearance of Vulture is described that it's ugly looking bird.Eating in ugly way.vultures cruelty that is sitting on the branch of dead tree and having eye on dead body.

In next lines poet shows the cruelty of commandant.That they kill the Jews and keep them in charnel house. Aminals are not cruel they does things as the part of their system but humans heart are cruel because they have ability to think to go on the path of good or evil. But they choose to be evil it's their choice.

5)Scavenger 

Concep of vulture in human mind is dangerous,scary etc .It eats other dead animals. They are the attacker,ugly and evil.

 "Full gorged Coverseat)they chose their roost (branch). keeping the hollowed (dugout) remnant in easy range of sold telescopic eye".

Human's are the real Scavenger in the poem The commandant were killing as part of their jobs and they even don't look at them and becomes merciless and kills humans as part of their work.

Capability to kill v/s Capability to love Commandant  kills for humans as part of their work/job. In third para we can  commandant goes to his home & in middle he buys sweet for this child he is waiting for dady .He only has love for his child not for other humans.He can even love to his child and even kill anyone as a part of job/work.(Love life and Duty life).Vultures prey dead bodies for their appetite and Commandant's kill for their benefits.

Click here on Blogspot for another blog on themes of You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed.