The document provides a summary and analysis of Chinua Achebe's poem "Vulture". It begins with background on the author Chinua Achebe and his works. It then summarizes the plot of the poem, which describes vultures feeding on a corpse and contrasts this with a Nazi commandant at a concentration camp. The document analyzes themes in the poem such as Nazism, the use of vultures as a metaphor, their role in the ecosystem, and concepts of humanism and what makes humans scavengers. It concludes by citing sources used.

1. A Study of Themes in Chinua Achebe’s
‘Vulture’

2. Details
Name: Aamena Rangwala
Roll no:- 1
Enrollment no:- 4069206420210028
Batch:- 2021-23
Email id:- aamenarangwala51@gmail.com
Subject:- The African Literature
Paper:- 206
Submitted to:-Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University

3. Table of content
• About Author
• Descriptive of Poem
• Themes
• Conclusion
• Work Cited

4. Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe full name is 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. (Britannica)

5. Continue
Things Fall Apart (1958), Achebe’s first novel, No Longer at Ease (1960),Arrow of
God (1964), A Man of the People (1966) , Anthills of the Savannah (1987).
Achebe also published several collections of short stories and children’s books,
including How the Leopard Got His Claws (1973; with John Iroaganachi). Beware,
Soul-Brother (1971) and Christmas in Biafra (1973) are collections of poetry. Another
Africa (1998) combines an essay and poems by Achebe with photographs by Robert
Lyons.
Achebe’s books of essays include Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975), Hopes and
Impediments (1988), Home and Exile (2000), The Education of a British-Protected
Child (2009), and the autobiographical There Was a Country: A Personal History of
Biafra (2012). In 2007 he won the Man Booker International Prize. (Britannica)

6. Brief Explanation of Poem
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.(Bhatt)

7. Continue…
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 of strange 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.(Bhatt)

8. Continue…
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 gaint 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. (Bhatt)

9. 1) Nazism
According to Merriam 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.(Merriam-Webster)
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.(Britannica)

10. Continue…
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.

11. 2) Vulture as Metaphor
Human have very scary, or dangerous concept in mind for Vulture. 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. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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 own choice.

14. 5) Scavenger
Concept of vulture in human mind is dangerous, scary etc. They eat flesh eaters . 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 daddy .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.

15. Work Cited
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Chinua Achebe". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12
Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chinua-Achebe. Accessed 10
March 2023.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Nazism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Feb.
2023, https://www.britannica.com/event/Nazism. Accessed 10 March 2023.
Bhatt , Yesha. Yesha Bhatt's Blog , Vulture Critical Analysis Overview , 27 Nov. 2022,
yeshab68.blogspot.com/2021/11/vultures-critical-analysis-overview.html.
Bhatt , Yesha. Yesha Bhatt's Blog , Vultures Explanation of Poem , 26 Nov. 2022,
yeshab68.blogspot.com/2021/11/vultures.html.
“Nazism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/Nazism. Accessed 9 Mar. 2023.

16. Thanks!