In Chinua Achebe's "Vultures," a pair of grim birds nuzzling each other after devouring a rotting corpse become a metaphor for the uneasy fact that human beings are equally capable of love and evil. Just as vultures can feast on death and still cuddle, the speaker observes, the man who runs a Nazi death camp might pick up chocolates for his beloved children on the way home; cruelty and tenderness can coexist in the same person. Whether that's cause for hope or despair, the speaker can't quite decide—but despair seems more likely. The poem first appeared in Achebe's 1971 collection Beware Soul Brother, and Other Poems.

• Read the full text of “Vultures”

• “Vultures” Summary

• “Vultures” Themes

  • 

    The Uneasy Coexistence of Evil and Love

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-51

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Vultures”

  • Lines 1-13

    In the greyness ...
    ... to hers.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-21

    Yesterday they picked ...
    ... telescopic eyes...

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 22-29

    Strange ...
    ... to the wall!

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 30-40

    ...Thus the Commandant ...
    ... return...

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 41-51

    Praise bounteous ...
    ... of evil.

    

    

    

    

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• “Vultures” Symbols

  • 

    The Vultures

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-21: “a vulture / perching high on broken / bones 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. Full / gorged they chose their roost / keeping the hollowed remnant / in easy range of cold / telescopic eyes...”

• “Vultures” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Juxtaposition

    

    

    

    

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    Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 7-16: “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”
    • Lines 30-40: “...Thus the Commandant at Belsen / Camp going home for / the day with fumes of / human roast clinging / rebelliously to his hairy / nostrils will stop / at the wayside sweet-shop / and pick up a chocolate / for his tender offspring / waiting at home for Daddy's / return...”
    • Lines 43-51: “that grants even an ogre / a tiny glow-worm / tenderness encapsulated / in icy caverns of a cruel / heart or else despair / for in the very germ / of that kindred love is / lodged the perpetuity / of evil.”

  • Personification

    

    

    

    

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    Where personification appears in the poem:

    • Lines 22-29: “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!”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 5-6: “broken / bones of a dead tree”
    • Lines 9-12: “a pebble / on a stem rooted in / a dump of gross / feathers”
    • Lines 20-21: “cold / telescopic eyes...”
    • Lines 43-45: “an ogre / a tiny glow-worm / tenderness”
    • Lines 46-47: “icy caverns of a cruel / heart”
    • Lines 48-49: “the very germ / of that kindred love”

  • Imagery

    

    

    

    

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    Where imagery appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-4: “the greyness / and drizzle of one despondent / dawn unstirred by harbingers / of sunbreak”
    • Lines 8-9: “his smooth / bashed-in head”
    • Lines 13-16: “they picked / the eyes of a swollen / corpse in a water-logged / trench”
    • Lines 19-21: “the hollowed remnant / in easy range of cold / telescopic eyes...”
    • Lines 32-35: “fumes of / human roast clinging / rebelliously to his hairy / nostrils”
    • Lines 46-47: “icy caverns of a cruel / heart”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “greyness / and”
    • Lines 2-3: “despondent / dawn”
    • Lines 3-4: “harbingers / of”
    • Lines 4-5: “vulture / perching”
    • Lines 5-6: “broken / bones”
    • Lines 7-8: “his / mate”
    • Lines 9-10: “pebble / on”
    • Lines 10-11: “in / a”
    • Lines 11-12: “gross / feathers”
    • Lines 12-13: “affectionately / to”
    • Lines 13-14: “picked / the”
    • Lines 14-15: “swollen / corpse”
    • Lines 15-16: “water-logged / trench”
    • Lines 16-17: “the / things”
    • Lines 17-18: “Full / gorged”
    • Lines 19-20: “remnant / in”
    • Lines 20-21: “cold / telescopic”
    • Lines 22-23: “Strange / indeed”
    • Lines 23-24: “other / ways”
    • Lines 25-26: “corner / in”
    • Lines 27-28: “perhaps / even”
    • Lines 28-29: “face / turned”
    • Lines 30-31: “Belsen / Camp”
    • Lines 31-32: “for / the”
    • Lines 32-33: “of / human”
    • Lines 33-34: “clinging / rebelliously”
    • Lines 34-35: “hairy / nostrils”
    • Lines 35-36: “stop / at”
    • Lines 39-40: “Daddy's / return...”
    • Lines 41-42: “bounteous / providence”
    • Lines 43-44: “ogre / a”
    • Lines 44-45: “glow-worm / tenderness”
    • Lines 45-46: “encapsulated / in”
    • Lines 46-47: “cruel / heart”
    • Lines 48-49: “germ / of”
    • Lines 49-50: “is / lodged”
    • Lines 50-51: “perpetuity / of”

• “Vultures” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Despondent
  • Unstirred
  • Harbingers
  • Gorged
  • Hollowed remnant
  • Charnel-house
  • Belsen Camp
  • Bounteous providence
  • Germ
  • Lodged
  • The perpetuity of evil
  • (Location in poem: Lines 2-3: “one despondent / dawn”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Vultures”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Vultures” Speaker

• “Vultures” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Vultures”

• More “Vultures” Resources

  • External Resources

    • A Brief Biography — Learn more about Achebe's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.

    • Achebe's Legacy — Read an article discussing Achebe's literary reputation and ongoing influence.

    • The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.

    • Achebe on African Literature — Listen to Achebe talking about what it means to be an African reader and writer.

    • An Interview with Achebe — Listen to an interview with Achebe in which he discusses his writing and his time as a radio broadcaster.

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