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POEM #3 VULTURES by Chinua Achebe

1 In the greyness 27 tidy it and coil up there, perhaps

2 and drizzle of one despondent 28 even fall asleep – her face
3 dawn unstirred by harbingers 29 turned to the wall!
4 of sunbreak a vulture 30 … Thus the Commandant at Belsen
5 perching high on broken 31 Camp going home for
6 bone of a dead tree 32 the day with fumes of
7 nestled close to his 33 human roast clinging
8 mate his smooth 34 rebelliously to his hairy
9 bashed-in head, a pebble 35 nostrils will stop
10 on a stem rooted in 36 at the wayside sweet-shop
11 a dump of gross 37 and pick up some chocolate
12 feathers, inclined affectionately 38 for his tender offspring
13 to hers. Yesterday they picked 39 waiting at home for Daddy’s
14 the eyes of a swollen 40 return …
15 corpse in a water-logged 41 Praise bounteous
16 trench and ate the 42 providence if you will
17 things in its bowel. Full 43 that grants even an ogre
18 gorged they chose their roost 44 a tiny glow-worm
19 keeping the hollowed remnant 45 tenderness encapsulated
20 in easy range of cold 46 in icy caverns of a cruel
21 telescopic eyes … 47 heart or else despair
22 Strange 48 for in the very germ
23 indeed how love in other 49 of that kindred love is
24 ways so particular 50 lodged the perpetuity
25 will pick a corner 51 of evil.
26 in that charnel-house

DICTION
WORD MEANING
TITLE: Vultures large birds of prey that feed mainly on the carcass (flesh) of dead animals
Line 1 – greyness gloom or the absence of light, which may suggest despair
Line 2 – drizzle light rain
Line 2 – despondent miserable, depressing
Line 3 – dawn the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise
Line 3 – unstirred unaffected or undisturbed
Line 3 – harbingers Messengers or a sign; people who announce the approach of something or someone
Line 4 – sunbreak sunrise
Line 5 – perching sitting or resting on a high place
Line 7 – nestled snuggled up closely; move into a warm, comfortable position
Line 9 – bashed-in damaged or harmed; dented
Line 9 – pebble small stone
Line 10 – rooted stuck
Line 11 – dump a messy junkyard
Line 11 – gross disgusting
Line 12 – inclined leaned towards
Line 12 – affectionately lovingly
Line 13 – picked ate
Line 15 – corpse a dead body
Line 15 – water-logged soaked or wet
Line 16 – trench a ditch or a narrow channel dug at the side of a road or field
Line 17 – bowel lowest part of the intestines
Line 18 – gorged stuffed themselves or overate

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Line 18 – roost a branch to perch on

Line 19 – hollowed remnant empty leftovers
Line 20 – easy range near enough to be reached
Line 20 – cold mean and unfriendly
Line 21 – telescopic able to see far / that zooms in like a telescope which is an optical instrument that makes distant
objects appear nearer
Line 22 – strange odd
Line 23 – indeed truly or undeniably
Line 24 – particular specific or fussy
Line 26 – charnel-house a building / vault in which human skulls or bones are stacked / slaughterhouse
Line 27 – coil up curl up
Line 30 – Commandant a chief military officer of a commando
Lines 30 & 31 – Belsen Camp a Nazi concentration camp where thousands of Jews were imprisoned and died in World War 2
Line 32 – fumes smoke-like gas or smell, given off by a substance
Line 33 – human roast a very graphic, shocking phrase that refers to the victims in the concentration camp as if they
were being cooked
Line 33 – clinging holding on tightly
Line 34 – rebelliously Stubbornly or disobediently
Line 36 – wayside at the side of a road
Line 38 – tender loving or affectionate, also young and innocent
Line 38 – offspring children
Line 41 – bounteous In this context, giving generously; plentiful
Line 42 – providence nature or God providing care, destiny, fate
Line 43 – grants gives
Line 43 – ogre a giant monster
Line 44 – glow-worm a beetle / tiny insect that gives off green light from the tail, visible at night
Line 45 – tenderness kindness, gentleness
Line 45 – encapsulated summed up, contained in
Line 46 – icy caverns large, underground caves that have permanent ice deposits
Line 47 – despair to give up all hope
Line 48 – germ the core of a seed (in this context seed or bud)
Line 49 – kindred relative, family; familiar or close
Line 50 – lodged stuck firmly
Line 51 – perpetuity everlasting, time without end, endlessly or infinity

THE POET

Chinua Achebe was a contemporary Nigerian poet who spent part of his life living in his native Africa and part of
it in the United States. He was a highly educated man who is one of Africa’s most famous writers producing not
just poetry but novels as well. He dabbled in politics, but left that endeavour behind, allegedly due to frustration
with corruption. His poems dealt largely with his own culture, but one of his more famous pieces of poetry was
this piece, about Belsen, although even this was tied to his own culture using the imagery of vultures.

SUMMARY
The poem is a dark, sombre piece that focuses on the Nazi concentration camp, Belsen, in
Northern Germany during World War 2 where a Commandant works there. It is a gritty poem that is hard to read
due to the harrowing subject matter. The vultures, described in such a disparaging, grim fashion could be
construed as a metaphor for the people responsible for the atrocities in Belsen, and in particular the Commandant.
The speaker describes a pair of vultures who, after a huge meal of rotting meat, settle down lovingly together to
sleep. He comments on how strange it is that even such ugly and unpleasant creatures can feel love for each
other and compares this to the commander of the Nazi concentration camp in Belsen. The commander has spent
his day giving orders for millions to be gassed and burned, but feels love for his children and stops to buy them
chocolate on the way home. At the end of the poem the speaker wonders whether we should feel grateful that
even the most evil creature has the capacity to feel love and tenderness, or whether we should feel depressed
and hopeless because it does not seem to have the potential for love without also having the potential for hate
– they are both part of us.
The description of the vultures is in the PAST TENSE, while the Belsen Commandant is described in the
PRESENT TENSE. This seems to suggest that EVIL IS ALWAYS PRESENT. The use of ‘perpetuity’ (line 50)
reinforces this idea.

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There is a huge difference between the behaviour of the vultures and that of the Nazis. The vultures
perform a vital ecological service and act on instinct. The real evil resides in the humans, who make moral
decisions.
The poem appears to offer the reader two different conclusions. This leaves the reader with a sense of both
hope and despair.
TITLE
The title ‘Vultures’ is a literal reference to the scavenging bird species described in the first section of the poem,
but it is also a metaphorical reference to people who commit evil deeds.

TYPE OF POEM AND FORM

The poem is written in FREE VERSE with no rhyme scheme. It has 51 lines and only 6 sentences.
It is not divided into clear separate stanzas. The layout and punctuation indicate FOUR SECTIONS: the use
of ellipsis and indentation of the first line of the second, third and fourth sections.

RHYTHM: lots of enjambment (run-on lines) which should mean it must have a fast pace BUT the short lines
slow down the pace, jarring the rhythm that emphasises the horror. There are also one-word lines.

STYLE:
SECTION 1 is descriptive (23 lines long)
It is longer that the other sections. A pair of vultures are loving towards one another but are ugly and horrible.

SECTION 2 is reflective (8 lines long)

Poet remarks that love can cast a blind eye to ugliness, evil and horror.

SECTION 3 is descriptive (11 lines long)

There is a combination of contrasting descriptions into one sentence to illustrate evil and love co-existing rather
than as separate entities.

SECTION 4 is reflective (11 lines long)

The poet presents the choice to feel comforted that even the evil person has a trace of good, or to despair that
every good person also has an element of evil.

THEME
The poem is about:
• GOOD versus EVIL: the strange co-existence (living or existing together) of gross evil, and tender love.
• The fine line between LOVE and HATE: Love is capable of great evil – creatures that commit evil deeds
are also capable of love
• ANIMAL INSTINCT versus HUMAN CHOICE: Can a man choose to do good as opposed to the vulture that
scavenges instinctually? The reader is left with a question whether this is cause for hope or for despair.

INTENTION
The poet wants to show that love and evil may be more closely linked to each other than most people think.
Creatures that carry out acts of great evil can also love.

LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS

SECTION 1: Lines 1 – 21
The first section of the poem begins with a description of the vultures that makes them seem repulsive and gory.
However, they are also portrayed as showing affection, which only makes their behaviour more revolting.

• A miserable scene is set with grey, overcast weather.

• ALLITERATION: 'drizzle of one despondent dawn' (repetition of d-sound) to emphasise the depressing, grim
and dark atmosphere.
• PERSONIFICATION: ‘despondent dawn' – Dawn has human emotions being despondent emphasising that
dawn is dull and gloomy.
• There is no sign of sun at the start of the day, as the phrase 'unstirred by harbingers of sunbreak' tells us.

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• CONSONANCE: ‘harbingers of sunbreak’ – The repeated b-sound makes the harbingers of sunbreak sound
more ominous.
• A pair of vultures are sitting together on the branch of a tree.
• ALLITERATION: 'broken bone' reinforces bleakness of day (repetition b-sound) which reminds us that vultures
are in the habit of feeding off dead animals.
• METAPHOR: 'broken bone' – the dead branches of the tree are compared to the broken bones of a body. This
reinforces the stark and bleak branches as if the vultures are sitting on the bones of a skeleton.
• The first suggestion of gentleness: the male vulture is 'nestled close to his mate', conveying the feeling that they
are fond of each other's company.
• Grim and grotesque imagery of the description of the male vulture is hardly flattering: 'his smooth / bashed-in
head, a pebble / on a stem rooted in / a dump of gross / feathers'.
• METAPHOR: ‘bashed-in head’ – vultures described in a grim manner that could represent the Commandant
who was responsible for the atrocities in Belsen.
• METAPHOR: the vulture’s head is compared to ‘a pebble’ as the head is indeed small in comparison to its body,
and the adjectives 'dump' and 'gross' emphasise how ugly the bird is. Yet, his head is 'inclined affectionately to
hers', so the attraction between the pair of vultures is clear to see.
• In the next few lines, an extremely distasteful or gross description of how the vultures had fed on a dead
animal. The phrases 'picked the eyes' and 'swollen corpse' are nothing if not disgusting, and the birds ate the
contents of the animal’s intestines too.
• They had then had their fill or were 'full gorged' and then settled on a branch.
• What remained of the corpse is described as a 'hollow remnant' which the vultures observed with 'cold telescopic
eyes'. There is no gentleness at all here.
• METAPHOR: 'cold telescopic eyes' – vultures’ eyes compared to the lenses of a telescope. This suggests that
their eyes appear to be cold, unfeeling and piercing.

LINES EXPLANATION
1 In the greyness A grey scene is set, miserable weather (absence of light)

2 and drizzle of one despondent Light rain and depressing atmosphere/mood

3 dawn unstirred by harbingers The start of day has no announcement/sign of the sun breaking through the
clouds.
4 of sunbreak a vulture CONSONANCE refer to notes below.
ALLITERATION emphasises miserable day/ depressing mood (repetition d-
5 perching high on broken sound)
PERSONIFICATION: dawn is despondent
6 bone of a dead tree A vulture is resting / sitting on a bare branch of a dead tree
ALLITERATION reinforces bleakness of day (repetition b-
7 nestled close to his sound)
METAPHOR: ‘broken bone’ tree is dead / tree is stark and cuddled
next to his friend / showing affection
8 mate his smooth ‘mate’ = second vulture/ friend

9 bashed-in head, a pebble METAPHOR: head looks dented; ‘pebble’ describes the round smooth
shape of his skull / head smaller than body
10 on a stem rooted in head like a small stone stuck in a messy junkyard

11 a dump of gross 'dump' and 'gross' emphasise how ugly the bird is

12 feathers, inclined affectionately Male vulture leaning against his partner / CONTRAST: warmth towards each
other and their revolting practises
13 to hers. Yesterday they picked
DISTASTEFUL DESCRIPTION: They ate
14 the eyes of a swollen the eyes (grotesque & disgusting imagery)

15 corpse in a water-logged
of a dead animal
16 trench and ate the
‘water-logged trench ’a narrow channel filled with water
17 things in its bowel. Full
also fed on the contents of the animal’s intestines
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18 gorged they chose their roost

They had their fill/ were full then settled/perched on a
19 keeping the hollowed remnant
branch The empty leftovers of the dead animal – vultures
20 in easy range of cold
stared at it near enough to be reached
21 telescopic eyes …
METAPHOR: ‘cold telescopic eyes’ the birds have an almost mechanical feel,
portray no warmth, no emotions
CONTRAST TO LINE 12 (disturbing for the reader)
TONE:
The tone is of disgust and revulsion – the speaker describes the dreary day and the ugly vultures relaxing
after a meal of rotting flesh.

MOOD:
Depressing, gloomy and dark mood suggested by words such as, ‘greyness’, ‘drizzle’ and ‘despondent’.
The word ‘harbingers’ has the connotation of omens of doom. The words ‘dump’ and ‘gross’ emphasise how
ugly the bird is.

DICTION:
The choice of words to describe the meal of the vultures is graphically disturbing and repulsive e.g. ‘bowel’ and
‘gorged’. This will link to the disturbing words to the section with the Commandant that ironically describes true
evil as opposed to animal instinct. The words ‘nestled’ and ‘affectionately’ are warm human qualities which
contrasts with the death imagery.

PUNCTUATION:
Enjambment (run-on-lines) and minimal punctuation to ensure the flow of the poem. The first full stop is in line
13 – note the long description of the vultures. An ellipsis is used to indicate the end of the first section.

SECTION 2: Lines 22 – 29
The shift to focus on human behaviour in the second section of the poem is even more disturbing. The poet
starts to contemplate how love can exist in such an evil infested place, and how love is not affected by evil as
seen in the line of the poem ‘her face turned to the wall!’.

• The poet finds it strange that love, (who is being personified here), is ‘so particular’, or fussy about appearances
perhaps, yet, exists in a horrible place like a ‘charnel-house’ where bodies or bones are stored.
• This idea marks a shift in the poem's focus, away from the vultures.
• In this horrific place, love tidies up and even becomes comfortable, coiling up and going to sleep. This image
conveys the fact that although love exists in this place, it becomes dormant.
• This love (personified as a woman) is described as turning her face to the wall. We get the sense that she cannot
bear the atrocities being seen, the sight of skeletal remains so she turns away from them.
• There is a CONTRAST between the ‘light’ of love with the ‘darkness’ of death – the presence of love in the
‘charnel-house’, a storage place for corpses.
• It may also be a reference to people being lined up against walls before being gunned down by firing squads.

LINES EXPLANATION
22 Strange It is odd…one long thought. This word bridges the first and second section /
it is attention grabbing.

23 indeed how love in other PERSONIFICATION: Love is given human qualities of choosing a corner and
tidying up and falling asleep.
Love contrasts with the rotting corpse and death described in Section 1.
24 ways so particular
ALLITERATION: repetition of p-sound – the choice love makes to live in a
place of death.
25 will pick a corner
A building in which skulls and bones are stacked

26 in that charnel-house

27 tidy it and coil up there, perhaps

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28 even fall asleep – her face

ALLITERATION: repetition of soft f-sound – love is presented as a sleeping
woman.
29 turned to the wall!
Love, personified as a woman turns her face to the wall as she cannot bear
the atrocities she sees in the charnel house.
TONE:
Contemplative tone as if after seeing the vultures the poet has some time to think and reflect on the great
paradox he is seeing.

DICTION:
Line 22: ‘Strange’ – single word in this line attracts attention. It is odd that the ‘charnel-house’ provides a home
for Love, who like a proud housekeeper picks a spot to ‘tidy’ and ‘coil up’ in, turning her face away from the
horrible scenes around her (lines 26–29). Line 27: ‘coil up’ – snake-like connotation; insinuates there could be
something evil or sinister about the nature of love or about love’s choice to dwell with death.

PUNCTUATION:
This section is the shortest and vaguest in meaning. Love and death then good and evil are juxtaposed. The
dash ( – ) and exclamation mark ( ! )is an important feature in this section: it points out that love turns a blind
eye to evil.

SECTION 3: Lines 30 – 40
The charnel house is at Belsen where the Commandant was in charge of a Nazi concentration camp where
thousands of Jewish people were gassed and murdered, and their bodies burned during World War II. As with
the vultures, the Commandant’s love for his family makes his evil deeds in being responsible for thousands of
deaths seem strange.

• This section of the poem focusses on the Commandant of that camp as he leaves at the end of a day.
• Commandant at Belsen is a reference to Joseph Kramer who had a reputation for being particularly harsh and
efficient at driving people to slaughter in the Belsen concentration camp. He was a very evil man.
• We see an unpleasant side of this man: 'with fumes of / human roast clinging / rebelliously to his hairy /
nostrils'.
• The phrase 'human roast' seems particularly odious with its connotations of cooking, and the word
'rebelliously' suggests that the smell refuses go away even after the Commandant has left the camp.
• In line 35, a different side, to the Commandant is shown, just as the affection between the pair of vultures was
demonstrated.
• PARADOX: Despite this man being so cruel, and evil, who roasts humans without thinking about it, he can be
capable of very tender and loving kindness.
• This is shown in how he stops on the way home to buy a chocolate for his children 'his tender offspring'.
• First, he was the epitome of evil and now he is ‘Daddy’.
• Here, Achebe creates a feeling of a loving family; the children are probably unaware of what their father's work
involves. They await his homecoming, and he enjoys bringing them a treat at the end of the day.

LINES EXPLANATION
30 … Thus the Commandant at Belsen ALLITERATION: The hard k-sound creates a jarring sound

31 Camp going home for METAPHOR: smell of human flesh burning compared to animal meat
being cooked for a meal. Food image brings home the horror of
concentration camo war atrocities
32 the day with fumes of PERSONIFICATION: The acrid smell of people dying (fumes) under
horrendous conditions is given the human quality of ‘rebelliously’ and
‘clinging’ to the hairs of the Commandant’s nostrils. Smell refuses to go
33 human roast clinging away.

‘hairy nostrils’ like a monster

34 rebelliously to his hairy
The jarring images of the Commandant, with ‘fumes of/human roast clinging/
rebelliously to his hair/nostrils’ who then buys a chocolate for
35 nostrils will stop

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his ‘tender offspring’ is alarming and makes the reader feel

uncomfortable.
36 at the wayside sweet-shop

37 and pick up some chocolate

38 for his tender offspring His child / children

PARADOX: refer to notes above

39 waiting at home for Daddy’s
‘Daddy’ term of endearment
40 return …

TONE:
The tone is of horror as the speaker contrasts the unimaginable evil that the Commandant is guilty of with his
feelings of tender kindness for his children, who wait eagerly for their beloved father to come home.

DICTION:
The macabre image of the word ‘human roast’ shows how repulsive this man is and then buys ‘chocolate’ for his
child/children on his way home.
‘hairy nostrils’ – like a monster not capable of kindness
The Commandant who is a mass murderer is called ‘Daddy’, an affectionate term for father and an ordinary
domestic image. This suggests the father’s love of his child/children which brings the man back to someone we
would associate with children, making his actions at work even more horrifying.

PUNCTUATION:
Line 30: Ellipsis and indentation indicates the start of section 3.

TENSE:
Line 31: ‘going home’
The description of the vultures is in the past tense and the description of the Commandant in the present
continuous tense. This indicates the ever-present nature of evil.

SECTION 4: Lines 41 – 51
It says in a contemplative tone and asks if we should thank God for the tiny speck of good we find in evil or
should we feel despair for the evil that will stay forever.

• Achebe presents us with two alternative conclusions to draw from the behaviour of the vultures and the
Commandant.
• He suggests that we might 'Praise bounteous providence', and the fact that he includes the phrase 'if you will'
perhaps infers that this is the alternative he would prefer us to choose.
• He is asking us to rejoice in the fact that an 'ogre' has 'a tiny glow-worm tenderness', using a METAPHOR to
describe the element of love that lights up, like a glow worm, the Commandant's otherwise despicable life.
• This love is 'encapsulated / in icy caverns of a cruel / heart': Achebe uses METAPHOR once again, this time
to convey how cold the Commandant's heart is.
• The second alternative that Achebe presents us with is one of 'despair'; that we might choose to despair that
within the tiny element of love or tenderness we find 'the perpetuity of evil'.
• 'Evil' is the final word of the poem, but Achebe is nevertheless giving us a choice. Do we look for the spark of
goodness in a person no matter how repulsive their actions are, or do we overlook the tenderness and focus
on the dark, evil side that appears to be dominant?
• Achebe has taken an example from the past in the Commandant of Belsen Camp, but in describing the habits
of the vultures, he shows that the existence of love and evil side by side is eternal.
LINES EXPLANATION
41 Praise bounteous Biblical language: all the good things God gives us.
CONTRAST to the language used to describe the vultures and
their instinctual behaviour.
42 providence if you will 'if you will' perhaps infers that this is the alternative the poet
would prefer us to choose
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METAPHOR: ‘ogre’: represents evil (big) / ‘glow-worm’ represents

43 that grants even an ogre
love (small). The Commandant’s despicable behaviour is compared to
an ogre, while his tiny act of love is compared to a glow-worm.
CONSONANCE: Repeated hard g-sound emphasises the
44 a tiny glow-worm
evilness of the ogre as opposed to goodness and love.
The Commandant’s humanity as a ‘tiny glow worm’ is encapsulated in
(contained in) a ‘cruel, icy cavern’ which suggests that his
45 tenderness encapsulated
warmth is trapped.
METAPHOR: The Commandant’s heart is compared to icy caverns
– his heart is cold and barren. This refers to the ‘cold’ (line 20)
46 in icy caverns of a cruel
eyes of the vultures
ALLITERATION: repeated hard k-sound emphasises cruelty as
opposed to love
47 heart or else despair
a seed of evil embedded in his core
48 for in the very germ
family whom you love

ALLITERATION: repeated gentle l-sound emphasises the

49 of that kindred love is
goodness of love as opposed to the ‘perpetuity of evil’

As a reader, you have a choice:

50 lodged the perpetuity
Either you are grateful that there is a slither of goodness in
evil people, or you despair that in the heart of loving, good
people, there is germ/ seed of evil that could grow and
51 of evil.
commit
unspeakable actions.

TONE:
The speaker’s tone is scornful, resigned and pessimistic as he offers us a choice of being thankful for this
capacity for love or feeling ‘despair’ because the capacity for evil seems to go together with it – they are both an
integral part of human nature. The poem ends scathingly (severely critical) with an implied criticism of the love
that harbours endless evil.

Tone for whole poem: depressed, contemplative, disgust, hope and despair.

DICTION:
‘Praise Bounteous providence’: Biblical language: all the good things God gives us. CONTRAST to the
language used to describe the vultures and their instinctual behaviour. It suggests that human beings live by a
higher moral code e.g., we do not prey on others. The IRONY is in the mention of the Commandant – humans
clearly commit atrocities despite our supposedly civilised and polite moral ground.
• ‘lodged’ an implied criticism of the love that harbours endless evil.
• ‘perpetuity of evil’ – evil is enduring and everlasting

PUNCTUATION:
Ellipsis and indentation that follows, indicates the transition to the last section.

QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTED ANSWERS FROM PAST DBE PAPERS

QUESTION 1
1.1 Refer to lines 1–3: 'ln the greyness/and drizzle of one despondent/dawn'.
How do these lines contribute to the mood of the first section? (2)
The dark side of the vultures as described in Section One contributes to the down-
hearted/dull/gloomy/hopeless mood.
[Award 2 marks only if mood is discussed.]

1.2 What do the words, 'cold/telescopic eyes' (lines 20–21) suggest about the nature of the vultures? (2)
As scavengers, the vultures keep their kill within their sights. 'Cold' might suggest that the vultures
are ruthless/calculating/emotionless. ‘Telescopic’ suggests the mechanical/robotic nature of the

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vultures, giving them the advantage of long-distance vision that ensures the protection of their
spoils.
[Award 2 marks only if a discussion of both 'cold' and 'telescopic' is offered.]

1.3 Refer to lines 30–35: 'Thus the Commandant … his hairy/nostrils'. Discuss the significance of this
description in the context of the poem. (3)
The Commandant ends his day like any ordinary worker returning to his family after work. However,
this Commandant has not had an ordinary day at work in that he has been directly involved in the
atrocious sins committed against a huge number of people as indicated by the ‘fumes of human
roast clinging’.
This shocking/horrifying/repulsive description signifies mankind's inhumanity toward their fellow
beings; this is similar to the description of the vultures in Section One. The vultures instinctively
feed their bodies to survive however, man kills to satisfy his selfish desires.
[Award 3 marhs For two ideas well discussed OR three distinct ideas.]

1.4 The concluding lines, 'Praise bounteous/providence … perpetuity/of evil' (lines 41–51) offers options for
human behaviour. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your response by referring to imagery and/or
diction. (3)
YES. The Commandant, who is referred to as the 'ogre', has an element of goodness for which one
needs to be grateful/hopeful – 'Praise bounteous providence'. His humanity is seen as a 'tiny glow
worm' which suggests that he has the potential for love. However, the reference to the 'icy caverns
of a cruel/heart' creates a sense of despair/hopelessness as it is too little to transform the evil
'lodged' within him. Thus, he will continue to perpetrate/perpetuate evil.
OR
NO. [A 'No' response is unlikely. However, treat all responses on their merits.]
[Award 3 marks only if reference is made to imagery and/or diction.]

QUESTION 2
2.1 Refer to lines 5–6: 'broken bone of a dead tree'. How does this line contribute to the mood of the
poem? (2)
The mood is depressing because the words 'dead' and 'broken' signify destruction and death.
This dark, sinister mood is sustained in the idea of broken bones link with the dead humans.
[Award 2 marks only if the mood is discussed.]

2.2 Refer to line 7: 'nestled close to his'. Account for the use of the word 'nestled' in the above line.
(2)
The word 'nestled' has connotations of warmth/closeness and love. This shows the bond between the vultures.
[Award 2 marks for 1 idea well discussed.]

2.3 Refer to lines 32–35:'with fumes of human roast clinging rebelliously to his hairy nostrils'.
Discuss the effectiveness of the image in these lines. (3)
The commandant is returning home to his family despite the fact that he smells of the people he had killed
during the day. The reader feels disgust at the callous behaviour and the fact that the man continues normally
as if no atrocity ever happened.
'Rebelliously' suggests something that is stubborn – the smell will not disappear and neither will his behaviour
change. He will continue to act with impunity.
[Award 3 marks only if the imagery is well discussed.]

2.4 The poem appears to leave the reader with both a sense of hope and despair.
Critically discuss the validity of the statement. (3)
Valid.
The speaker describes the Commandant's humanity as a 'tiny glow worm' which is encapsulated in 'cruel, icy
cavern', suggesting the element of love that lights up, like a glow worm, the Commandant's despicable life.
Love could bring hope, but the 'lcy cavern' indicates how cold the Commandant's heart is and that the warmth is
trapped. The commandant will continue to perpetuate evil while demonstrating love.
[Award 3 marks only if both hope and despair are well discussed.] [10]

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Adelle Jones (adelle.jones10@gmail.com)