The Nature of Evil in What Were They LIke and Vultures :: English Literature Levertov Achebe Essays

The Nature of Evil in What Were They LIke and Vultures The two poems, 'What Were They Like' and 'Vultures' make the reader think carefully about the nature of evil due to the use of poetic devices by the authors Chinua Achebe and Denise Levertov, the way in which each poem is structured and presented and also the way in which evil is shown in each poem. The poem 'Vultures' portrays a contrast between good and evil, it shows how the two elements can be linked even through complete dissimilarity. The vultures show love to one another but they are also evil as the poet describes how they devour the human corpse. The Commandant at Belsen shows love for his son but again, he also shows devout evil by exterminating millions of other people's children at the camp. In 'What Were They Like' evil is shown in a different light, evil is shown in the sense that all of the goodness has been taken away and now there is nothing left. It is a series of questions followed by answers which are not fully complete. Both poems use negative adjectives to show the nature of evil. Examples of this from 'Vultures' are greyness, dead, broken, cold, strange and gross. Silent, smashed, charred and bitter are only a few examples of the many in 'What Were They Like'. The use of these negative adjectives shows the authors disapproving opinion of the events described in each poem. Chinua Achebe uses alliteration to9 show his feelings in phrases such as 'drizzle of one despondent' and 'Praise bounteous Providence'. The structure of 'Vultures' is interesting; the first section describes the love and evil shown by the vultures which is linked by another collection of short lines to a description of the Commandant and the way in which he shows both love and evil. The use of short, sharp lines in the poem makes it seem more powerful. The presentation of 'What Were They Like' is very effective. There are six questions one after another in the first stanza followed by the six answers in the second stanza. The poet answers the questions from