Ferlinghetti then goes on to describe the ease of the lifestyle of the wealthier couple, contrasting it with the intense hard work of the garbage men. This shows that there are always two sides, and for the people that enjoy life many people suffer, and the suffering always exists.
‘The young blond woman so casually coifed...
on the way to his architect’s office…
And the two scavengers up since four a.m.
grungy from their route’
The words used to describe the wealthier couple suggest that they are much more relaxed and that life is easier for them. “Casually coifed” especially suggests that the woman is relaxed. The alliteration is used so that the phrase flows easily. This represents the life of the wealthy couple – it is described to be easy and pleasant. However, this is in total contrast to the garbage men. The fact that they have been “up since four a.m.” suggests that their work is hard and physically demanding as few jobs require the workers to wake up at 4 a.m. ‘Grungy’ also suggests that their work is demanding but also dirty. These, overall, show how the garbage men suffer so much but do not get rewarded nearly as much as man in the wealthy couple, who is “on the way to his architect’s office”. The word ‘his’ suggests that he is the boss and is in control. This contrasts to the garbage men, who are described as “scavengers”. As scavengers feed off the leftovers and detritus of other animals, this suggests that these garbage men only have what other people leave behind and kick down to them. These contrasts clearly show how Ferlinghetti argues that society is cruel, and especially to the people that work so hard for it. Cruelty is omnipresent.
Achebe also uses contrasts to show contrasts in human nature. Where Ferlinghetti links theses to society, Achebe links these contrasts to basic natural instincts. In ‘Vultures’ there are contrasts between love and evil. Although the mating vultures perform actions which are disgusting and vile, they still show love and care for each other.
‘feathers inclined
affectionately
to hers. Yesterday they picked
The eyes of a swollen corpse’
The statement of love is mentioned before the detailed descriptions of the actions of the vultures. This implies that their love takes precedence, and that it is what the vultures themselves are thinking about rather than what they did to the carcass. The eating of the carcass is described explicitly and in full detail by Achebe. By this he is showing the disgusting horrid behaviour and instincts of the vultures. He describes how “the picked the eyes of a swollen corpse”. This is particularly powerful as the verb picking does not bear any resemblance to humans eating. This phrase (picking the eyes) makes the reader think of cruel and inhumane forms of torture, and therefore makes this image even more disturbing, even though the animal is dead. Furthermore, animals’ dead bodies are usually referred to as carcasses, however, by using ‘corpse’ Achebe has related this more to humans further depicting the cruel and horrible nature of the vultures, making it more personal and even more disgusting to the reader. By directly contrasting the image of love and affection to one of the most repulsive sights imaginable, Achebe gives one point of his argument, that in all evil there is love. Contrarily, though, by using powerful imagery, it is evident that the nature of the vultures will not be forgotten by the reader, and it will not be merely overridden by their love.
After that, however, ‘Vultures’ describes cruelty in humans, which is more intense, as vultures always feed on carcasses. Achebe uses a figure that is almost synonymous with evil – the Commandant at a Nazi Death Camp – to show this contrast between love and evil. However, this also shows more clearly how much more evil there is than love.
‘…Thus the Commandant at
Belsen
Camp going home for
the day with fumes of human roast clinging
rebelliously…and pick up a chocolate for his tender offspring’
The image used is just as repulsive as that of the vultures. The word ‘roast’ makes the reader think of food, and this especially makes the image repulsive, as the reader is shocked at how this evil figure cam live with this. It does make the reader think of cannibalistic behaviour, as roast is used after many other meats. Because ‘human roast’ is used the reader would think it is ordinary for it to be called this and is therefore furthermore horrified. ‘Tender offspring’ suggests that they are just meat, like the people that were killed by the Commandant. The word ‘tender’ in this context is furthermore repulsive, because it is used after ‘human roast’ and makes the reader imagine it is being used in this context. However, as ‘offspring’ is used to describe the children of animals, this is also a reference back to the vultures. This suggests that even a human’s behaviour is animalistic and it is in his nature, even though he may be seen as evil. Most readers would find that the Commandant at Belsen is more evil than the vultures, as vultures always feed off carcasses. However, this link back to animals, with ‘offspring’ makes the reader question whether all creation is purely evil, regardless of what species there are and how much love they have for something else. This further implies that evil is always predominant over other characteristics such as love. This is another one of Achebe’s points in his argument that suggests that human nature, and the nature of all creation, is predominantly built upon cruelty. With this contrast, showing a loving family man, Achebe indirectly asks the reader whether they think his evil is redeemable, and therefore if they would forgive the Commandant at Belsen because of his love for his child(ren). Because of the obvious answer of no, it makes the reader feel that there is a lot more evil in him than good, and this can be said for the entire world.
This poem, and especially lines 30-40, also reflects the state of affairs within the world. As it implies that Nazism is synonymous with evil, it gives Nazism a real place in literature. Therefore the mention of Nazism is in context with this poem, and Achebe has carefully chosen to include this to express the horrors of the Nazi regime. This is a point for his argument in this poem, but also a tribute to (the victims of) Nazism. It makes the evil of it have an eternal place, which will not be forgotten. This is an example of which literature is affected by affairs in the real world. It therefore furthermore makes the reader agree with Achebe’s argument, as it is supported by major events in the real world.
In ‘Two Scavengers’, there is also a reference to death and sacrifice. One of the garbage men is compared to Quasimodo, from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also because of his hunched back.
‘and hunched back
looking down like some
gargoyle Quasimodo’
In these lines, the older garbage man is compared to Quasimodo, as he has a hunched back. However there is also another meaning to this at a deeper level. Quasimodo sacrificed himself to save the beautiful image of Paris. The reference to Quasimodo here also therefore suggests that these garbage men are sacrificing themselves in order to preserve the beautiful image of America that they all aspire to be in, but cannot. The fact that they are watching the couple is highlighted by the fact that he is “looking down”. The comparison to Quasimodo suggests the moral superiority of the garbage men, as they are facing the cruelty of society that is rarely reported and that people in general do not care about, unless they are suffering themselves. This is similar to Quasimodo. Also, the fact that he is also compared to a “gargoyle” suggests that these people are also the one that care for society, working physically harder and not getting rewarded as much as the people whom they aspire to be. The watching over them is not only a direct reference to the height difference between the truck and the Mercedes, however, and this suggests that they are part of the people looking after the society, integral to it. Because of this, as they are suffering, and being cruelly and unequally treated, Ferlinghetti argues that these morally wrong values are not just present, but a large integral part of the whole society.
At the end of their poems, both poets conclude with statements that show cruelty is always going to be part of humans and society. ‘Vultures’ end with an open conclusion which asks the reader to decide, however it is clear that one conclusion is stronger.
‘Praise bounteous…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.’
After presenting his argument, Achebe gives the reader a choice to be glad and “praise bounteous” the love that does exist. However, the first statement shows that love is mostly tiny and “encapsulated in icy caverns”. This is a particularly powerful phrase because it suggests that love is only small and is surrounded by all of the evil in the world. However, the poem does give the reader a choice, and the other statement is that all of humanity should be concerned and frightened at how the relatively small love in the world is nothing in the face of the infinite evil in human nature. ‘In the very germ’ means in the smallest seed, and in the heart of. This implies that all of love is just a small part of evil which makes up most of the world. The word perpetuity, which is also used in science and mathematics emphasises the effect that evil is constant and never ends. Overall, in this poem, the second conclusion is by far the stronger, as more powerful words like ‘kindred’ (close to the blood, essential). It is evident that Achebe wants us to leave the poem knowing that even if people have love in their hearts, they cannot stop committing evil. We must “despair” at the fact that our world is filled with so much evil and cruelty, and how in human nature the love that exists is overwhelmed by the evil within. The very fact that we should be scared of the never-ending evil shows how stronger the second statement is.
In ‘Two Scavengers,’ Ferlinghetti ends by mocking the American dream, and by using his previous link of cruelty to society, using these examples, he finishes by showing the variation in society.
‘as if they were watching some odorless TV ad
in which everything is always possible…
as if anything at all were possible
between them
across the small gulf in the high seas of this democracy’
The American dream is what the American society aspires of its citizens. According to the constitution, “Any American can become president”. However, Ferlinghetti concludes his argument strongly disagreeing with this statement, and persuades the reader to do the same. The reference to the “odourless TV ad” shows how much advertising has affected the American people, that they were thinking like the advertisement in their real lives. The word ‘odourless’ suggests that it is fake, plastic. This is the American dream. The “TV ad” is an illusion from reality. This directly relates how the American dream is just an illusion. Nothing is “odourless”. Also Ferlinghetti has used irony for entertainment to engage the reader further as the garbage men’s jobs are the direct opposite of odourless. The line after in the extract is more powerful than the first, and shows how the American dream is really a dream. It is sarcastic – ‘as if anything at all were possible’ suggests that they did, for that instant, go into the illusion that it was possible to become what they aspired to be. However Ferlinghetti mocks this and therefore highly criticizes the American dream and the motives of the American Constitution – it was lying to the people. The ‘small gulf’ is also a pun, as it means the physical distance between the four people, but also the large gap in class and wealth between the two pairs of people – a gulf is geographically very large. ‘The high seas’ suggests that it is happening everywhere, as the oceans are very large and cover many areas. This further strengthens the effect of the class gap and also fits in with the entertaining line ‘the small gulf’. The last line is also highly critical, as it asks why people are not equal if they are meant to be in the democracy. This line also refers to this as being a problem across the whole of America and the whole society, which further strengthens the argument that all the people are not equal. It strongly and ironically suggests that the democracy is unfair and unjust. These are related to cruelty, as the people of America, Ferlinghetti believes, are being treated cruelly, being wrongly told, and believing that they are all equal, when Ferlinghetti sees clearly that they are not. People are told that they are free in a democracy, but Ferlinghetti, in this poem, argues that this is far from the case.
Ferlinghetti and Achebe explore issues within their cultures, and link them to different examples. However, analytically, while their use of language and techniques may not be similar, it must not be forgotten that these poems remind us, and depict, the worst and most scarring side of Man’s character, and remind us how misguided and flawed our judgements on ourselves can be. What we must learn from them is that we cannot think ourselves above creation if we show the same repulsive habits as vultures, however slight these may be. Ferlinghetti and Achebe argue that unless we totally conquer the evil and cruelty so centrally bound within us and change the society we have built around them, we cannot call ourselves more than any other being.
