‘What were they like?’ and ‘vultures’ both deal with the idea of cruelty in war Essay

To start with, in ‘What were they like? ‘ it links to rudeness and conflict by talking regarding the Vietnam War, “when bombs created those magnifying mirrors, there was just time to scream…” It’s speaking about when the bombs destroyed the fields, homes, and creatures. It’s demonstrating us how one minute life is flourishing and everything is usually living in serenity and balance and about a minute war comes and ruins life. (Denise Levertov points out the awful, destructive associated with the Vietnam War. American weapons burned human bone fragments and killed the children.

Battle produced shouts, not art. ) As opposed, ‘Vultures’ uses WW2 to focus on the rudeness of conflict; “thus the commandment by Belsen camp”. The poem uses a famous camp as evidence of the cruelty to be sure that at these focus camps the people were performed to loss of life on largely inadequate meals, used for medical experiments which are often perilous and hanged for minimal breaches of camp guidelines. The poets deal with the theme of rudeness in warfare in a number of various ways for example in Levertov’s ‘What were they will like? ‘ it uses typically, lingual devices to exhibit how the life of Vietnam has considerably been modified. “…can claim? It is silent now. ” It’s demonstrating us that after the war everything is silent.

There is no more performing. No more moving, ceremonies and laughter. All of these things are what make up your life so it’s saying that there is absolutely no more your life after the warfare.

On the other hand, ‘Vultures’ uses a distinct technique. It uses language showing how humans can turn like animals. “.. Fumes of human beef roasts cling rebelliously to his hairy nostrils. ” The harsh sounds (fumes, roast, rebelliously) reflect the negativity in the theme. It’s a metaphor linking the commander who “fumes of human roast…” to a vulture who “picked the sight of a swollen corpse… …and ate the things in its bowel”.

Both of the quotes created here provide the audience a disgusting mental image. This revolting image highlights to us the cruelty and ghastly pain of battle. It the actual audience feel that if the leader at the camp acted like an animal that eats individuals (‘human roast’), then he must have cured the inmates appallingly; more inferiorly than animals. The structure of ‘What were they just like? ‘ is in a question and answer contact form; “1) Did the people of Vietnam work with lanterns of stone?

1) Sir, their light minds turned to natural stone. It is not kept in mind whether in gardens rock lanterns illumined pleasant ways. ” Clearly it’s evident that the upper part is by a reporter, or perhaps by a person who doesn’t know about Vietnam and the bottom part is by somebody who has lived the life of someone in Vietnam. Someone suspects this part is from a soldier even as can perception sorrow in the tone of his answers. Nonetheless ‘Vultures’ shows us that there are two sides to war.

For example , “strange indeed how love so particular will pick a corner in that charnel-house and tidy that and coil up there and perhaps even fall asleep, her faced turned to the wall! ” Likewise, “that grants or loans even a great ogre a tiny glow put on tenderness exemplified in icy caverns of your cruel cardiovascular or else despair…” This is Achebe reinforcing the meaning of the fact that people can be loving and nasty at the same time. In both poems, they use many writing methods. For example in Levertov’s ‘What were that they like? ‘ it uses the dreamy graceful technique a result of “moths in moonlight”.

This is showing us that the Japanese people accustomed to live in serenity and tranquillity and as a result of effects of conflict Vietnam is in constant conflict and violence. All the phrases like ‘charred bones’, ‘killed’, ‘bombs smashed’, ‘scream’, ‘moths in moonlight’, ‘silent now’ give us dreadful psychological images of the disasters that we can simply imagine going on.

Similarly, personification is a great approach which Achebe uses to create a personified effect to items which all of us wouldn’t think of as human, “strange without a doubt how love so particular will look for a corner for the reason that charnel-house and tidy it and coils up generally there and perhaps also fall asleep, her faced turned to the wall structure! “. This kind of quote can be personifying how love can be described as “she” and exactly how “she can pick a corner” and “tidy it up”, “fall in bed with her face considered the wall”. This offer illustrates just how even though there exists cruelty in war there is still handful of love there.

In ‘What were they like? ‘, Levertov’s thoughts do come across the poem even as we can tell that from the war in Vietnam she feels like war may destroy a whole culture. On the other hand, Achebe reveals an indication to the fact that even though war is a terrible thing, a lot of people can still have love, companionship and love.