The Vulture Poem Analysis

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Maya Angelou, a renowned American poet once said ‘We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated’. Being a poet of African descent, she was able to manifest this in her poems by making a connection to Africa and its history. Similarly, David Diop, a contemporary of Angelou was of African descent but he was born and raised in France. Even so, he spent a significant amount of time in West Africa which helped him connect with his mother nation. His works were mainly on political oppression and resistance. Although, both of the poems mention the struggles faced by the children of Africa, they end with a positive message: The people of Africa stayed strong and hopeful till the end.
The tone of the speakers in both the poems are fairly
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They were converted to Christianity and forced into slavery. In the line ‘When holy water slapped our cringing brows’(3), the speaker explains the scene where the Africans were forced to abandon their religion and take up Christianity. Throughout the poem, the speaker expresses anger at the way the Europeans treated their people and shows their ruthlessness. But in the end, just how the speaker in ‘Africa’ concluded, the speaker of ‘The Vultures’ concludes by saying that the nation is hopeful and is walking forward. They are ready to stand on their own and face the …show more content…
But throughout history, we have seen how people have never given up on their culture and have encouraged not only themselves but also people of their nation to build up what was once destroyed. Losing your culture and tradition does not only lead to materialistic loss but also losing a place that you can call ‘home’. In the poems ‘Africa’ and ‘The Vultures’ written by renowned poets Maya Angelou and David Diop respectively, the poets address a sense of pride in the African history and culture which can be connected to ‘Negritude’. Both of the poets want people to understand the conditions during colonialism and want to make sure that this traumatizing historical event is not forgotten. In conclusion, the poets want the people to stay hopeful and proud about their country even through hardships and

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