'Refugee Mother and Child' by Chinua Achebe

The success of the poem Refugee mother and child lies within Chinua Achebe's ability to present an interfering, yet authentic and compelling poem. His own literary language is blended in with images and descriptions that create a sense of compassion for the unfortunate refugees.

By skillfully contrasting the imagery of life and death, showing irony of singing in the mother's eyes, and cleverly foreshadowing, Achebe effectively helps to direct the readers towards the eventual death of the mother's child in the poem. Using literary devices such alliterations, contrasts, imagery, tones and symbols, Achebe proficiently specifies the ultimate destinies of the protagonists in the poem

No Madonna and Child could touch that picture of a mother's tenderness for a son she soon will have to forget.

The air was heavy with odorsof diarrhea of unwashed childrenwith washed-out ribs and dried-upbottoms struggling in labored steps behind blown empty bellies.

Most mothers there had long ceased to care but not this one; she held a ghost smile between her teeth and in her eyes the ghost of a mother's pride as she combed the rust-coloredhair left on his skull and then -singing in her eyes - began carefullyto part it... In another lifethis would have been a little dailyact of no consequence before his breakfast and school; now she did it like putting flowerson a tiny grave.