Chapter 3.1 - Night of the Scorpion
The speaker specifically remembers the night his mother was stung by a scorpion. It stung her because of its predatory impulses. It was hiding beneath a bag of rice, to escape the rain.
A picture of a religious village is created by the speaker. The neighbours try to paralyse the scorpion – the reason being, they believe that as the scorpion moves, the poison moves in the blood of the mother. Fractionally the entire village tries to find the scorpion, but they can’t.
Many things are tried, to help relieve the mother’s pain, but none work. The speaker, a young boy at that time, watches helplessly.
The speaker’s father, who is sceptical and rational, tries to save his wife by using powders, mixtures, herbs, medicinal hybrids and even pouring a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and putting a match to it.
After twenty four hours, the poison loses its sting and the mother is finally alright. A sign of her prevailing love and affection for her children is shown, when she thanks God that she was stung and not her children.
Title: Night of the Scorpion
Poet: Nissim Ezekiel
Rhyme scheme:
The poem is free verse. It has not any rhyming words or rhyme scheme.
Favourite line:
My favourite line in the poem is “My mother only said Thank God the scorpion picked on me And spared my children”. I like the line because it shows the selflessness and unconditional love of the mother for her children.
Theme/Central idea:
The theme/central idea of the poem is the depiction of the selflessness and unconditional love of a mother who is stung by a scorpion. It also explains the care and affection of the villagers and their efforts to comfort the pain of the mother.
Figures of speech:
There are many figures of speech, e.g., Onomatopoeia, “and buzzed the name of God a hundred times.” Here, we feel we can actually hear the buzzing of the prayers of the many peasants. The other figures of speech are Metaphor, Alliteration, Simile, Antithesis, etc.
Special features:
The special feature of this poem is the imagery. We get a clear and vivid picture of what is happening in the house. In the end, the poet depicts the selfless and unconditional love of a mother, who, even when she is in intense pain, first thinks of her children. The poem is a narrative poem. The use of the first person gives the feeling that it is told from personal experience.
Why I like the poem:
I like the poem because of the imagery and the sensitive ending.
diabolic : having the qualities of devil or wicked
paralyse : to stop an activity
diminished : to lessen; reduce
groaning : a mournful sound conveying pain or grief
sceptic : one who doubts general beliefs
rationalist : a person who believes in reason and knowledge than opinion and belief
incantation : the chanting of words that claim to have magical power
Warming up!
1. Get into pairs and discuss the following with your partners and complete the table.
Many people are superstitious. This means that they have belief for which they have no logical reason.
An example of superstition is that – walking under a ladder brings bad luck.
In pairs, list any superstitions that you know of.
Ans:
(i) Smashing a mirror
Implication : Brings seven years of bad luck.
(ii) A cat crossing your path
Implication : causes you to get delayed.
(iii) Friday the 13th
Implication : Is a bad day to do anything. The number in general is considered ominous.
(iv) Going outside during an eclipse
Implication : causes health problems.
2. Brainstorm what you know about Scorpions. Use the points given below.
(1) How they attack?
Ans: They usually sting their victim and inject their venom into their bodies.
(2) Where they live?
Ans: In deserts, holes and wherever there is leaps of rubbish or garbage.
(3) Their appearance
Ans: They have eight legs, a pair of grasping pedipalps and the narrow segmental tail often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger.
(4) Any more information about them
Ans:
How they live: They can live in harsh climate by slowing down their metabolism.
Things you associate with them : lobsters, spiders, snakes.
What you know about them : Their sting is poisonous and can kill.
In Between The Poetry
Q1. What forced the scorpion to take shelter in the poet’s house?
Ans: It was a rainy night and water streamed down into the scorpions hole. The scorpion had entered the house without any intention of stinging anyone. It came to the poet’s house only for shelter and warmth.
Q2. What does the phrase ‘to paralyse the evil’ mean in stanza 3 ?
Ans: It means the villagers tried to reduce and stop the effect of the scorpion’s poison.
Q3. Who are ‘they’ in stanza 4?
Ans: ‘They’ refers to the villagers trying to help his the mother.
Q4. Who does the word ‘him’ refer to in line no. 3?
Ans: The ‘him’ refers to the scorpion.
Q5. Why does the poem begin with the poet remembering the night?
Ans: It was a night when a superstitious culture made his mother suffer from a scorpion-sting, which she could have escaped with the help of medicines. It was a night when the poet, a child at that time, witnessed the evil and superstitious face of his society.
Q6. When did the Mother find relief?
Ans: The mother found relief twenty hours later, when the pain finally stopped.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. After reading the poem, complete the following. What happens ? There are three main parts of the poem. Do you know what they are about ? The first one is done for you.
Ans:
2. Complete the following.
(A)
Ans:
(B)
Ans:
(C)
Ans:
3. Choose the correct alternative.
1. The child is afraid but admires
(a) the initiative of the peasants.
(b) his father trying every way to cure.
(c) the bravery of his mother.
Ans: Option (c) : the bravery of his mother
2. His father and the villagers panic and hastily suggest .
(a) to take her to the hospital.
(b) ayurvedic treatment.
(c) religious remedies to help.
Ans: Option (c) : religious remedies to help
3. The poet seems to see the villagers as impractical and almost irritating which suggests that
(a) the poet is critical of caste
(b) the poet is critical of religion
(c) the poet is critical of tradition.
Ans: Option (b) : the poet is critical of religion
4. This is a poem as it tells a story.
(a) reflective
(b) imaginative
(c) narrative
Ans: Option (c) : narrative
5. Using the first person gives the feeling that it is told from
(a) personal experience
(b) public experience
(c) private experience
Ans: Option (a) : personal experience
6. ‘The scorpion picked on me. And spared my children’ depicts
(a) mother’s bravery
(b) mother’s endurance
(c) selfless and unconditional love of mother.
Ans: Option (c) : selfless and unconditional love of mother
7. The poem does not have a rhyme scheme, which means the poem is a perfect example of a
(a) Ballad
(b) Sonnet
(c) Free verse
Ans: Option (c) : Free verse
8. The poem is titled ‘Night of the Scorpion’, for, the major part of the poem,
(a) the mother remains triumphant at the end.
(b) the scorpion is the victor.
(c) the father succeeds in curing the mother.
Ans: Option (b) : the scorpion is the victor
9. The peasants chant the name of God to
(a) nullify the stinging experience
(b) praise God.
(c) appease God.
Ans: Option (a) : nullify the stinging experience
10. The click of tongues reflects their to the predicament.
(a) individual response
(b) collective response
(c) group response
Ans: Option (b) : collective response
4. From the poem provide evidence for the following :
Ans:
5. Read the poem and complete the table showing the qualities of the father and mother giving sufficient evidences from the poem.
Ans:
6. (A) Match the Figures of Speech with the correct definition.
Ans: (i) – (b) ; (ii) – (a) ; (iii) – (d) ; (iv) – (c)
(B) Find examples from the poem that contain :
Simile :
Ans: like swarms of flies
Metaphor :
Ans: throwing giant shadows on half baked walls.
Onomatopoeia :
Ans: buzzed the name of God, clicked their tongues
7. Expand the flow-chart in writing a paragraph in your own words.
Ans: The poet remembers the night when the scorpion had stung his mother. The villagers came in groups and sat around the mother. They clicked their tongues and suggested a lot of things so that mother’s suffering may decrease but they did not really do anything to help. She suffered for twenty hours while they all believed that if they are able to capture and kill the scorpion, mother will be cured.
She was unable to do anything except groan in pain while people around her (including her husband) tired all kinds of remedies.
While once again, the scorpion is spoken about as if it chose to kill the mother. The mother’s dedication and pure love for her children bridges the gap between the characters in the poem and any reader.
All can empathize with the love for a child, mother or father.
This woman, although distant, living in a different time and place is just as human and real as anyone.
8. The poet has used various kinds of imagery to create an image which appeal to our senses. Pick out various kinds of imagery and complete the table.
Ans:
9. Write an appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format. (Refer to page no. 5)
Ans: The poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’ is by Nissim Ezekiel.
The poem is written in free verse without any rhyme scheme. There are many figures of speech, e.g., Onomatopoeia, ‘and buzzed the name of God a hundred times’. Here, we feel we can actually hear the buzzing of the prayers of the many peasants. The other figures of speech are metaphor, simile, alliteration, antithesis, etc.
The poem depicts not only the superstitions of the peasants but also the selflessness and unconditional love of a mother who is stung by a scorpion. It also explains the care and affection of the villagers and their efforts to comfort the pain of the mother.
10. Project
Prepare a Presentation (on paper or on a PC) as a piece of reference to other students. Make use of the following points.
(1) Title page
(2) Introduction of the poet
(3) The complete poem (All 48 lines)
(4) Learning objectives
(5) Style of writing
(6) Scorpion lines (1 – 7)
(7) The peasants
(8) The poet’s father
(10) The poet’s mother
(11) Vocabulary
(12) Credits (positive aspects)
Ans: Students should do this on their own.