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Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 11 Night of The Scorpion
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Night of The Scorpion
POETRY
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS ANSWERS
A. Answer these Questions in one or two words.
1. Who was stung by the scorpion?
Ans. The speaker’s mother.
2. What kind of a night was it?
Ans. Rainy night.
3. Who came like swarms of flies?
Ans. Peasants.
4. Who is the ‘Evil One’ in the poem?
Ans. The scorpion that had bit the speaker’s mother.
5. What will purify the flesh and soul of the mother?
Ans. The poison stung by the scorpion.
B. Answer these Questions in a few words each.
1. What led the scorpion to crawl beneath the stack of rice?
Ans. The steady rain of ten hours at night made the scorpion crawl beneath the stack of rice.
2. Which lines in the poem suggests the mother’s suffering?
Ans. The lines that indicate the mother’s suffering are “My mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat”.
3. Which word or phrase in the poem suggests that the scorpion represents something evil?
Ans. The reference to the scorpion as the “Evil One” with a “diabolic tail” made it a symbol of evil.
4. What does ‘sun-baked walls’ suggest in the poem?
Ans. It indicates the extreme dryness of the walls of the house where the main incident of the poem has been set.
5. What led to the formation of giant scorpion shadows on the walls of the speaker’s hut?
Ans. The sudden and increased coming of peasants with candles and lanterns who crowded the house of the speaker as his mother cried in pain.
C. Answer these Questions briefly in your own words.
1. What is the role of superstition in the poem? How do the villagers’ beliefs impact their actions and attitudes towards the mother?
Ans. The poem Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel is about an incident that the poet has not forgotten in his life. It was a night when a scorpion bit his mother and all the superstitious villagers did irrational things rather than helping her. Ezekiel narrates how the speaker’s mother is stung by a poisonous scorpion. We come across some irrational beliefs prevalent in the rural society like the movement of the scorpion would speed up the movement of the poison in his mother’s body.The villagers tried to find the scorpion but they could not. Many things were tried to help relieve the mother’s pain but none worked. The speaker watches helplessly. The speaker’s father who was a sceptic and rationalist, tried to save his wife by using powder, mixture, herbs, hybrid and even by pouring a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it, The speaker watches the vain holy man performing his deceptive incantations but he cannot do anything to stop it. The peasants, finally accepting the fate of the mother, try to put a positive spin on the situation by saying that even if the mother died, her next life (an Indian belief) would be less painful, as she is atoning for her future sins by enduring this pain. After twenty hours, the poison loses its sting. 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.
2. What does the mother’s reaction to the scorpion’s sting suggest about her character?
Ans. In the poem “Night of the scorpion”, poet portrays the mother as a typical motherly, loving personality who has been given an unnamed identity throughout the poem. It was a night when a scorpion bit his mother and all the superstitious villagers did irrational things rather than helping her. Ezekiel narrates how the speaker’s mother is stung by a poisonous scorpion. We come across some irrational beliefs prevalent in the rural society like the movement of the scorpion would speed up the movement of the poison in his mother’s body. The villagers tried to find the scorpion but they could not. Many things were tried to help relieve the mother’s pain but none worked. The speaker watches helplessly. The speaker’s father who was a sceptic and rationalist, tried to save his wife by using powder, mixture, herbs, hybrid and even by pouring a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it. The speaker watches the vain holy man performing his deceptive incantations but he cannot do anything to stop it. The peasants, finally accepting the fate of the mother, try to put a positive spin on the situation by saying that even if the mother died, her next life (an Indian belief) would be less painful, as she is atoning for her future sins by enduring this pain. After twenty hours, the poison loses its sting. 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.
3. What are the themes and ideas explored in the poem?
Ans. The poem “Night of the Scorpion” has a typical Indian background. It reveals the superstitious beliefs of common Indian villagers. The incident described in the poem is a common experience in Indian villages. It describes the reaction of village people when the poet’s mother was stung by a scorpion. The members of an Indian village society are uneducated, ignorant, and superstitious peasants, but still, they think that they have an answer to every question.
4. Describe the use of language and vivid imagery by the poet.
Ans. The simple yet clear language through the inclusion of literary devices such as metaphor, simile, alliteration and antithesis used by the poet was able to depict the central themes of superstition, reason, rural traditions as well as the selfless and unconditional love of a mother.
| S.L. No. | CONTENTS |
| Chapter 1 | A Cup of Tea |
| Chapter 2 | The voyage |
| Chapter 3 | The Verger |
| Chapter 4 | The Martyr’s Corner |
| Chapter 5 | Bina Kutir |
| Chapter 6 | Ozymandius Of Egypt |
| Chapter 7 | Because I Could Not Stop For Death |
| Chapter 8 | Strange Meeting |
| Chapter 9 | The Solitude Of Alexander Selkirk |
| Chapter 10 | The Lake Isle Of Innisfree |
| Chapter 11 | Night Of The Scorpion |
5. Answer these questions in detail. What according to you is the central theme of the poem? How does it develop in the poem?
Ans. The central theme of “Night of the Scorpion” is the theme of superstition prevailing in Indian society. The incident described in the poem is a common experience in Indian villages. It describes the reaction of village people when the poet’s mother was stung by a scorpion. The members of an Indian village society are uneducated, ignorant, and superstitious peasants, but still, they think that they have an answer to every question. One rainy night, the poet’s mother was stung by a scorpion. The scorpion had settled under a sack of rice. It stung the poet’s mother and disappeared farmers from nearby places and tried to cure the woman by their superstitious methods. They repeated the name of God one hundred times to decrease the effect of the poison. The peasants started looking for the scorpion. They wanted to kill. They said that with every movement of the scorpion, the poison in the mother’s blood would also move. They also said that the sting of the scorpion would wash away the sins of her previous birth and reduce her suffering in the next birth. They sat in a circle, with the mother in the center where she cried with pain.The poet’s father was a, rationalist. He tried every powder, mixture, herb, and hybrid to relieve his mother’s pain. He put a little kerosene oil on the bitten toe and burned it. The pain ended after about twenty hours. The poet’s mother was like an Indian mother. In her motherly manners, she thanked God that the scorpion had stung her and not her children.
6. Comment on the poem’s use of various literary devices?
Ans. Night of the Scorpion is a poem that focuses on a single episode in the life of an Indian family. A scorpion has been forced by persistent rain to seek refuge inside, under a sack of rice. It ends up stinging the mother of the family, which makes people flock to her side, wanting to help with the subsequent pain.
7. How does the poem bring forth the strong sense of solidarity among the village folk of India?
Ans. “Night of the Scorpion”, though a narrative poem, offers several images that help in drawing a strong sense of solidarity among the village folk of India. In fact, the central act of the speaker’s mother being stung by a scorpion; following which we witness a sudden gathering of most of the innocent by superstitious peasants, despite it being a harsh rainy night. Although they, themselves are scared of the situation, it doesn’t stop them in searching for the scorpion whom they desperately search for as they believe that its sting again can act as an antidote to the mother. Also, they being superstitious, they chanted the name of God to make the scorpion stop its movements as they believed that the more the scorpion moved, the more the poison would move into the body of the mother. They also showered the agonized mother with endless advises and ‘karma’ theories but they dared not leave the suffering mother, alone in her pain. In fact, their chanting sounded like the sounds of buzzing bees.
The poem is free verse, meaning it does not contain a rhyme scheme. This choice adds to the seriousness of the poem’s subject matter and the deadly nature of the story Ezekiel tells. Ezekiel uses a number of poetic devices and figurative techniques in “Night of the Scorpion.” These include alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile, symbolism, imagery, etc.Some of the alliteration used in the poem are, stung by a scorpion, Parting with his poison, diabolic tail in the dark, risked the rain, poison purfiy, through and through, poured a little paraffin, flame feeding. Again, a few antonyms used by Ezekiel are: previous/next, evil/ good, sceptic/rationalist, curse/blessing. The literary device assonance used in the poem are, candle/lantern, buzzed/ hundred, Mother’s blood. Further, a metaphor and a simile by Ezekiel in the poem are scorpion is the Evil One and like swarms of flies respectively.
Additional Questions
1. How was the mother bitten by the scorpion?
Ans. The poet and his family lived in a village. It was night time. There was continuous rain for 10 hours. Due to rain, a scorpion entered the poet’s house. It stung the poet’s mother and crawled under a sack of rice. The poison was spreading through the body of the mother. The scorpion may have foreseen that the villagers will search for it and kill it. So, it risked the rain again and escaped from the house. Who bit the mother? Is it the scorpion or the evil deed of the mother in the past? It is mysterious.
2. How did the villagers come to the aid of the woman?
Ans. The farmers in the village came to know that the mother was bitten by a scorpion. They rushed to her house like “swarms of flies.” They had candles and lanterns in their hand. They threw giant sized scorpion shadows on the wall. They searched for the scorpion but they could not find it. They were uneducated and they had their own village gods. They uttered the name of the God to paralyze the Evil One that had entered the mother’s body. The poet indirectly makes a contrast between the selfishness of the city people and the villagers’ concern for others.
3. How did the peasants view the stinging in a positive manner?
Ans. The peasants of the village believe in Karma theory. They believe that the sins committed in the previous birth will be purified if only the concerned person suffers in this birth. They say that the mother’s suffering by the scorpion burns away her sins in the previous birth. They also say that the mother’s suffering decreases the misfortunes in her next birth. According to them, the mother’s flesh and spirit are purified from desire because of this suffering. The writer does not say whether their, belief at this critical moment is right or wrong. He just presents it to be decided over by the readers.
4. What type of man was the father? How did he treat his wife?
Ans. The father was a sceptic. He was a rationalist. So he did not compromise with the beliefs of the villagers. He applied different kinds of medicinal herbs and a certain curative powder. He also melted paraffin and poured it on the bitten toe and set fire to it. The father tested every scientific way to find the recovery. After twenty hours, the mother was saved. Again the writer keeps a neutral position. He doesn’t say whether the father’s treatment cured the mother or the belief and rites of the villagers.
5. How did the mother respond after the recovery?
Ans. The mother found recovery after 20 hours of treatment. We don’t know whether the father’s treatment cured the mother or the belief and rites of the villagers. But the poet implies that it is the mother’s love for her children that saved her. She thanks God because the scorpion has bitten her, not her children. The mother is a typical Indian mother who always cares for her children. Her whole world is her children. It is this response of the mother that gives a heart-touching end, a solution to human problems, the true love.
6. What does the opening of the poem “Night of the Scorpion,” suggests?
Ans. The opening of the poem “Night of the Scorpion” suggests reflection as the speaker remembers the night his mother was stung by a scorpion, which bite the mother because of its predatory impulse, while hiding beneath a bag of rice to escape from the rain.
7. How does Ezekiel describe the action of the scorpion?
Ans. Ezekiel’s speaker describes the actions of the scorpion. He portrays the creature as being purposefully diabolical, a thought that will directly relate to the beliefs and actions of those that attend the speaker’s mother. The scorpion moves quickly before anyone can do anything, he “part[s] with his poison…” and runs back outside, to risk the weather again.
8. What does the poet mean by “The peasants came like swarms of flies/ and buzzed the name of God a hundred times”?
Ans. These lines occur in the fourth stanza which describes the hunt that the peasants embark on in an effort to find the Scorpion. They search with both candles and lanterns, which throw shadows on the wall in the shape of a scorpion. This image of the scorpion still being in the room (only in the form of shadow) helps set the scene for the next lines as the peasants struggle to help the mother. The shadow is representative of their primitive fears, that something Evil is lurking just where they cannot see it.
9. What type of man was the father? How did he treat his wife?
Ans. The poet describes his father as a “sceptic” and “rationalist” person. The speaker’s father tried to cure his wife in rational ways. He even lit the bite on fire in an attempt to remove the poison. The speaker’s father tried to save his wife by using powder, mixture, herbs, hybrid and even by pouring a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it, this reflects to one of the village peasants saying, “May the sins of your previous birth be burned away tonight.” Which the father tries to do; Not for burning her sins but to burn away the poison residing inside the mother, which reflects her sins being atoned for.
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