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Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 11 Night of the Scorpion
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Night of the Scorpion
Chapter: 6
POETRY
| COMPREHENSION |
A. Answer these questions in one or two words.
1. Who was stung by the scorpion?
Ans: The poet’s mother was stung by the scorpion.
2. What kind of a night was it?
Ans: It was a rainy night.
3. Who came like swarms of flies?
Ans: The Peasants came like swarms of flies.
4. Who is the ‘Evil One’ in the poem?
Ans: The Scorpion is referred to as the ‘Evil One’ in the poem.
5. What will purify the flesh and soul of the mother?
Ans: The scorpion’s poison will purify the flesh and soul of the mother.
B. Answer these questions in a few words each.
1. What led the scorpion to crawl beneath the sack of rice?
Ans: The steady rain of ten hours at night made the scorpion crawl beneath the sack of rice.
2. Which lines in the poem suggests the mother’s suffering?
Ans: The line ‘my mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat’ shows that the mother had been in pain.
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 attitude towards the mother?
Ans: The poem Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel recounts a memorable incident from the poet’s life. One fateful night, a scorpion stung his mother, and instead of offering practical help, the superstitious villagers engaged in irrational rituals. Instead of offering practical help, the superstitious villagers performed irrational rituals, believing that the scorpion’s movement would spread the poison faster. Despite their attempts, they failed to find the scorpion.
2. What does the mother’s reaction to the scorpion’s sting suggest about her character?
Ans: In the poem “Night of the scorpion”, the 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. One night, a scorpion stings her, and instead of practical aid, the superstitious villagers resort to rituals, believing the scorpion’s movement spreads the poison. We come across some irrational beliefs prevalent in 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 rationalist father tries remedies like powders, herbs, and even burning the wound with paraffin.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 speaker, watch the vain holy man performing his deceptive incantations but he cannot do anything to stop it. After twenty hours, the poison subsides. Despite her suffering, the mother’s only concern is gratitude that she was stung instead of her children.
3. What are the themes and ideas explored in the poem?
Ans: The poem Night of the Scorpion reflects a typical Indian village setting, highlighting the deep-rooted superstitions of the villagers. The incident narrated is a familiar experience in rural India, depicting how the community reacts when the poet’s mother is stung by a scorpion. The villagers, though uneducated and superstitious, believe they have solutions for every situation.
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.
5. How do the religious and cultural references in the poem contribute to its themes?
Ans: The religious and cultural references, such as the chanting of prayers and the belief in purification through suffering, highlight the villagers’ deep-rooted faith and traditions. These elements contribute to the themes of superstition, community, and the clash between traditional beliefs and modern rationality.
D. Answer these questions in detail.
1. 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.The villagers, despite being uneducated and superstitious, believe they have remedies for every situation.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. They chanted God’s name a hundred times, hoping to reduce the poisson’s effect. Some searched for the scorpion, believing that its movements would worsen the mother’s suffering. Others claimed that the sting would cleanse her of past sins and ease her suffering in her next life. They sat in a circle around her as she endured the 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. change these sentences.
2. 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.
3. 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.The villagers gather immediately upon hearing about the scorpion sting, bringing candles and lanterns, and chanting prayers together. They also showered the agonized mother with endless advice 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. This solidarity is further highlighted by their willingness to sit with the mother throughout her suffering, offering comfort and hope. The poem portrays this unity as a fundamental aspect of rural Indian life, where communal bonds are strong and everyone comes together in times of crisis.
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