Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guide of Class 12 (second year) Alternative English textbook, chapter/poem 6, Night of the Scorpion, which is part of the syllabus of students studying under AHSEC/ASSEB (Assam Board). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
Nissim Ezekiel’s ‘The Night of the Scorpion’ was published in 1965 in his poetry collection titled The Exact Name. The poem is narrated in the first person, recounting the traumatic experience of the speaker’s mother after being stung by a scorpion. The setting is a remote Indian village where nature and humans coexist closely. Continuous rain drives a scorpion into the speaker’s home, where it hides under a sack of rice. It accidentally stings the mother, causing a chaotic scene. The poem captures the mixed reactions of the villagers, who gather to help in every way possible, including chanting prayers to lessen the venom’s effect. In contrast, the speaker’s ‘sceptic and rationalist’ father deals with the situation in his own way.
The poem not only depicts the villagers’ reactions but also conveys the young speaker’s emotional turmoil. It explores themes such as human faith, birth and afterlife, sin and redemption, maternal instinct, compassion, solidarity, and superstition. The villagers’ reaction is deeply rooted in superstition, equating the spreading of poison in the body with the scorpion’s movement. Their prayers reflect their ingrained religious beliefs, where God is seen as the ultimate saviour.
Another major theme is the conflict between belief and rationality, presented through the speaker’s perspective as he observes the villagers’ traditional rituals and prayers. The speaker, being more rational, questions the effectiveness of these rituals and prefers modern medicine. However, the simultaneous effect of the villagers’ prayers and the doctor’s treatment suggests that the conflict between tradition and rationality is about finding a balance where both can coexist and complement each other.
Motherhood is also a central theme, with the speaker’s mother embodying selfless sacrifice as she expresses relief that the scorpion spared her children, despite her own pain. The poem also touches on sin and redemption, as the villagers console the victim by saying her suffering purifies her body and soul of sins. The poem highlights the traditional ways of dealing with misfortune in a simple Indian village, celebrating solidarity where adversity brings people together. It also emphasizes human compassion and brotherhood.
The poem employs various poetic devices such as antonyms, assonance, metaphor, symbolism, enjambment, and repetition. Written in simple language, it is a free verse without a specific rhyme scheme.
Line-by-line explanation
I remember the night my mother / was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours / of steady rain had driven him / to crawl beneath a sack of rice.
The speaker recalls a specific night when his mother was stung by a scorpion. Continuous rain for ten hours forced the scorpion to seek shelter under a sack of rice in their home.
Parting with his poison — flash / of diabolic tail in the dark room — / he risked the rain again.
The scorpion released its venom into the mother with a quick, sinister flick of its tail in the dark room, and then it braved the rain once more to escape.
The peasants came like swarms of flies / and buzzed the name of God a hundred times to paralyse the Evil One.
Villagers, compared to swarms of flies due to their numbers and noise, quickly gathered and repeatedly chanted the name of God in an attempt to immobilize the evil represented by the scorpion.
With candles and with lanterns / throwing giant scorpion shadows / on the mud-baked walls / they searched for him: he was not found.
The villagers used candles and lanterns, which cast large, eerie shadows of scorpions on the walls, as they searched for the scorpion, but they couldn’t find it.
They clicked their tongues. / With every movement that the scorpion made his poison moved in Mother’s blood, they said.
The villagers expressed their concern by clicking their tongues, a common gesture of disapproval or sympathy, and they believed that every movement made by the scorpion caused its venom to spread further in the mother’s bloodstream.
May he sit still, they said / May the sins of your previous birth / be burned away tonight, they said, / May your suffering decrease / the misfortunes of your next birth, they said, / May the sum of all evil / balanced in this unreal world / against the sum of good / become diminished by your pain, they said, / May the poison purify your flesh / of desire, and your spirit of ambition, / they said, and they sat around / on the floor with my mother in the centre, / the peace of understanding on each face.
The villagers wished for the scorpion to remain still so that the poison wouldn’t spread further. They believed that her suffering might burn away sins from her previous life, reduce misfortunes in her next life, and balance the cosmic scales of good and evil. They thought the poison might cleanse her body of earthly desires and her spirit of ambitions. They sat around the mother, who was at the center of this communal support, with expressions of calm understanding on their faces.
More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours, / more insects, and the endless rain,
As more people gathered, they brought more candles and lanterns, attracting more insects, while the rain continued relentlessly.
My mother twisted through and through, / groaning on a mat.
The mother lay on a mat, writhing in pain and groaning as the poison affected her body.
My father, sceptic, rationalist, / trying every curse and blessing, / powder, mixture, herb and hybrid,
The father, a sceptic and rationalist, attempted various remedies, both traditional and modern, including curses, blessings, powders, mixtures, herbs, and hybrids, in an effort to cure his wife.
He even poured a little paraffin / upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
In a desperate measure, the father poured paraffin on the bitten toe and set it on fire, hoping the flame would neutralize the poison.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother.
The speaker observed the flame burning on his mother’s skin, a disturbing sight.
I watched the holy man perform his rites / to tame the poison with an incantation.
A holy man conducted rituals and chanted incantations in an attempt to control the poison and alleviate the mother’s suffering.
After twenty hours / it lost its sting.
After twenty hours, the effects of the scorpion’s sting finally subsided.
My mother only said / Thank God the scorpion picked on me / And spared my children.
Despite her ordeal, the mother expressed gratitude that the scorpion had stung her instead of her children, highlighting her selflessness and maternal love.
Textbook solutions
Answer these questions in one or two words
1. Who was stung by the scorpion?
Answer: The mother
2. What kind of a night was it?
Answer: Rainy night
3. Who came like swarms of flies?
Answer: The peasants
4. Who is the ‘Evil One’ in the poem?
Answer: The scorpion
5. What will purify the flesh and soul of the mother?
Answer: The poison
Answer these questions in a few words each
1. What led the scorpion to crawl beneath the sack of rice?
Answer: Ten hours of steady rain.
2. Which lines in the poem suggests the mother’s suffering?
Answer: “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?
Answer: “Evil One.”
4. What does ‘sun-baked walls’ suggest in the poem?
Answer: The mud walls are dried and hardened by the sun.
5. What led to the formation of giant scorpion shadows on the walls of the speaker’s hut?
Answer: Candles and lanterns.
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?
Answer: Superstition plays a significant role in the poem. The villagers believe that chanting prayers and performing rituals can mitigate the effects of the scorpion’s sting. Their actions and attitudes are driven by these beliefs as they gather around the mother, praying for her well-being and seeing her suffering as a form of purification.
2. What does the mother’s reaction to the scorpion’s sting suggest about her character?
Answer: The mother’s reaction to the scorpion’s sting suggests her selflessness and maternal love. Despite her pain, she is grateful that the scorpion chose to sting her instead of her children, reflecting her protective and caring nature.
3. What are the themes and ideas explored in the poem?
Answer: The poem explores themes such as superstition versus rationality, maternal sacrifice, human compassion, and the coexistence of traditional and modern beliefs. It also touches on the themes of suffering, faith, and community solidarity.
4. Describe the use of language and vivid imagery by the poet.
Answer: The poet uses simple yet vivid language to create strong imagery. Descriptions like “giant scorpion shadows” and “endless rain” help paint a vivid picture of the scene. The use of metaphors and similes enhances the sensory experience and emotional impact of the poem.
5. How do the religious and cultural references in the poem contribute to its themes?
Answer: 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.
Answer these questions in detail
1. What according to you is the central theme of the poem? How does it develop in the poem?
Answer: According to me, the central theme of the poem is the clash between superstition and rationality, and the selfless nature of maternal love. This theme develops in the poem through the contrasting reactions of the villagers and the father to the scorpion sting. The villagers, driven by their superstitions, chant prayers and perform rituals to counter the poison, while the father tries various rational remedies. Despite the different approaches, both the villagers and the father aim to save the mother, highlighting the collective concern and solidarity of the community. The mother’s final reaction, thanking God that the scorpion picked her instead of her children, underscores the self-sacrificial nature of maternal love.
2. Comment on the poem’s use of various literary devices.
Answer: The poem employs various literary devices to enhance its themes and imagery. Metaphor and symbolism are used to convey deeper meanings, such as the scorpion representing evil or misfortune. The use of repetition, particularly in the villagers’ chants, emphasizes their desperate hope and faith. Enjambment is used to create a sense of urgency and continuity, reflecting the ongoing struggle against the poison. Assonance and alliteration add a musical quality to the poem, making it more engaging. The vivid imagery, such as “giant scorpion shadows” and “flame feeding on my mother,” brings the scene to life and evokes strong emotional responses from the reader.
3. How does the poem bring forth the strong sense of solidarity among the village folk of India?
Answer: The poem brings forth a strong sense of solidarity among the village folk of India through their collective response to the mother’s predicament. The villagers gather immediately upon hearing about the scorpion sting, bringing candles and lanterns, and chanting prayers together. Their unified effort to find the scorpion and their shared concern for the mother’s well-being demonstrate a deep sense of community and mutual support. 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.
Extra questions and answers
1. “I remember the night my mother was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours of steady rain had driven him to crawl beneath a sack of rice.”
(i) Who was stung by the scorpion?
Answer: The speaker’s mother.
(ii) What drove the scorpion to crawl beneath the sack of rice?
Answer: Ten hours of steady rain.
(iii) Where did the scorpion take refuge?
Answer: Beneath a sack of rice.
28. How does the poem depict the conflict between superstition and rationality?
Answer: The poem depicts the conflict between superstition and rationality through the reactions of the villagers and the father. The villagers rely on prayers and rituals, believing that the scorpion’s sting is linked to past sins and future redemption. They chant and perform rites, hoping to alleviate the mother’s suffering through divine intervention. In contrast, the father, a sceptic and rationalist, tries various practical remedies, including using paraffin and setting it alight. This juxtaposition highlights the tension between traditional beliefs and modern, scientific approaches to dealing with misfortune.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger. He manages Online Free Notes and reads Victorian literature. His favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and he hopes to travel the world. Get in touch with him by sending him a friend request.
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