Night of the Scorpion Summary "Night of the scorpion" is a poem that can be understood at two levels at one level, the poet describes how, on a rainy day the narrator's mother is bitten by a scorpion and what are the chain reactions to it. At another level, it depicts the India ethos and cultured richness through a simple incident and epitomizes the typical Indian motherhood which depicts sacrifice and affection. The narrator remembers the night when the scorpion had bitten his mother. The heavy rain had driven the scorpion to crawl under a sack of rice and unexpectedly had bitten his mother's toe; flashing its devilish tail and parting with its poison. The peasants or villages came into their hut "like swarms of flies" to sympathize with the family. The neighbours buzzed the name of god hoping to paralyse the scorpion as they believed that if the mother moved the poison would spread. They searched for the scorpion with candles and lanterns. They clicked their tongues that the mother's sufferings may decrease "the misfortunes of her next birth". They also prayed that the sum of evil may be balanced in this unreal world against the sum of good that she had done. They prayed that the poison would purify her of her desires and ambitions. All the people sat around, the mother in the centre, while she continued to groan and twist with pain, on the mat. The narrators father who was normally a rationalist and a practical man, also gave in to the superstitious beliefs of the villages and joined them in their cursing and praying then putting a mixture of powders and herbs on her toe, a little paraffin on the bite and lit it with a match - hoping to burn the poison away. The narrator saw his mother's toe on fire and must have felt afraid. A holy man, the priest, performed some rites' to probably tame the poison. Only after (20) twenty hours did the poison subside the mother was relieved of the pain, and thanked god that the scorpion bit her and spared her children. The poem thus brings out the mother's love and sacrificial thoughts - the maternal instinct, as well as beautifully describes the superstitions and ignorant practices followed by the villagers. The title of the poem thus is very deceptive, as it does not focus on the scorpion at all. By-- Raakaysh Kumar Shukla, Gorakhpur, UP, INDIA
ten hours of steady rain
I don't know but I hope it's against the law!
The poem the night of the scorpio was written in the early eighties which mainly deals with the feeling and minds of a tippical indian moter.
No, it does not turn into the scorpion.
No, a scorpion is an arachnid.
I think not.
The scorpion, which hid under the sack of rice due to the rain, stung the mother and then runs back into the rain to escape the villagers.
Kino heard a scorpion moving in the night.
The holy man used traditional remedies and chants to neutralize the poison in the night of scorpion poem. He performed rituals and incantations to help alleviate the pain and suffering of the scorpion's victim.
Yes, the title "Night of the Scorpion" is appropriate as it creates a sense of mystery and danger, which may be reflected in the content of the work it represents. It hints at a specific event or encounter that could be significant within the story.
This line from Nissim Ezekiel's poem "Night of the Scorpion" describes the frantic search for the scorpion on the mud-baked walls, highlighting the tension and urgency of the situation. Despite their efforts, the scorpion was not found, creating a sense of mystery and anticipation in the poem.
ten hours of steady rain
I don't know but I hope it's against the law!
to eat fish all night and jelley
The poem the night of the scorpio was written in the early eighties which mainly deals with the feeling and minds of a tippical indian moter.
when you are outside at night. they like to hide behind trees.
The superstitious villagers in Nissim Ezekiel's poem The Night Of The Scorpion exclaim that the sins of the flesh and soul of the stung woman in her present and past lives would be burned away in the intense pain that she suffered. Perhaps they were not superstitious. Pain cleanses mind.