Night Of The Scorpio1

NIGHT OF THE SCORPION NISSIM EZEKIEL Nissim Ezekiel was a Professor of English at the University of Mumbai. Ezekiel, one of the noted Indian English poets is often mentioned as a ‘poet of the city’. His best-known collections are A Time To Change, The Unfinished Man and Hymns In Darkness. Night of the scorpion’ poignantly describes a mother’s selfless love for her children as she, despite being bitten by a scorpion herself and narrowly escaping death, is grateful to the scorpion that it had spared her children. Imagery: Visual Images: Crawl beneath sack of rice. Flash of diabolic tail in the dark room Throwing giant scorpion shadows. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

Why did the Scorpion come inside the house? Where did she hide? Why does the poet refer to his tail as diabolic? What did the peasant attribute the mother’s suffering to ? Why did they want him to sit still? How had the poison entered the mother’s body? What good did the peasants hope the poison to do? Explain the phrase ”the peace of understanding” Why did the skeptic, rationalist, try every curse and blessing etc? What does it show? Why did the father pour a little paraffin and put a match on it? Why did the poet let the flame feed on his mother? What was the purpose of the holy man’s rites? What had happened twenty hours before? How did the mother pass these twenty hours? What do you understand about the mother from her utterance in the last two lines? Why are the peasants compared to swarm of flies? What does the word ‘buzz’ indicate? What is the Evil one? Who was trying to paralyze him? How? Lali Mathew M.A M.Ed

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Who brought those candles and lanterns? How were the giant scorpion shadows made? What could the suffering do according to them? Why does the poet call the world unreal? How are the candles, the lanterns and the neighbous connected? What had the insects and the endless rain done? Why did the mother twist and groan? What kind of a person was the father? Do you think his behaviour was in keeping with his nature and beliefs? Why or why not? Why did the scorpion crawl under a sack of rice? Explain ‘parting with is poison’ Give an example of visual imagery. Why did the peasants chant the name of God a hundred times? Give and example of sound imagery. Who were they looking for? Did they find him? Give one reason for your answer? Why did the people wish the scorpion sit still? How did the scorpion bite the mother? What was the reaction of the people? What does it tell about their character? The poet’s mother was writing in pain. How did the people try to comfort her? Diminished means ‘to become less’, what do they want to be diminished? According to the people how can poison do any good? Why has the word ’more’ been repeated? What does ‘endless’ rain mean? The poet’s mother lay groaning on a mat. How do the people react? Pick out the word, which shows that the poet’s father based his views on reason and logic? What all methods does he try to bring relief? What did the father finally do? Who poured paraffin upon the bitten toe? Why did he do so? Describe the feeling of the poet as he watched the flame feeding on his mother? Explain the meaning of incantation, why was it being done? How long did the poet’s mother suffer? Why did they click their tongue? Why did so many people visit the poet’s house? Why do the villagers pray for the poet’s mother? How will the sum of evil get diminished ?

Your passion will define your limit……..Strive for more.

52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84.

What kind of pain is the mother going through? How can poison lead to purification? Why does the poet use the word ‘hybrid’? What ideal do you form of the poet’s state of mind from these lines? Why had the holy man come to the poet’s house? What side of the mother’s character is revealed in the last lines? How did the villagers help the poet’s mother? What kind of people were the villagers? Why did they sit around the poet’s mother? What did the villagers believe about the effect of the movement made by the scorpion on the poet’s mother? What did the villagers want the scorpion to do? What did they pray for the poet’s mother? What did the poet’s father do the bitten toe of his wife? What is the peasant compared to and why? What did the villagers do to paralyze the evil one? Explain ‘I watched the flame feeding on my mother’. Describe the scene after the scorpion bit the poet’s mother. What is the first thing that the peasants did when they came into the house? According to the peasants, what would be the positive outcome of the mother’s suffering? What kind of a man was the father? Did he behave in accordance with his character? How did the father try to cure the mother? What is the poet’s memory of that fateful night? Why does the narrator compare the peasants to flies? What is the literary device used here? Do you think his behaviour was in keeping with his nature and beliefs What did the peasants do on coming to the narrator’s house? Why did the peasants buzz the name of God? What is the device used here? Where does the poet suggest the real world as? What do the neighbors have to say about the mother’s pain? Why? What is the poet’s father’s reaction? Was it contradictory to his nature? What was the mother’s first reaction on getting cured? What does this tell you about her character? What two messages does the poet try to convey through the poem? What was the result of his coming into the poet’s house? The poem brings out the manner in which the village people come together as one when there is at tragedy. Explain.

Lali Mathew M.A M.Ed

D.A.564 Sh.Bagh 27492907

9810312549

85.

The neighbours of the poet wanted to kill the scorpion. Why? Were they able to do so? 86. Why did the villagers pray for the mother? Their religious beliefs bring out the tenets of the basic Hindu Philosophy. How? 87. What were her first words when the ordeal was over? 88. ‘Night of Scorpion poignantly describes a mother’ selfless love. Explain. 89. What all do the villagers and the poet’s father do to decreases her pain. 90. Describe the poet’s feelings as he watches his mother groaning in pain. What are his views about his father? (80 words) 91. Examine the theme of the poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’ (80 words) 92. What does the poem tell you about the villagers who had gathered in the poet’s house? 93. Do you think the poet has merely described the scene or has commented upon it too? 94. How is the poem, a true expression of Indian sensibilities? 95. Why were the peasants looking for the scorpion? What was the result of their search? 96. What opinion do you form of the poet’s father after reading the poem? What did the villagers do to help the mother? 97. What does the reader think of the scorpion after reading the poem? 98. Bring out the philosophy underlying the peasant’s prayer. Your answer should not exceed 80 words. 99. The conclusion one comes to after a reading of the poem is that the poet was a child when this incident took place. Present evidences from the poem to show the same. (Expected word limit 80) 100. The mother of the poet ultimately recovers. According to you was it the result of the father’s treatment or the prayers? Present your views in 80 words.

Your passion will define your limit……..Strive for more.

Lali Mathew M.A M.Ed

D.A.564 Sh.Bagh 27492907

9810312549