Night of the Scorpion
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. After reading the poem, complete the following. What happens? There are three main parts of the poem. Do you know what they are about? The first one is done for you.
| Lines | What is happening ? |
|---|---|
| 1-7 | The scorpion comes into the home to escape the rain and stings the poet’s mother. |
| 8-33 | The peasants gather around the mother, chanting God’s name and offering prayers to reduce her pain and purify her soul, while the scorpion escapes. |
| 34-48 | The father tries rational remedies and the holy man performs rites; after 20 hours, the mother recovers and expresses relief that her children were spared. |
2. Complete the following tables.
(A) Background/Setting of the Poem
| Type | Rural |
|---|---|
| Evidence (Quote lines from the poem) | “on the mud-baked walls” (line 15), “the peasants came like swarms of flies” (line 8) – suggests a simple village setting. |
(B) Scorpion
| Trait Type | Evidence from the Poem |
|---|---|
| Timid |
|
| Dangerous |
|
(C) Imagery
| The Images | What the Images Suggest |
|---|---|
| “They came like swarms of flies” | Suggests the peasants arrived in large, chaotic numbers. |
| “They buzzed the name of God” | Implies a continuous, frantic chanting, like buzzing insects. |
| “They threw giant scorpion shadows on the mud-baked walls” | Shows their superstitious fear, projecting the scorpion’s threat. |
| “They clicked their tongues” | Indicates sympathy or frustration at the situation. |
3. Choose the correct alternative.
1. The child is afraid but admires:
- (c) the bravery of his mother.
2. His father and the villagers panic and hastily suggest:
- (c) religious remedies to help.
3. The poet seems to see the villagers as impractical and almost irritating which suggests that:
- (b) the poet is critical of religion.
4. This is a poem as it tells a story:
- (c) narrative.
5. Using the first person gives the feeling that it is told from:
- (a) personal experience.
6. ‘The scorpion picked on me. And spared my children’ depicts:
- (c) selfless and unconditional love of mother.
7. The poem does not have a rhyme scheme, which means the poem is a perfect example of a:
- (c) Free verse.
8. The poem is titled ‘Night of the Scorpion’, for, the major part of the poem:
- (b) the scorpion is the victor.
9. The peasants chant the name of God to:
- (a) nullify the stinging experience.
10. The click of tongues reflects their to the predicament:
- (b) collective response.
4. From the poem provide evidence for the following:
| Stages | Evidence (lines from the poem) |
|---|---|
| (a) The attempts by the peasants to help alleviate the mother’s pain | “buzzed the name of God a hundred times” (line 9), “May the poison purify your flesh” (line 25) |
| (b) The action of these same peasants to kill the scorpion | “they searched for him: he was not found” (line 17) |
| (c) The reaction of the rational father | “trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid” (line 37), “poured a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it” (line 39) |
| (d) The various superstitions versus the ‘scientific’ | Superstition: “May the sins of your previous birth be burned away tonight” (line 20) Scientific: “powder, mixture, herb and hybrid” (line 37) |
| (e) Evil versus good | “May the sum of all evil balanced in this unreal world against the sum of good become diminished by your pain” (lines 23-25) |
5. Read the poem and complete the table showing the qualities of the father and mother giving sufficient evidences from the poem.
| Character | Quality | Evidence (lines from the poem) |
|---|---|---|
| Father | Rational | “My father, sceptic, rationalist” (line 36) |
| Desperate | “trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid” (line 37) | |
| Mother | Selfless | “Thank God the scorpion picked on me And spared my children” (lines 47-48) |
| Enduring | “My mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat” (line 35) |
6. (A) Match the Figures of Speech with the correct definition.
| Figure of Speech | Definition |
|---|---|
| (1) Metaphor | (b) An implied comparison |
| (2) Alliteration | (a) The use of the same sound at the beginning of words |
| (3) Onomatopoeia | (d) A word which resembles the sound it represents |
| (4) Simile | (c) A comparison between two different things, especially a phrase, containing the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ |
(B) Find examples from the poem that contain:
- Simile: “The peasants came like swarms of flies” (line 8).
- Metaphor: “flash of diabolic tail” (line 6) – implies the tail is evil incarnate.
- Onomatopoeia: “buzzed the name of God” (line 9).
7. Expand the flow-chart in writing a paragraph in your own words.
The poem “Night of the Scorpion” portrays a mother’s intense suffering after being stung by a scorpion that sought shelter from ten hours of rain. She endures agony as the venom spreads through her body, fighting its effects silently. Unable to speak, she groans in pain, lying on a mat while villagers and her family attempt various remedies. Despite her torment, she battles the poison for twenty hours until it finally loses its sting. In the end, she survives and, with a heart full of gratitude, thanks God that the scorpion chose her instead of her children, showcasing her selfless love and resilience.
8. The poet has used various kinds of imagery to create an image which appeal to our senses. Pick out various kinds of imagery and complete the table.
Types of Imagery in Night of the Scorpion
| Imagery Type | Examples (with Line References) |
|---|---|
| Visual imagery (appealing to eyes) | (1) “Scorpion crawling beneath a sack of rice” (line 4) (2) “throwing giant scorpion shadows on the mud-baked walls” (line 15) |
| Tactile imagery (sense of touch) | (1) “Father pouring paraffin on the toe” (line 39) (2) “I watched the flame feeding on my mother” (line 40) |
| Sound imagery | (1) “buzzed the name of God” (line 9) (2) “They clicked their tongues” (line 18) |
| Internal sensations, feelings and emotions | (1) “fear” – implied in the child watching the mother’s suffering (line 40) (2) “peace of understanding on each face” (line 28) |
9. Write an appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format.
“Night of the Scorpion” by Nissim Ezekiel is a striking narrative poem that recounts a personal memory of the poet’s mother being stung by a scorpion. Written in free verse with no rhyme scheme, it uses vivid imagery and a first-person perspective to create an emotional and relatable experience. The poem begins with the scorpion’s sting after it seeks shelter from rain, followed by the frantic yet superstitious response of the peasants who chant prayers to counter the poison. In contrast, the poet’s rational father attempts scientific remedies, while the mother endures immense pain. The poem’s strength lies in its use of similes like “swarms of flies” and metaphors like “diabolic tail,” alongside sound imagery such as “buzzed” and “clicked.” It concludes with the mother’s selfless love shining through as she thanks God for sparing her children, leaving a lasting impression of maternal sacrifice and human resilience.9+
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