NIOS Class 12 English: Chapter 18 Summary of Poem- ‘NIGHT of the SCORPION’

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Section 18.1 Summary of Poem by Nissim Ezekiel - ‘NIGHT of the SCORPION’

Nissim Ezekiel the poet of Night of the Scorpion remembers the dark rainy night at his house when his mother was stung by a scorpion.
Through this poem he describes how scorpion stung his mother and the mother՚s love for her children.
When poet՚s mother went to get rice, the scorpion that was already there had bit her by his tail and suddenly disappeared into rain.
Neighbours came to see his mother and stared prying for her that had created a picture of religious village.
They believe that as the scorpion moves, his poison moves in the blood of the mother.
Poet compares their neighbours with flies as they buzzed around his mother, he is little irritated with them as he gets far from his mother as they arrive.
From this we can get idea that they are living incurring and close-knit village where everyone is so helpful.
The villagers tried to find the scorpion to kill him but they could not able to find him.
They are so much involved in search of scorpion with candles and lanterns so their brain gave them false impression and they thinks the scorpion is still in the house as they show shadows of the various house hold utensils.
The poet feels helpless as hi cannot do anything and his mother՚s pain was increasing gradually.
The neighbours started to pray so that all the previous birth sins of his mother will be burnt and also decrease the suffering of the next birth.
Poet says that her mother՚s pain, rain and peoples in his hose was gradually increased.
Many things were tried by his father who is sceptic and rationalist; he tried all the possible powder, mixture, herb and many more. Because he believes in logic not in any kind of claims of religions.
His father also poured a little paraffin on the bitten toe and fires it to remove the poison.
One holy man from the neighbour also started his prayers and magic rites to control the effect of poison.
After suffering for 20 long hours, she thanked god that the scorpion had bitten her not her children or other family members.