2. Nissim Ezekiel: “Night of the Scorpion”
About the Author: Nissim
Ezekiel was born on 16th December1924 in a Jewish family at Mumbai, Bombay Presidency of
British India and he died on 9th Jan. 2004 at the age of 79. Ezekiel was born in 1924 in Bombay. His
father taught botany at Wilson College, and his mother was the principal of a
school. He completed his graduation in 1947and he moved to England and studied
philosophy in London. He studied philosophy
at Birbeck College, London after sailing to England in 1948. He joined
The Illustrated Weekly of India in the post of an assistant editor in 1953. He
has also worked as a broadcaster on art and literature in All India Radio. He was the head of the department of English
from 1961 to 1972 at Mithibai College in Bombay. He was also a visiting
professor at University of Leeds in 1964 and University of Pondicherry in 1967.He married with Daisy Jacob
in the year 1952. He was
secretary of the Indian branch of the international writers' organisation PEN. He was the art critic of
The Times Of India (1964-66) and editor of The Poetry India(1966-67). He was
also the co-founder of the literary monthly Imprint. He has been awarded the prestigious
Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983.
His is considered the
most famous and influential Indian poet who wrote in English. He was a creative dramatist, critic,
broadcaster and social commentator. His poetry described love, loneliness,
lust, creativity and political pomposity, human foibles and the "kindred
clamour" of urban dissonance. In his writing career of poetry, Ezekiel published
(1924-2004) his first collection of poetry, The Bad Day in 1952 by Fortune
Press. Ezekiel co-founded the literary monthly, Jumpo in 1961 and became the
art critic of The Names of India. Major
works of Nissim Ezekiel: Case Study, Hymns In Darkness, Poster Prayers, Sixty Poems,
The Exact Name, The Night Of Scorpion, The Professor, The Third, The Three
Plays, The Unfinished Man, Time To Changed etc.
Introduction:
Nissim Ezekiel is a love-poet which is depicted by this poetry. In his poetry
he has dealt with variety of love-experience. He is essentially a poet with a
well-marked Indian sensibility. Being India he had firsthand knowledge of the
Indian which he depicted with the weapon of poetry. “Night of the Scorpion” was originally published in Ezekiel’s
1965 collection, “The Exact Name”. This displays a new and artistic talent in Ezekiel's poetry.
This
writing is considered with high praise due to its simple elocution, and full
explanation of difficult Indian concepts about tradition and culture. It brings forth the essence of human nature
and presents a real image of rustic India in contrast to the town, the position
of women in society, and other important themes of Indian society. The
poem begins with a remembrance of the time the poet’s mother was stung by a
scorpion and how the “diabolic” creature created a commotion and fear in his
home. In short, Nissim Ezekiel's poem 'Night of the Scorpion' describes the
reaction of the people when his mother was stung by a scorpion. They are quite
ignorant people who view the incident in their way. The poet wants to create
awareness in the minds of the reader of the ignorance and superstitions that
still have their grip on the minds of the masses of India. It is an attempt to
reform these ignorant and superstitious beliefs.
Summary: In this poem the poet Nissim Ezekiel tells a
story from his childhood in which his mother was bitten by a scorpion. The poem is about an event that the poet has
been haunted throughout his life. One night a scorpion bit his mother and all
the superstitious citizens of the village did illogical things rather than serving
and curing her. The poem exposes the superstitions that dominate the minds of
Indians. The poem has no rhyme scheme. It has eight stanzas with a different
number of lines.
The poem begins with a simple
declaration: "I remember the night my mother / was stung by a
scorpion". The scorpion had entered the speaker's home because it wanted
to hide from the rain. When it bit the speaker's mother, it was hiding beneath a
sack of rice. The superstitious villagers came to help his mother and
were united to sympathize with her pain. These superstitious villagers tried to
soothe her by striking another set of explanations about how the pain would rid
her of her sins from her previous life. The pain would help in making her next
birth more fortunate. They said that the scorpion poison would purify her blood
and make her free of worldly attachments. The speaker’s mother gained consciousness;
she broke the silence with a prayer to God. She was grateful to the almighty
for sparing her children from the excruciating sting. This depicts how much she
loved her children.
خلاصہ: نسیم حزقیل ایک عظیم عشقیہ شاعر ہے اور اس نے اپنی شاعری میں عملی طور پر ہر قسم کے عشق کے تجربے کو پیش کیا ہے۔ وہ بنیادی طور پر ہندوستانی حساسیت کے حامل شاعر ہیں۔ اسے ہندوستانی منظر کا خود علم تھا اور اس نے اسے کئی نظموں میں محسوس کیا ہے۔ وہ شہر کا رہنے والا تھا۔ وہ بدحالی، گندگی اور بدحالی، استحصال اور بدعنوانی نے بہت جلد چھو لیا۔"بچھو کی رات" اصل میں Ezekiel کے 1965 کے مجموعہ، The Exact Name میں شائع ہوئی تھی۔ اس ٹکڑے کو اس کی سادہ تقریر کی وجہ سے بہت زیادہ تعریف کے ساتھ سمجھا جاتا ہے، اور پھر بھی مشکل ہندوستانی تصورات کا سروے کرنے کی اس کی صلاحیت۔ یہ مغرب کی کالوسس کی موجودگی اور مہذب مشرقی پر اس کے اثرات کے درمیان جدلیاتی تصادم کے موضوع کو مرکوز کرتا ہے۔ نیز، یہ انسانی فطرت کے جوہر کو سامنے لاتا ہے اور قصبے، معاشرے میں خواتین کی حیثیت، اور ہندوستانی معاشرے کے دیگر اہم موضوعات کے برعکس دہاتی ہندوستان کی ایک حقیقی تصویر پیش کرتا ہے۔ یہ حزقیل کی شاعری میں ایک نئی اور فنکارانہ صلاحیتوں کو ظاہر کرتا ہے۔ اس نظم میں مقرر نے اپنے بچپن کی ایک کہانی سنائی ہے جس میں اس کی ماں کو بچھو نے کاٹا تھا۔ یہ نظم ایک ایسے واقعے کے بارے میں ہے جس کا شاعر اپنی زندگی بھر شکار رہا ہے۔ ایک رات ایک بچھو نے اس کی ماں کو کاٹ لیا اور گاؤں کے تمام توہم پرست شہریوں نے اس کی خدمت اور علاج کرنے کی بجائے غیر منطقی حرکتیں کیں۔ نظم ان توہمات کو بے نقاب کرتی ہے جو ہندوستانیوں کے ذہنوں پر حاوی ہیں۔ نظم میں شاعری کی کوئی اسکیم نہیں ہے۔ اس میں مختلف سطروں کے ساتھ آٹھ بند ہیں۔
نظم کا آغاز اس وقت کی یاد سے ہوتا ہے جب شاعر کی والدہ کو بچھو نے ڈنک مارا تھا اور کس طرح "شیطانی" مخلوق نے اس کے گھر میں ہنگامہ اور خوف پیدا کیا تھا۔ نظم کا آغاز ایک سادہ بیان سے ہوتا ہے: "مجھے وہ رات یاد ہے جب میری ماں کو بچھو نے ڈنک مارا تھا"۔ بچھو سپیکر کے گھر میں گھس گیا تھا کیونکہ وہ بارش سے چھپنا چاہتا تھا۔ جب اس نے اسپیکر کی ماں کو کاٹا تو وہ چاول کی بوری کے نیچے چھپا ہوا تھا۔ توہم پرست دیہاتی اس کی ماں کی مدد کے لیے آئے اور اس کے درد پر ہمدردی کے لیے متحد ہو گئے۔ ان توہم پرست دیہاتیوں نے اسے ایک اور وضاحت کے ذریعے تسلی دینے کی کوشش کی کہ کس طرح درد اسے اس کی پچھلی زندگی کے گناہوں سے نجات دلائے گا۔ درد اس کی اگلی پیدائش کو مزید خوش قسمت بنانے میں مدد کرے گا۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ بچھو کا زہر اس کے خون کو صاف کرے گا اور اسے دنیاوی لگائو سے آزاد کر دے گا۔ مقرر کی والدہ کو ہوش آیا۔ اس نے خدا سے دعا کے ساتھ خاموشی توڑی۔ وہ اپنے بچوں کو اذیت ناک ڈنک سے بچانے کے لیے اللہ تعالیٰ کی شکر گزار تھی۔ اس سے ظاہر ہوتا ہے کہ وہ اپنے بچوں سے کتنی محبت کرتی تھی۔ مختصراً، نسیم حزقیل کی نظم 'بچھو کی رات' لوگوں کے ردعمل کو بیان کرتی ہے جب اس کی ماں کو بچھو نے ڈنک مارا تھا۔ یہ بالکل جاہل لوگ ہیں جو اس واقعے کو اپنی نظر سے دیکھتے ہیں۔ شاعر قاری کے ذہنوں میں ان جہالتوں اور توہمات کے بارے میں بیداری پیدا کرنا چاہتا ہے جو ہندوستان کے عوام کے ذہنوں پر ابھی تک اپنی گرفت میں ہیں۔ یہ ان جاہلانہ اور توہم پرستانہ عقائد کی اصلاح کی کوشش ہے۔
Explanation and Analysis:
1- stanza: The
poem begins with the nostalgia of a dreadful event in the childhood of the poet
when his mother was tingled by a scorpion. The poet brings out the inevitable
condition in which the insect had come into contact with the mother. One night
the scorpion had entered the
speaker's home. The rains had swamped the nests of the insect, and thus
to save itself, it hid under a sack of rice. When the mother had gone there to
fetch rice, the scorpion was afraid and wants to save its life and in it had
stung the mother in self-protection. The hurt was fast, and the insect ran
away, but the news brought more pain in the form of the villagers.
2-Stanza: In
this stanza the poet says that after biting his mother with its dreadful tail
the scorpion went back to rain outside again. The poet here confirms compassion
as well as rage towards the scorpion. He is angry when he talks about its
biting and sympathetic when he talks about it’s going to rain again.
3-Stanza: The villagers came to help the women
and were united to sympathize with her pain. These villagers tried their best
to calm her by remarkable explanations about how the pain would rid her of her
sins from her previous life. Some people
said that the more the scorpion moves, the quicker the poison would spread in
the body of the victim. In fact, the villagers actually take their candles and
lanterns to search for the Scorpion. From this assumption, the people soon
moved onto philosophy, wherein the metaphysical scale of universe acts of
redemption balances sins.
4- stanza:
These villagers tried to soothe her by striking another set of explanations
about how the pain would rid her of her sins from her previous life. The pain
would help in making her next birth more fortunate. They said that the scorpion
poison would purify her blood and make her free of worldly attachments. The villagers begin searching
for the scorpion because they believe that the poison spreads across the body
with the movement of scorpion so if the latter is stopped and paralysed, the
poison effect can also be controlled. But the father was
very much a rational man who, instead of taking the mother to a
doctor, actually tries various herbs and medicines to get rid of the
poison. In fact, he burns the toe of the mother.
5-Stanza:
Having failed in finding the scorpion, they begin giving their own
interpretation to the biting of the scorpion. Some of them said that his
mother’s sins which she committed in her previous birth have been forgiven. The
others assumed that she is going to die and said that the pain that she is
suffering from will decrease the troubles in her next birth. Some others put
forward that her good deeds will be balanced against her bad deeds because of
the bite of the scorpion.
6-Stanza: These superstitious villagers tried
to soothe her by striking another set of explanations about how the pain would
rid her of her sins from her previous life. Some others said that the
poison will clean and revive her flesh of desire and her spirit of ambition. All of them seemed to be in
peace because of their thoughts.
7-Stanza: In this stanza the mother is
however crying and rolling on the mat with brutal pain but nobody cares for her
apart from for his father who is a sceptic and rationalist. He leaves no stone unturned to
cure her. He
did not share the views of the inexperienced villagers. Hence, he applied
powder, mixture and herbs to the bitten spot. He also poured paraffin and put a
match to it. He did stand for reason unlike all others on the scene. He poured a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and then fires it up. The poet
watches the flames of fire burning on the skin of his mother.
8-
Stanza: The last stanza is somewhat exciting and heart touching. It
reflects the motherliness of a woman. The poet says that after getting better
from the poison, his mother’s words were ‘Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared
my children’. Even in such condition, his mother remains
more fretful about the security and wellbeing of her children.
Literary/
Poetic
Devices: There are many literary or poetic devices used in
this pome. Some of the important ones are:
Alliteration:
In this some sounds are repeated at the
beginning of words or phrases. Some of
the alliteration words/phrases in the pome are as: "my
mother",
"stung by a scorpion", "Parting
with his poison",
"risked the rain", "scorpion
shadows",
"sit still", "birth/be
burned",
"poison purify", "herb
and hybrid",
"poured a little paraffin", "flame
feeding".
Assonance: It is the repetition of the vowel sounds in a
verse or sentence. In this poem some
assonance words/ phrases are: "candles and with
lanterns",
"mother's blood", "he
sit still",
"mother in
the centre".
Symbolism:
In this
pome are used different symbols some important ones are: The
"rain" is symbolic of the constant pain of mother. The
"shadows," cast on sun-baked walls that took the form of a scorpion,
indicate hidden presence of an evil force. The
"peasants" represent the agricultural nature of pastoral
India.
Onomatopoeia: It is used for words
having sounds similar to the noises they create. There are many onomatopoeia
words used in the pome as : "and buzzed the
name of God a
hundred times", "They clicked their tongues.",
"more insects,
and the endless rain.", My mother twisted through
and through/ groaning on a mat."
Metaphor: It refers directly one thing by mentioning
another thing. In the whole pome the
scorpion is referred to by the
words "diabolic" and "Evil One” as metaphor.
Simile: It is
comparing two unlike things which are mostly compared by ‘like’ or ‘as’.
In this
pome it is used as: "The peasants came like swarms
of flies."
Rhyme Scheme & Form: This poem is in free
verse having 8-stanzas and 47 lines. There is no definite rhyme
scheme.
Text of the
Night of the Scorpion
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.
Parting with his poison - flash
of diabolic tail in the dark room -
he risked the rain again.
The peasants came like swarms of flies
and buzzed the name of God a hundred times
to paralyse the Evil One.
With candles and with lanterns
throwing giant scorpion shadows
on the mud-baked walls
they searched for him: he was not found.
They clicked their tongues.
With every movement that the scorpion made his poison moved in Mother's blood,
they said.
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.
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.
More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,
more insects, and the endless rain.
My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother.
I watched the holy man perform his rites to tame the poison with an
incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
And spared my children.
Difficult words/ Glossary
stung : bite.
steady : Constant
diabolic : Showing wickedness typical of a devil
peasants : farmers, Villagers
buzzed: To whisper
paralyse :
to make somebody unable to move or feel all or part
lantern: a light inside a
transparent container with a handle for carrying it
diminished : to become smaller
groaning: moan, making unpleasant sound
sceptic : Someone who is undecided as to what is true and
enquires after facts
paraffin : oil with a
strong smell used as fuel
rite : ceremony, ritual
rationalist : Logical, a person who bases their opinions and actions
on reason and knowledge
rather than on religious belief or
emotional response
groaning : a mournful sound conveying pain or grief
sceptic : one who doubts general beliefs
rationalist: a person who believes in reason and knowledge than
opinion and belief
incantation:
the chanting of special words spoken or sung to have magical effect
Paraphrase of the poem
A scorpion pierces the poet’s house
on a raining night and conceals under a sack of rice. The scorpion hurts his
mother.
Soon, the villagers come forward to
help her. The villagers come like swarms of flies. They search the scorpion
with candles and lanterns but in vain. The poet’s mother cries with pain.
The peasants snap their tongues. Upon
seeing the pain of the woman, the villagers relate her pain with her earlier
birth. They pray that the sins of her previous birth might blaze away.
The number of footfalls raises, but
the pain does not reduce. There appear more candles, more lanterns, more
neighbors, more insects, and endless rain. The pain of the mother also
increases.
Apart from them, the poet’s father
applies medicinal substances to her toe. A holy man also performs his rites to treat
her. She gets relief after twenty hours. As the pain falls down, she thanks God
the scorpion picked her and secured her children.
Textual Questions
Comprehension
A. Answer the following
in a single word, phrase or sentence.
1. Where was the scorpion in the poem?
Ans. The
scorpion was in the speaker’s house under a sack of rice.
2. What are the peasants compared to?
Ans. Peasansts are compared
to ‘swarms of flies’.
3. Who is the 'Evil One?
Ans. In the poem
scorpion is the
‘Evil One’.
4. What is the ‘peace of understanding' referred to?
Ans. ‘Peace of Understanding’
referred to ‘calmness of speaker’s neighbors’.
5. How long did for the poison to lose ‘its sting’?
Ans. The poison takes to lose ‘its sting’ twenty hours.
6. What drove the scorpion to hide under sack of rice?
Ans. In the outside there was ‘Steady
rain’ drove the scorpion to hide under sack of rice.
7. What do the peasants try to do once they came into
the home?
Ans. They give their superstitious and illogical reasons about mother’s pain.
8. What did the peasants say happened with every
movement that the scorpion made?
Ans. Peasants say relate the pain of mother with
the movement of the scorpion.
B. Answer the following
in about 150 words each.
1. At one point the peasants sit around the speaker's
mother with the peace of understanding on each face. Explain the circumstances
that must have lent themselves to this attitude.
Ans. The neighboring
peasants sit around the speaker’s mother with the peace of understanding on
each face. All of them have come out of their house to the house of narrator
when his mother was stung by a scorpion. They show sympathy for the narrator's
mother in her pain. They wished that scorpion might sit still so that the
poison might not spread in her body. This is the main reason they sit around
her with the peace of understanding one each face. They prayed that her body
and soul might be purified of all desires so she might get happiness in her
next birth. They chanted the name of God again and again in order to end the
effect of the scorpion's sting. The scorpion was a devil that could be rendered
ineffective only by this method, they thought. Then they planned another device
to relieve the woman's pain. They began to search for the scorpion in order to
kill it. These are the circumstances that must have lent the peasants to this
attitude.
2. Bring out the Indianness of the poem by referring
to particular words and images used by the poet.
Ans. In his poems is the
Indian culture or the theme of Indianness most dominant in theme as well as in
structure. All members of the society such as villagers, father and son helps
the women in their way like Indian people help each other. Firstly the speaker or poet himself is the
devoted son of the Indian soil who depicts the painful incident of her mother
in the form of poem and makes this incident memorable for all.
There
are the peasants, who are represented as a collective mass of India. They are
believers of the Hindu concepts like “previous birth” and “afterlife” along
with the spiritual purification process through suffering. They come running
like swarms of bees. They are superstitious people but their hearts are full of
true sympathy. Their beliefs and views are typically Indian. Their sympathetic
hearts are also typical Indian. The holy man trying to tame the poison reflects
the typical Indian priest.
The
father was a loving and care taker for her wife like and serves her wife like a
good Indian husband. He is an educated man. He made use of paraffin and burning
match stick to destroy the effect the scorpion's sting.
We
also get a picture of Indian motherhood in the main character or protagonist of
the poem i.e. mother. After having suffered the pain of sting for twenty-four
hours, the mother is thankful to God that only she has suffered and her
children are safe.
3. How does the poet transform the ordinary event of a
woman being stung by a scorpion into a subject for poetry? Consider the role of
the peasants in the light of this.
Ans. On the surface
level the story of the poem is an ordinary event of a woman being stung by a
scorpion which is transformed by the poet as a subject for his poetry. It
narrates the story of a rainy night in a village when the narrator's mother
(child's mother) is bitten by a scorpion. In this poem the peasants have played most
important role in all respects.
The peasants or villagers come to
know that the narrator's mother has been stung by a scorpion. They come running
like swarms of bees. They are superstitious people but their hearts are full of
true sympathy. Their beliefs and views are typically Indian. They show sympathy
for the narrator's mother in her pain. They wished that scorpion might sit
still so that the poison might not spread in her body. This is the main reason
they wanted to find the scorpion. They prayed that her body and soul might be
purified of all desires so she might get happiness in her next birth.
At a deeper level, the poem presents a
fascinating world of illiterate and superstitious peasants who are sincere to
the core and full of sympathy.
C. Answer the following
in about 300 words each.
1. Superstition acts as the base of the experience
described in "The Night of the Scorpion: Examine this attitude against the
rationality of the father in the poem.
Ans. Nissim Ezekiel’s poem
“The Night of the Scorpion” is one the most significant poems in the complete length
of Indian English poetry about superstition. The poem highlights superstition elements
loaded in Indian society in a manner that is at once separated and interesting.
The poem can be read as an enlightening study in Indian culture which frequently
flourishes on superstitions. This Superstition acts as the base of the
experience described by Ezekiel in his poem
"The Night of the Scorpion”.
The poem exposes the superstitions that dominate the minds of
Indians. The poet narrates in this poem the
superstition incident which happened with his mother when she was bite by a
scorpion. All the villagers came out of their homes to help her. The way the
villagers crowded the house takes us back to the conventional business life of
the Indian villagers. According to this poem the modern scientific treatment
was till that time not known to the villagers.
The poem begins
with a remembrance of the time when the poet’s mother was stung by a scorpion
and the way her stung by the scorpion was related with different superstation
things. The scorpion had entered the speaker's home because it wanted
to hide from the rain. When it bit the speaker's mother, it was hiding beneath
a sack of rice. The superstitious villagers came to help his mother and
were united to sympathize with her pain. These superstitious villagers tried to
soothe her by striking another set of explanations about how the pain would rid
her of her sins from her previous life. The pain would help in making her next
birth more fortunate. They said that the scorpion poison would purify her blood
and make her free of worldly attachments. The speaker’s mother gained
consciousness; she broke the silence with a prayer to God. She was grateful to
the almighty for sparing her children from the excruciating sting. This depicts
she was also superstation and she thinks that if the scorpion has not bitten
her, he may have then bitten her children.
The
father of the speaker or husband of the woman was a rationalist. He did not
share the views of the inexperienced villagers. Hence, he applied powder,
mixture and herbs to the bitten spot. He also poured paraffin and put a match
to it. He did stand for reason unlike all others on the scene.
2. Through the actions and the behavior of the
peasants, Ezekil evokes a whole world of myth and philosophy. Discuss this.
Ans.: Myth gives the answer the fundamental aspects of tradition and beliefs,
while as Philosophy gives the
answer to the fundamental nature of knowledge and reality. India is a land of superstitions. The
educated classes may be rational but by and large we are a tradition bound and
superstitious society. The major portion of the villagers believes more upon
the myths than on the philosophy. The peasants were rooted in a philosophy of superstition,
which Ezekil wants to evoke a whole world of myth and philosophy through the
actions and the behavior of the peasants. The peasants who ran to the house of the lady
stung by a scorpion believed in a philosophy of superstitions. They thought
that the pain of scorpion's poison would purify mother's soul and help her in
the next world. They also said that it would reduce the sum of evil in this
world. All these were mere superstitions. The child's father is a rationalist.
He tries to apply some herb to the lady’s toe. He makes use of paraffin to burn
the stung portion away. His approach to the sting of the scorpion is rational.
The reactions of peasants are based on superstition. The approach of the
child's father is rational. Through this poem Elizel wants to inform us that
most of the villagers in India are superstitious and they believe more upon the
myths than upon the philosophy which is depicted by him through the actions and
the behavior of the peasants. The educated classes have got rid of superstition
and their approach to such situations is rational. The poet seems to be
criticising superstitious villagers. He has pity for the innocent and ignorant
people. He wants Indian society to get rid of these meaningless superstitions.
There are some glimpses of philosophy
also in Indian villages which is represented by father in the poem. The father
was a sceptic and make true use of philosophy. He is an educated man. He was
free from any kind of superstitions. He believed in the power of medicines to
cure a wound or sting. So he made use of the suitable medicines for the
affected toe of his wife. He made use of paraffin and burning match stick to
destroy the effect the scorpion's sting.
Additional Important
Questions
Q. 1. Why did the peasants want to find the scorpion?
Ans. The neighboring
peasants came crowding to the house of narrator when his mother was stung by a
scorpion. They show sympathy for the narrator's mother in her pain. They wished
that scorpion might sit still so that the poison might not spread in her body.
This is the main reason they wanted to find the scorpion. They prayed that her
body and soul might be purified of all desires so she might get happiness in
her next birth. They uttered the God a hundred times for this purpose. They are
compared to swarm flies.
The
villagers prayed that the pain of the scorpion bite, suffered the mother might
decrease evil in the world. They wished that her s might be free from all
ambitions. Every one of them was convinced the narrator's mother was suffering
because of some sin of her previous birth. The views expressed by the peasants
were the result of the superstitious beliefs. To a logical mind, such belief is
irrational.
Q. 2. What impression do you form of the child's
father and the villagers? Whose attitude do you find more viable?
Ans. The child's father was a
sceptic as well as a rationalist. He is an educated man. He was free from any
kind of superstitions. He believed in the power of medicines to cure a wound or
sting. So he made use of the suitable medicines for the affected toe of his
wife. He made use of paraffin and burning match stick to destroy the effect the
scorpion's sting. The villagers were illiterate. They did not believe in
medical treatment for the sting of the scorpion. They were prisoners of their
Superstitions. They believed that if the scorpion was stopped from moving
about, the pain of the lady would be brought under control. So he ignorant
villagers started looking for the scorpion. They wanted to kill the Scorpion.
The villagers chanted God's name a hundred times to immobilize the scorpion.
Then with candles and lanterns in their hands they tried to trace out the
scorpion. They could not find it. Then they clicked their tongues in despair.
They said that with every movement that the scorpion made, his poison would
move in Mother's blood. They were in the grip of superstitions. The father's
attitude is more viable than that of the villagers. While the father is an
enlightened man and a rationalist, the villagers are ignorant people.
Q. 3. Examine the use of parallelism and contrast by
the poet in order to juxtapose the rationalism represented by father with the
beliefs of the peasants.
Ans. Parallelism is the state
or quality of being parallel. Or it is correspondence in form and ideas.
Juxtaposition means putting side by side. The poem is the story of a scorpion
bitting a child's mother. There are two parallel and contrasted ways of looking
at the bite and offering a cure for it. The peasants in the neighborhood learnt
about a woman having been stung by a scorpion. They came to the woman to
express their sympathy and to relieve her of her pain. They chanted the name of
God again and again in order to end the effect of the scorpion's sting. The
scorpion was a devil that could be rendered ineffective only by this method,
they thought. Then they planned another device to relieve the woman's pain.
They began to search for the scorpion in order to kill it. According to a
general belief, with every movement of the scorpion, the poison injected by it
into the woman's blood through its sting would also move and would increase her
pain. Then they all wished that the scorpion should remain motionless wherever
it was. They also expressed the wish that the sins which this woman had
committed in her previous life should be burned away that night by the pain of
the sting. Furthermore the pain which she was suffering that night she will
have to undergo in her next life. The peasants also expressed the wish that the
woman's pain reduce the sum total of evil in this world which is unreal. They
express the wish that the poison should rid the woman and should also free her
of all worldly ambitions. The peasants could not locate the scorpion. The woman
in meantime continued to suffer till the pain came to an end after hours. On
the other side, the child's father was a man with a scientific attitude to
life. He did not share the views of the peasants who superstitious. He applied
a herb to his wife's toe. He even poured little paraffin over the affected
flesh. He applied a burning candle order to burn away the sting from the
woman's bitten toe. The poet has tried to paint the contrasted attitudes of the
peasants were and the child's father to a scorpion sting suffered by a woman.
The peasants were superstitious in their approach to the cure of the sting. The
child's father was a rationalist. The parallelism of the two attitudes is very
nicely contrasted in the poem.
Q. 4. Describe the use of multiple perspectives in the
poem in order to make an all inclusive statement about the human situation.
Ans. A perspective is a
particular way of thinking about or viewing something, especially one that is
influenced by your beliefs or experiences. On the surface the poem tells the
simple story of a rainy night. The narrator's mother is stung by a scorpion. When
the villagers come to know of it, they come running to her. They try to trace
the scorpion and also pray for the narrator's mother. The narrator's father
treats the woman in a rational way. He applies some herb to her toe. He tries
to burn the stung toe with paraffin.
But
it is not merely a simple story of a scorpion bite. The poet has presented
multiple perspectives. He has tried to mirror the whole tone and sensibility of
the Indian society. Though set in a small village, the poet tells us about
various shades of Indian thought and philosophy. We have superstitious but
sympathetic villagers, the sceptical and rational father, the self sacrificing
Indian mother, a holy man trying to tame poison with an incantation, and the
popular belief that this world is unreal and that our sufferings purify our
soul. In fact, this poem is a true reflection of the multiple perspectives
through which Indian sensibility is reflected.
The
peasants or villagers come to know that the narrator's mother has been stung by
a scorpion. They come running like swarms of bees. They are superstitious
people but their hearts are full of true sympathy. Their beliefs and views are
typically Indian. Their sympathetic hearts are also typical Indian. The holy
man trying to tame the poison reflects the typical Indian priest. The poet's
father represents the rational outlook of educated classes. We also get a
picture of Indian motherhood. After having suffered the pain of sting for
twenty-four hours, the mother is thankful to God that only she has suffered and
her children are safe. Thus the poem has presented multiple perspectives of a
minor incident.
Q. 5. Will it be correct to say that the Indian
society is a true expression of Indian society and sensibility?
Ans. It is easy to read this
poem at two different levels. On the surface level, it narrates the story of a
rainy night in a village when the narrator's mother (child's mother) is bitten
by a scorpion. Her husband and the villagers try to lessen the sufferings of
the victim till she recovers the next day and thanks God for sparing her
children. At a deeper level, the poem presents a fascinating world of
illiterate and superstitious rural folk who are sincere to the core and full of
sympathy.
It
is common knowledge that superstitious people believe in some of the old
traditions and they believe some magical formulas for treating a disease or
ailment: 'Educated people in the country are rational. Through a very simple
incident, the poet has mirrored the entire tone and sensibility of Indian
society.' It covers all aspects of Indian thought and philosophy. We have
superstitious peasants, the sceptical and rational father, the self sacrificing
Indian mother, a holy man trying to tame poison with an incantation, and the
popular belief that this world is unreal and that our sufferings purify our
soul. As a matter of fact, this poem is a true reflection of Indian
sensibility. It is about India and the way in which Indians (both illiterate
and educated) conduct themselves in moments of physical pain.
Q6. Write a short note on the story of the poem.
Ans.: The author's
mother was once stung by a scorpion on a rainy night when the creature had come
and settled under the sack of rice. Farmers from nearby places came and tried
to ward off the evil by reciting the name of God a hundred times. They searched
for the scorpion with the help of lanterns and candles but failed to find it.
They said that the poison moved in the blood of the mother with the movement of
the scorpion. They also said that the sting of the scorpion would wash away the
sins of her previous birth and that it would reduce her sufferings in the next
birth. It had the power to purify her flesh and her spirit. They sat in a
circle with the mother in the centre where she cried with pain sitting on a
mat.
The
author's father was even more superstitious. He tried all sorts of magic spells
and drugs to relieve the mother of the effect of the sting He even put a little
kerosene oil at the toe of the mother and set it to fire among chanting of
certain charms to lessen the effect of the poison. At last, after twenty hours
the effect of the sting ended. Then the mother thanked God that the scorpion
had stung her and not her children.
Q7. What is the message of the poem Night of
the Scorpion?
Ans.: The message of the
poem "The Night of the Scorpion" is the effort of the father and the
peasants to save the mother from the effect of the poison of scorpion.
Q8.What is the Theme of the poem?
Ans. There are different
themes of the poem and some important ones are discussed below:
Theme of Faith and Superstition: This
poem can be understood in the context of Indian culture, which frequently
builds its foundation on faith and superstitions. The peasants or the
villagers, who came to extend their helping hands for the mother, started
buzzing the name of God. They were in search of the scorpion in hopes of
paralyzing the devilish creature. They also believed that with every movement
of the scorpion, the poison would move in the mother’s blood causing her more
pain. The villagers believed that the mother was only getting rid of her sins
from her previous life.
Indianness and Motherly love: In his poems is the Indian culture or the
theme of Indianness most dominant in theme as well as in structure. Firstly,
there are the peasants, who are represented as a collective mass. They are
believers of the Hindu concepts like “previous birth” and “afterlife” along
with the spiritual purification process through suffering. They were of the
view that the sting would purify the mother’s body and help her get rid of
normal human instincts. Secondly, Ezekiel introduces the father who was more
rational in his ways. He employed both traditional and scientific methods in
order to pacify his ailing wife.
Lastly, there is the traditional “silent
mother,” who thank God
the scorpion picked on her and secured her children. Even in such condition like
other Indian mother’s remains more fretful about the security and wellbeing of
her children. This
is the characteristic trait of an Indian mother, idealized in Indian culture as
a dutiful, selfless, and devout woman. Whatsoever, a mother continues to love, regardless
of the cultural context. She loves in a way she would.
Q9. Write a short note on the irony or ironical
elements in the poem.
Ans.: Ezekiel draws
upon irony and contrast to explore the conflict between superstition and
reason. The irony of the whole poem consists in what the peasants did to cure
the woman and what they should actually have done. The streak /note of this
irony run through the images of the good and the evil, the images of light and
darkness, and the juxtaposition of belief and reason. It should, however, be
noted that the poet takes a perfectly detached view of the situation. Just as
he does not satirize those who are superstitious, so also he does not admire
the one who stands for reason. He only views the situation as an onlooker. If
he does anything, he only casts an ironical smile, as an onlooker, on one of
the ever-so-common incidents within his society that feeds on superstitions.
Ironically, however, all his treatment also proved useless.
Q10. Identify the Literary Devices used in the poem?
Ans.
I.
Alliteration - stung by a scorpion, Parting with
his poison, diabolic tail in the dark, risked the rain, poison purfiy, through
and through, poured a little paraffin, flame feeding.
II.
Antonyms - previous/next, evil/good,
sceptic/rationalist, curse/blessing.
III.
Assonance - candle/lantern, buzzed/hundred,
Mother's blood.
IV.
Metaphor - scorpion is the Evil One.
V.
Simile - like swarms of flies.
Q11. Who are the two main characters in the
poem Night of the Scorpion?
Ans. Mother and children are the two main characters in the night
of the scorpion poem.
Q12.What is the mood of the poem Night of the
Scorpion?
Ans.The poem is reflective; it also has a religious
and superstitious background and an underlying message of motherly love.
Q13.Identity the Symbols used in
the poem.
Ans. In “Night of the Scorpion,”
Ezekiel makes use of symbols to represent different ideas and thoughts. The
“rain” pouring steadily throughout adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the poem.
The “rain” is symbolic of the constant pain of the mother. The “shadows,” cast
on sun-baked walls that took the form of a scorpion, indicate the hidden
presence of an evil force. “Shadows,” as a motif, are often associated with a
fear of the unknown that is in the backdrop of the poem. The “peasants”
represent the agrarian nature of rural India. They are also symbolic of a
closely-knit community. The father’s use of every “curse and blessing” and
different natural remedies like “powder, mixture, herb and hybrid” to cure the
scorpion sting are symbolic of traditional healing techniques some of which
still persist.
Q14. Depict the images used in
the poem.
Ans. Imagery, as a literary device, helps readers
form a mental image evoking the five senses. There are majorly four types of
imagery present in the poem that include:
I.
Visual Imagery: This kind of imagery invokes the sense of vision. The poem
is based entirely upon the retrospective visualization of a childhood incident.
In order to paint the scenes, Ezekiel makes use of this type of imagery. For
instance, he depicts how the scorpion stung his mother in the line, “flash/ of
diabolic tail in the dark room.” He also uses visual images in “throwing giant
scorpion shadows,” “I watched the flame feeding on my mother,” etc.
II.
Tactile Imagery: This kind of imagery invokes the sense of touch. It is
used in “My mother twisted through and through,” “He even poured a little
paraffin/ upon the bitten toe,” and “I watched the flame feeding on my mother.”
III.
Auditory Imagery: This kind of imagery is associated with the sense of
hearing. For instance, the lines “buzzed the name of God a hundred times” and
“They clicked their tongues” appeal to readers’ sense of hearing. Ezekiel uses
the scheme of traditional chants in lines 18 through 29.
IV.
Kinesthetic Imagery: This kind of imagery depicts movements. For instance, the
stealthy movement of the scorpion is recorded in “to crawl beneath a sack of
rice.” The way it stung the poet’s mother is depicted in “Parting with his
poison—flash/ of diabolic tail in the dark room.”
Language
Activity
Pronunciation
Vowel sounds: Vowels in English are produced with a
relatively open vocal tract, allowing for unrestricted airflow. There are
several vowel sounds in English, categorized based on tongue position, lip
rounding, and tension. The English language typically has around 15 vowel sounds,
but this can vary depending on accent and dialect. Vowels can be short or long,
and they play a crucial role in determining word stress and pronunciation.
Vowel Sounds:
1. /i/: E (e.g., see), I (e.g., like), Y (e.g., happy)
2. /ɪ/: I (e.g., sit)
3. /eɪ/: A (e.g., day), E (e.g., say), Y (e.g., way)
4. /ɛ/: A (e.g., pen), E (e.g., bed)
5. /æ/: A (e.g., cat)
6. /ɑ/: A (e.g., father), O (e.g., car)
7. /ɔ/: O (e.g., dog)
8. /oʊ/: O (e.g., boat)
9. /ʊ/: U (e.g., put)
10. /u/: U (e.g., boot), OO (e.g., soon)
11. /ə/: A (e.g., about), E (e.g., mother), I (e.g.,
pencil), O (e.g., lemon), U (e.g., circus), Y (e.g., happy)
12. /ɝ/: ER (e.g., bird), IR (e.g., first), UR (e.g.,
hurt)
13.
/ɚ/: ER (e.g., water), IR (e.g., better), UR (e.g., occur)
Vowel Classification by Position and Duration
Front Vowels:
Short:
/ɪ/ (sit) , /e/ (bed),
/æ/ (cat); Long:
/iː/ (see)
Central Vowels: Short: /ʌ/ (cup) , /ə/
(about); Long: /ɜː/ (bird)
Back Vowels: Short: /ɒ/
(hot), /ʊ/ (put); Long: /ɑː/
(father), /ɔː/ (saw), /uː/ (blue)
Classification of English Vowel Sounds
1. Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
Short
Vowels:
|
Sound |
Example |
Tongue Position |
|
/ɪ/ |
Sit |
Front |
|
/e/ |
Bed |
Front |
|
/æ/ |
Cat |
Front |
|
/ʌ/ |
Cup |
Central |
|
/ə/ |
About |
Central |
|
/ɒ/ |
Hot |
Back |
|
/ʊ/ |
Put |
Back |
Long
Vowels:
|
Sound |
Example |
Tongue Position |
|
/iː/ |
See |
Front |
|
/ɑː/ |
Father |
Back |
|
/ɔː/ |
Saw |
Back |
|
/ɜː/ |
Bird |
Central |
|
/uː/ |
Blue |
Back |
Chart for vowels with examples:
|
Phonetic Symbol |
Initial Example |
Medial Example |
Final Example |
|
/æ/ |
Apple |
Cat |
(rare) |
|
/ɛ/ |
Elephant |
Bed |
(rare) |
|
/ɪ/ |
Ink |
Sit |
City |
|
/ɒ/ |
octopus |
(rare) |
(rare) |
|
/ʊ/ |
(rare) |
Book |
(rare) |
|
/ɑː/ |
Arm |
Father |
(rare) |
|
/iː/ |
Eat |
Meet |
See |
|
/uː/ |
Ooze |
Food |
Do |
|
/ə/ |
About |
Banana |
(rare) |
|
/ɜː/ |
Earth |
Bird |
Fur |
|
/ɔː/ |
(rare) |
More |
Saw |
|
/ʌ/ |
Up |
Cup |
(rare) |
Exercises
A. Look at the following words that occur in the text.
Write all the vowels that occur in the word.
1. fields:
/fiːldz/ /i:/
2.
8. wit: /wɪt/ /I/
3. hero: /ˈhɪəəʊ/ /ɪ/
, /əʊ/
4. of: /ʌv/ /ʌ/
5. to: /tuː/ /uː/
6. up: /ʌp/ /ʌ/
7. even: /ˈiːvən/ /iː/
, /ə/
8. two: /tuː/ /uː/
B. In the following complete the words by filling in
the missing vowel sound. The transcription is provided for your guidance.
1.
full( /I/ ) : fully
2.
f…r ( /ɔː/
) : For
3. … ny
(/e/) :
Any
4.
…njoy ( /e/) : Enjoy
5.
l…king ( / ʊ / ) : Looking
Diphthongs: Diphthongs in English are
complex vowel sounds formed by the combination of two vowel sounds within a
single syllable. They involve a smooth transition between two distinct vowel
sounds in a single syllable.
1. /aɪ/: Its sound is similar to word “eye”. It is
mostly used for below alphabets:
- AY: day,
play
- AI: rain,
pain
- EY: they,
grey
- I: kite,
write, like
- Y: try, sky,
cry
-igh: light
2. /eɪ/: Its
sound is similar to alphabet “A”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- AY: say,
way
- AI: mail,
fail
- EI: eight,
vein
- EY: they,
survey
- A: ate,
date
3. /ɔɪ/: Its sound is
similar to “oy”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- OY: boy,
toy
- OI: oil,
boil
- OY: enjoy,
annoy
- OI: coin,
join
4. /aʊ/: Its sound is
similar to “Ow”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- OW: cow,
how
- OU: house,
mouse
- OU: out,
about
- OW: now,
brown
5. /oʊ/: Its sound is
similar to “O”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- O: go, so
- OW: know,
snow
- OA: boat,
coat
- OE: toe,
foe
6. /ɔʊ/: Its sound is
similar to alphabet “O”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- OW: grow,
slow
- OU: dough,
though
- O: sew,
below
- OA: goat,
coach
7. /eə/: Its sound is
similar to word “air”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- EA: bear,
tear (as in rip)
- AIR: care,
fair
- ARE: stare,
share
- EIR: their,
heir
8. /ɪə/: Its sound is
similar to word “ear”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- EAR: fear,
near
- EER: beer,
steer
- IER: tier,
pier
- IRE: fire,
wire
Diphthongs (Gliding Vowels)
|
Sound |
Example |
Starting Position |
Ending Position |
|
/eɪ/ |
Face |
Front |
Front |
|
/aɪ/ |
My |
Front |
Front |
|
/ɔɪ/ |
Boy |
Back |
Front |
|
/aʊ/ |
Now |
Front |
Back |
|
/əʊ/ |
Go |
Central |
Back |
|
/ɪə/ |
Near |
Front |
Central |
|
/eə/ |
Care |
Front |
Central |
|
/ʊə/ |
Cure |
Back |
Central |
Exercises
A.
Read out the sets of words given below. Write down the diphthong in IPS.
1. /eɪ/ : - male, great, take, fate, baker, grate,
weight, rate, shape, sail, make
2. /aɪ/ : - eye, bite, die, five, side, tiger, pilot,
bright, while, fight, sign
3. /ɔɪ/ : - boy, toil, loiter, joy, moisture, noise,
coin, employ, join, spoil
4. /oʊ/ : - own, home, float, close, bone, boat,
stone, ocean, loaf, note, soak, mould
5. /aʊ/ : - owl, vowel, down, doubt, loud, shout,
howl, devour, cow, around, bow
6. /ɪə/ : - tear, cheer, dear, hear, here, career, clear,
severe, spear, peer
7. /eə/ : - air, fair, there, wear, scarce, affair,
stair, care, tear, mare
8. /ʊə/ : - tour, poor, sure, fuel, lure, sewer,
cruel, gruel
B. Read the following words aloud. Mark out the
diphthongs in each of the words and write them out using the IPA. The first one
has been done.
1. low /loʊ/
2. sure /ʃʊər/
3. peer /pɪər/
4. take /teɪk/
5. lure /lʊər/
6. time /taɪm/
7. fine /faɪn/
8. deer /dɪər/
9. fear /fɪər/
10. house /haʊs/
11. wait /weɪt/
12. wear /wɛər/
13. there /ðɛər/
14. tear /tɛər/
15. mare /mɛər/
16. light /laɪt/
17. hello /həˈloʊ/
18. sear /sɪər/
19. hope /hoʊp/
20. night /naɪt/
Grammar
Tense
Tense shows us Two
Things: i. Time and ii. Statement (Completeness of our work)
Time: According to Time
Tense is of three types: Present, Past, Future
Note: All
actions have Three Stages (Beginning, Middle, and End)
Statement: According to
Statement Tense is of Four types: I. Indefinite/Simple, ii.Perfect, iii. Continuous,
iv.P.C.
Identification of Tense:
For the Identification of Tense we need two Things:
H.V=
Be (Is, Am, Are, Was, Were) Has,
Have, Had, Will, Shall etc
Verb Forms=
(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th)
Tense Chart
|
Tense |
Present
|
Past
|
Future |
|
V.F Indefinite H.V |
I Do,
(Other) Does (He, She, It) |
I
& II Did
( All ) |
I Will
(Other) Shall
(I, We) |
|
V.F Perfect H.V |
III Have, (Other) Has
(He, She, It) |
III
& II Had
(All) |
III Will
have Shall
have |
|
V.F Continuous H.V
|
IV Is
(He, She It) Am
(I) Are(
other) |
IV Was(
He She It I) Were (Other) |
IV Will
be Shall
be |
|
V.F Perfect Continuous
H.V |
IV Has
been Have
been Since
(Point of Time) |
IV Had
been For
(Period of Time) |
IV Will
have been Shall
have been |
Important Note
- H.V is not used with two Tense i.e.
“Present Indefinite and Past Indefinite” in case of “Affirmative
Sentences” only. Also, II- Form is used in “Past Indefinite Affirmative
Sentences”.
- With “Present
Indefinite Affirmative Sentences” ‘…s’ or ‘…es’ is used with the Verb
incase of 3rd Person Singular (He,
She, It) Subject.
- “Past Perfect” is also called “Double
Past”. In case of “Past Perfect” two actions are performed but not
simultaneously. With first action –
III form of verb is used as usual and with Second action II form of Verb
is used.
- In case of all
“Perfect Continuous” tenses ‘Since’ and ‘For’ is used. ‘Since’ with ‘Point
of Time’ and ‘For’ with ‘Period of Time.’
|
Tense |
Present |
Past |
|
Simple |
He rides a bike |
He rode a bike |
|
Continuous |
He is riding a bike |
He was riding a bike |
|
Perfect |
He has ridden a bike |
He had ridden a bike |
|
Perfect continuous |
He has been riding a bike since the morning |
He had been riding a bike since 8 am |
1.
Present
Simple/ Indefinite:
1. To
express habitual action: In this case we use following adverbs: Always, Often,
Seldom, Usually, Daily, Everyday (Weak, month, year, normally, Twice, Thrice, a
week etc
2. To
express Universal or general Truth.
3. To
give Commentary or sporting events on some action which is going on
4. To
express official plans in the future i.e. plans which will go on according to a
schedule of time table and programme.
5. To
express great writers saying.
2.
Present
Continuous:
1. To express an action that is going on at the
time of speaking.
2. To express one’s immediate personal plans.
3. To express an action taking place about the
present time but not necessarily at the movement of speaking.
4. The following verbs are not normally used in
the continous tense:
A.
Verbs of Senses or
Perception:- Hear, See, Taste, Smell etc.
B.
Verbs of Like and
Dislike:- Like, Dislike, Love, Hate, Desire, Want etc.
C.
Verbs Express Wish:-
Wish, Desire, Want
D.
Verbs of Possession:-
Possess, Own, Have, Contain, Belong, etc.
Verbs
Connected with Mind:- Think, Suppose, Known, Understand, Believe, Feel etc
3.
Present
Perfect:
(i)
To express recent past
action.
(ii)
To express an action just
completed.
(iii)
Mostly used words in this
tense are:
So, Far, Since, For,
Hitherto, Up to, Now, Lately, Recently, Yet, Already, Just etc.
4.
Present
Perfect Continuous:
(i)
To express an action
which began in the past and is still continuing.
5.
Past
Indefinite:
(i)
To express habitual
action in the past
(ii)
To express an action
completed in the past
(iii)
To express past action
when time is not given.
(iv)
In this Tense following
words are mostly used: Yesterday, Last week, Last month, Last year, & ago.
6.
Past
Continuous:
(i)
It is used when the
action continued for some time in the
past.
(ii)
It is used to describe
two actions going in simultaneously in the past.
7. Past Perfect:
(i)
It is used to describe an
activity before another activity took place in the past or to describe which
action took place first if either of the two happened in the past.
8. Past Perfect Continuous:
(i)
It is used to express an
action that continued for a specific time in the Past and was still continuing
at the time of speaking.
9.
Future
Indefinite:
This tense is used for an action that has
still to take place.
10. Future Continuous:
This tense is used to express an action
going on at some point in future.
11. Future Perfect:
This tense is used to
indicate the completion of an action by a certain future time.
12. Future Perfect
Continuous:
This tense is used when
an action is to continue for some period of time in the future.
Exercise
Rewrite the following sentences in
the tense suggested in brackets.
1. Kate is
keying in her paper for the conference. (Change into the present perfect tense)
Kate has keyed in her paper for the conference.
2. They were
working all day. (Change into the simple present tense) They work all day.
3. I lived in
Kolkata for ten years. (Change into the present perfect progressive tense.)
I have been living in Kolkata for ten
years.
4. Farukh will
buy us chocolates when we visit him. (Change into future perfect tense)
Farukh will have bought us ch2. Nissim Ezekiel: “Night of the Scorpion”
About the Author: Nissim
Ezekiel was born on 16th December1924 in a Jewish family at Mumbai, Bombay Presidency of
British India and he died on 9th Jan. 2004 at the age of 79. Ezekiel was born in 1924 in Bombay. His
father taught botany at Wilson College, and his mother was the principal of a
school. He completed his graduation in 1947and he moved to England and studied
philosophy in London. He studied philosophy
at Birbeck College, London after sailing to England in 1948. He joined
The Illustrated Weekly of India in the post of an assistant editor in 1953. He
has also worked as a broadcaster on art and literature in All India Radio. He was the head of the department of English
from 1961 to 1972 at Mithibai College in Bombay. He was also a visiting
professor at University of Leeds in 1964 and University of Pondicherry in 1967.He married with Daisy Jacob
in the year 1952. He was
secretary of the Indian branch of the international writers' organisation PEN. He was the art critic of
The Times Of India (1964-66) and editor of The Poetry India(1966-67). He was
also the co-founder of the literary monthly Imprint. He has been awarded the prestigious
Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983.
His is considered the
most famous and influential Indian poet who wrote in English. He was a creative dramatist, critic,
broadcaster and social commentator. His poetry described love, loneliness,
lust, creativity and political pomposity, human foibles and the "kindred
clamour" of urban dissonance. In his writing career of poetry, Ezekiel published
(1924-2004) his first collection of poetry, The Bad Day in 1952 by Fortune
Press. Ezekiel co-founded the literary monthly, Jumpo in 1961 and became the
art critic of The Names of India. Major
works of Nissim Ezekiel: Case Study, Hymns In Darkness, Poster Prayers, Sixty Poems,
The Exact Name, The Night Of Scorpion, The Professor, The Third, The Three
Plays, The Unfinished Man, Time To Changed etc.
Introduction:
Nissim Ezekiel is a love-poet which is depicted by this poetry. In his poetry
he has dealt with variety of love-experience. He is essentially a poet with a
well-marked Indian sensibility. Being India he had firsthand knowledge of the
Indian which he depicted with the weapon of poetry. “Night of the Scorpion” was originally published in Ezekiel’s
1965 collection, “The Exact Name”. This displays a new and artistic talent in Ezekiel's poetry.
This
writing is considered with high praise due to its simple elocution, and full
explanation of difficult Indian concepts about tradition and culture. It brings forth the essence of human nature
and presents a real image of rustic India in contrast to the town, the position
of women in society, and other important themes of Indian society. The
poem begins with a remembrance of the time the poet’s mother was stung by a
scorpion and how the “diabolic” creature created a commotion and fear in his
home. In short, Nissim Ezekiel's poem 'Night of the Scorpion' describes the
reaction of the people when his mother was stung by a scorpion. They are quite
ignorant people who view the incident in their way. The poet wants to create
awareness in the minds of the reader of the ignorance and superstitions that
still have their grip on the minds of the masses of India. It is an attempt to
reform these ignorant and superstitious beliefs.
Summary: In this poem the poet Nissim Ezekiel tells a
story from his childhood in which his mother was bitten by a scorpion. The poem is about an event that the poet has
been haunted throughout his life. One night a scorpion bit his mother and all
the superstitious citizens of the village did illogical things rather than serving
and curing her. The poem exposes the superstitions that dominate the minds of
Indians. The poem has no rhyme scheme. It has eight stanzas with a different
number of lines.
The poem begins with a simple
declaration: "I remember the night my mother / was stung by a
scorpion". The scorpion had entered the speaker's home because it wanted
to hide from the rain. When it bit the speaker's mother, it was hiding beneath a
sack of rice. The superstitious villagers came to help his mother and
were united to sympathize with her pain. These superstitious villagers tried to
soothe her by striking another set of explanations about how the pain would rid
her of her sins from her previous life. The pain would help in making her next
birth more fortunate. They said that the scorpion poison would purify her blood
and make her free of worldly attachments. The speaker’s mother gained consciousness;
she broke the silence with a prayer to God. She was grateful to the almighty
for sparing her children from the excruciating sting. This depicts how much she
loved her children.
خلاصہ: نسیم حزقیل ایک عظیم عشقیہ شاعر ہے اور اس نے اپنی شاعری میں عملی طور پر ہر قسم کے عشق کے تجربے کو پیش کیا ہے۔ وہ بنیادی طور پر ہندوستانی حساسیت کے حامل شاعر ہیں۔ اسے ہندوستانی منظر کا خود علم تھا اور اس نے اسے کئی نظموں میں محسوس کیا ہے۔ وہ شہر کا رہنے والا تھا۔ وہ بدحالی، گندگی اور بدحالی، استحصال اور بدعنوانی نے بہت جلد چھو لیا۔"بچھو کی رات" اصل میں Ezekiel کے 1965 کے مجموعہ، The Exact Name میں شائع ہوئی تھی۔ اس ٹکڑے کو اس کی سادہ تقریر کی وجہ سے بہت زیادہ تعریف کے ساتھ سمجھا جاتا ہے، اور پھر بھی مشکل ہندوستانی تصورات کا سروے کرنے کی اس کی صلاحیت۔ یہ مغرب کی کالوسس کی موجودگی اور مہذب مشرقی پر اس کے اثرات کے درمیان جدلیاتی تصادم کے موضوع کو مرکوز کرتا ہے۔ نیز، یہ انسانی فطرت کے جوہر کو سامنے لاتا ہے اور قصبے، معاشرے میں خواتین کی حیثیت، اور ہندوستانی معاشرے کے دیگر اہم موضوعات کے برعکس دہاتی ہندوستان کی ایک حقیقی تصویر پیش کرتا ہے۔ یہ حزقیل کی شاعری میں ایک نئی اور فنکارانہ صلاحیتوں کو ظاہر کرتا ہے۔ اس نظم میں مقرر نے اپنے بچپن کی ایک کہانی سنائی ہے جس میں اس کی ماں کو بچھو نے کاٹا تھا۔ یہ نظم ایک ایسے واقعے کے بارے میں ہے جس کا شاعر اپنی زندگی بھر شکار رہا ہے۔ ایک رات ایک بچھو نے اس کی ماں کو کاٹ لیا اور گاؤں کے تمام توہم پرست شہریوں نے اس کی خدمت اور علاج کرنے کی بجائے غیر منطقی حرکتیں کیں۔ نظم ان توہمات کو بے نقاب کرتی ہے جو ہندوستانیوں کے ذہنوں پر حاوی ہیں۔ نظم میں شاعری کی کوئی اسکیم نہیں ہے۔ اس میں مختلف سطروں کے ساتھ آٹھ بند ہیں۔
نظم کا آغاز اس وقت کی یاد سے ہوتا ہے جب شاعر کی والدہ کو بچھو نے ڈنک مارا تھا اور کس طرح "شیطانی" مخلوق نے اس کے گھر میں ہنگامہ اور خوف پیدا کیا تھا۔ نظم کا آغاز ایک سادہ بیان سے ہوتا ہے: "مجھے وہ رات یاد ہے جب میری ماں کو بچھو نے ڈنک مارا تھا"۔ بچھو سپیکر کے گھر میں گھس گیا تھا کیونکہ وہ بارش سے چھپنا چاہتا تھا۔ جب اس نے اسپیکر کی ماں کو کاٹا تو وہ چاول کی بوری کے نیچے چھپا ہوا تھا۔ توہم پرست دیہاتی اس کی ماں کی مدد کے لیے آئے اور اس کے درد پر ہمدردی کے لیے متحد ہو گئے۔ ان توہم پرست دیہاتیوں نے اسے ایک اور وضاحت کے ذریعے تسلی دینے کی کوشش کی کہ کس طرح درد اسے اس کی پچھلی زندگی کے گناہوں سے نجات دلائے گا۔ درد اس کی اگلی پیدائش کو مزید خوش قسمت بنانے میں مدد کرے گا۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ بچھو کا زہر اس کے خون کو صاف کرے گا اور اسے دنیاوی لگائو سے آزاد کر دے گا۔ مقرر کی والدہ کو ہوش آیا۔ اس نے خدا سے دعا کے ساتھ خاموشی توڑی۔ وہ اپنے بچوں کو اذیت ناک ڈنک سے بچانے کے لیے اللہ تعالیٰ کی شکر گزار تھی۔ اس سے ظاہر ہوتا ہے کہ وہ اپنے بچوں سے کتنی محبت کرتی تھی۔ مختصراً، نسیم حزقیل کی نظم 'بچھو کی رات' لوگوں کے ردعمل کو بیان کرتی ہے جب اس کی ماں کو بچھو نے ڈنک مارا تھا۔ یہ بالکل جاہل لوگ ہیں جو اس واقعے کو اپنی نظر سے دیکھتے ہیں۔ شاعر قاری کے ذہنوں میں ان جہالتوں اور توہمات کے بارے میں بیداری پیدا کرنا چاہتا ہے جو ہندوستان کے عوام کے ذہنوں پر ابھی تک اپنی گرفت میں ہیں۔ یہ ان جاہلانہ اور توہم پرستانہ عقائد کی اصلاح کی کوشش ہے۔
Explanation and Analysis:
1- stanza: The
poem begins with the nostalgia of a dreadful event in the childhood of the poet
when his mother was tingled by a scorpion. The poet brings out the inevitable
condition in which the insect had come into contact with the mother. One night
the scorpion had entered the
speaker's home. The rains had swamped the nests of the insect, and thus
to save itself, it hid under a sack of rice. When the mother had gone there to
fetch rice, the scorpion was afraid and wants to save its life and in it had
stung the mother in self-protection. The hurt was fast, and the insect ran
away, but the news brought more pain in the form of the villagers.
2-Stanza: In
this stanza the poet says that after biting his mother with its dreadful tail
the scorpion went back to rain outside again. The poet here confirms compassion
as well as rage towards the scorpion. He is angry when he talks about its
biting and sympathetic when he talks about it’s going to rain again.
3-Stanza: The villagers came to help the women
and were united to sympathize with her pain. These villagers tried their best
to calm her by remarkable explanations about how the pain would rid her of her
sins from her previous life. Some people
said that the more the scorpion moves, the quicker the poison would spread in
the body of the victim. In fact, the villagers actually take their candles and
lanterns to search for the Scorpion. From this assumption, the people soon
moved onto philosophy, wherein the metaphysical scale of universe acts of
redemption balances sins.
4- stanza:
These villagers tried to soothe her by striking another set of explanations
about how the pain would rid her of her sins from her previous life. The pain
would help in making her next birth more fortunate. They said that the scorpion
poison would purify her blood and make her free of worldly attachments. The villagers begin searching
for the scorpion because they believe that the poison spreads across the body
with the movement of scorpion so if the latter is stopped and paralysed, the
poison effect can also be controlled. But the father was
very much a rational man who, instead of taking the mother to a
doctor, actually tries various herbs and medicines to get rid of the
poison. In fact, he burns the toe of the mother.
5-Stanza:
Having failed in finding the scorpion, they begin giving their own
interpretation to the biting of the scorpion. Some of them said that his
mother’s sins which she committed in her previous birth have been forgiven. The
others assumed that she is going to die and said that the pain that she is
suffering from will decrease the troubles in her next birth. Some others put
forward that her good deeds will be balanced against her bad deeds because of
the bite of the scorpion.
6-Stanza: These superstitious villagers tried
to soothe her by striking another set of explanations about how the pain would
rid her of her sins from her previous life. Some others said that the
poison will clean and revive her flesh of desire and her spirit of ambition. All of them seemed to be in
peace because of their thoughts.
7-Stanza: In this stanza the mother is
however crying and rolling on the mat with brutal pain but nobody cares for her
apart from for his father who is a sceptic and rationalist. He leaves no stone unturned to
cure her. He
did not share the views of the inexperienced villagers. Hence, he applied
powder, mixture and herbs to the bitten spot. He also poured paraffin and put a
match to it. He did stand for reason unlike all others on the scene. He poured a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and then fires it up. The poet
watches the flames of fire burning on the skin of his mother.
8-
Stanza: The last stanza is somewhat exciting and heart touching. It
reflects the motherliness of a woman. The poet says that after getting better
from the poison, his mother’s words were ‘Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared
my children’. Even in such condition, his mother remains
more fretful about the security and wellbeing of her children.
Literary/
Poetic
Devices: There are many literary or poetic devices used in
this pome. Some of the important ones are:
Alliteration:
In this some sounds are repeated at the
beginning of words or phrases. Some of
the alliteration words/phrases in the pome are as: "my
mother",
"stung by a scorpion", "Parting
with his poison",
"risked the rain", "scorpion
shadows",
"sit still", "birth/be
burned",
"poison purify", "herb
and hybrid",
"poured a little paraffin", "flame
feeding".
Assonance: It is the repetition of the vowel sounds in a
verse or sentence. In this poem some
assonance words/ phrases are: "candles and with
lanterns",
"mother's blood", "he
sit still",
"mother in
the centre".
Symbolism:
In this
pome are used different symbols some important ones are: The
"rain" is symbolic of the constant pain of mother. The
"shadows," cast on sun-baked walls that took the form of a scorpion,
indicate hidden presence of an evil force. The
"peasants" represent the agricultural nature of pastoral
India.
Onomatopoeia: It is used for words
having sounds similar to the noises they create. There are many onomatopoeia
words used in the pome as : "and buzzed the
name of God a
hundred times", "They clicked their tongues.",
"more insects,
and the endless rain.", My mother twisted through
and through/ groaning on a mat."
Metaphor: It refers directly one thing by mentioning
another thing. In the whole pome the
scorpion is referred to by the
words "diabolic" and "Evil One” as metaphor.
Simile: It is
comparing two unlike things which are mostly compared by ‘like’ or ‘as’.
In this
pome it is used as: "The peasants came like swarms
of flies."
Rhyme Scheme & Form: This poem is in free
verse having 8-stanzas and 47 lines. There is no definite rhyme
scheme.
Text of the
Night of the Scorpion
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.
Parting with his poison - flash
of diabolic tail in the dark room -
he risked the rain again.
The peasants came like swarms of flies
and buzzed the name of God a hundred times
to paralyse the Evil One.
With candles and with lanterns
throwing giant scorpion shadows
on the mud-baked walls
they searched for him: he was not found.
They clicked their tongues.
With every movement that the scorpion made his poison moved in Mother's blood,
they said.
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.
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.
More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,
more insects, and the endless rain.
My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother.
I watched the holy man perform his rites to tame the poison with an
incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
And spared my children.
Difficult words/ Glossary
stung : bite.
steady : Constant
diabolic : Showing wickedness typical of a devil
peasants : farmers, Villagers
buzzed: To whisper
paralyse :
to make somebody unable to move or feel all or part
lantern: a light inside a
transparent container with a handle for carrying it
diminished : to become smaller
groaning: moan, making unpleasant sound
sceptic : Someone who is undecided as to what is true and
enquires after facts
paraffin : oil with a
strong smell used as fuel
rite : ceremony, ritual
rationalist : Logical, a person who bases their opinions and actions
on reason and knowledge
rather than on religious belief or
emotional response
groaning : a mournful sound conveying pain or grief
sceptic : one who doubts general beliefs
rationalist: a person who believes in reason and knowledge than
opinion and belief
incantation:
the chanting of special words spoken or sung to have magical effect
Paraphrase of the poem
A scorpion pierces the poet’s house
on a raining night and conceals under a sack of rice. The scorpion hurts his
mother.
Soon, the villagers come forward to
help her. The villagers come like swarms of flies. They search the scorpion
with candles and lanterns but in vain. The poet’s mother cries with pain.
The peasants snap their tongues. Upon
seeing the pain of the woman, the villagers relate her pain with her earlier
birth. They pray that the sins of her previous birth might blaze away.
The number of footfalls raises, but
the pain does not reduce. There appear more candles, more lanterns, more
neighbors, more insects, and endless rain. The pain of the mother also
increases.
Apart from them, the poet’s father
applies medicinal substances to her toe. A holy man also performs his rites to treat
her. She gets relief after twenty hours. As the pain falls down, she thanks God
the scorpion picked her and secured her children.
Textual Questions
Comprehension
A. Answer the following
in a single word, phrase or sentence.
1. Where was the scorpion in the poem?
Ans. The
scorpion was in the speaker’s house under a sack of rice.
2. What are the peasants compared to?
Ans. Peasansts are compared
to ‘swarms of flies’.
3. Who is the 'Evil One?
Ans. In the poem
scorpion is the
‘Evil One’.
4. What is the ‘peace of understanding' referred to?
Ans. ‘Peace of Understanding’
referred to ‘calmness of speaker’s neighbors’.
5. How long did for the poison to lose ‘its sting’?
Ans. The poison takes to lose ‘its sting’ twenty hours.
6. What drove the scorpion to hide under sack of rice?
Ans. In the outside there was ‘Steady
rain’ drove the scorpion to hide under sack of rice.
7. What do the peasants try to do once they came into
the home?
Ans. They give their superstitious and illogical reasons about mother’s pain.
8. What did the peasants say happened with every
movement that the scorpion made?
Ans. Peasants say relate the pain of mother with
the movement of the scorpion.
B. Answer the following
in about 150 words each.
1. At one point the peasants sit around the speaker's
mother with the peace of understanding on each face. Explain the circumstances
that must have lent themselves to this attitude.
Ans. The neighboring
peasants sit around the speaker’s mother with the peace of understanding on
each face. All of them have come out of their house to the house of narrator
when his mother was stung by a scorpion. They show sympathy for the narrator's
mother in her pain. They wished that scorpion might sit still so that the
poison might not spread in her body. This is the main reason they sit around
her with the peace of understanding one each face. They prayed that her body
and soul might be purified of all desires so she might get happiness in her
next birth. They chanted the name of God again and again in order to end the
effect of the scorpion's sting. The scorpion was a devil that could be rendered
ineffective only by this method, they thought. Then they planned another device
to relieve the woman's pain. They began to search for the scorpion in order to
kill it. These are the circumstances that must have lent the peasants to this
attitude.
2. Bring out the Indianness of the poem by referring
to particular words and images used by the poet.
Ans. In his poems is the
Indian culture or the theme of Indianness most dominant in theme as well as in
structure. All members of the society such as villagers, father and son helps
the women in their way like Indian people help each other. Firstly the speaker or poet himself is the
devoted son of the Indian soil who depicts the painful incident of her mother
in the form of poem and makes this incident memorable for all.
There
are the peasants, who are represented as a collective mass of India. They are
believers of the Hindu concepts like “previous birth” and “afterlife” along
with the spiritual purification process through suffering. They come running
like swarms of bees. They are superstitious people but their hearts are full of
true sympathy. Their beliefs and views are typically Indian. Their sympathetic
hearts are also typical Indian. The holy man trying to tame the poison reflects
the typical Indian priest.
The
father was a loving and care taker for her wife like and serves her wife like a
good Indian husband. He is an educated man. He made use of paraffin and burning
match stick to destroy the effect the scorpion's sting.
We
also get a picture of Indian motherhood in the main character or protagonist of
the poem i.e. mother. After having suffered the pain of sting for twenty-four
hours, the mother is thankful to God that only she has suffered and her
children are safe.
3. How does the poet transform the ordinary event of a
woman being stung by a scorpion into a subject for poetry? Consider the role of
the peasants in the light of this.
Ans. On the surface
level the story of the poem is an ordinary event of a woman being stung by a
scorpion which is transformed by the poet as a subject for his poetry. It
narrates the story of a rainy night in a village when the narrator's mother
(child's mother) is bitten by a scorpion. In this poem the peasants have played most
important role in all respects.
The peasants or villagers come to
know that the narrator's mother has been stung by a scorpion. They come running
like swarms of bees. They are superstitious people but their hearts are full of
true sympathy. Their beliefs and views are typically Indian. They show sympathy
for the narrator's mother in her pain. They wished that scorpion might sit
still so that the poison might not spread in her body. This is the main reason
they wanted to find the scorpion. They prayed that her body and soul might be
purified of all desires so she might get happiness in her next birth.
At a deeper level, the poem presents a
fascinating world of illiterate and superstitious peasants who are sincere to
the core and full of sympathy.
C. Answer the following
in about 300 words each.
1. Superstition acts as the base of the experience
described in "The Night of the Scorpion: Examine this attitude against the
rationality of the father in the poem.
Ans. Nissim Ezekiel’s poem
“The Night of the Scorpion” is one the most significant poems in the complete length
of Indian English poetry about superstition. The poem highlights superstition elements
loaded in Indian society in a manner that is at once separated and interesting.
The poem can be read as an enlightening study in Indian culture which frequently
flourishes on superstitions. This Superstition acts as the base of the
experience described by Ezekiel in his poem
"The Night of the Scorpion”.
The poem exposes the superstitions that dominate the minds of
Indians. The poet narrates in this poem the
superstition incident which happened with his mother when she was bite by a
scorpion. All the villagers came out of their homes to help her. The way the
villagers crowded the house takes us back to the conventional business life of
the Indian villagers. According to this poem the modern scientific treatment
was till that time not known to the villagers.
The poem begins
with a remembrance of the time when the poet’s mother was stung by a scorpion
and the way her stung by the scorpion was related with different superstation
things. The scorpion had entered the speaker's home because it wanted
to hide from the rain. When it bit the speaker's mother, it was hiding beneath
a sack of rice. The superstitious villagers came to help his mother and
were united to sympathize with her pain. These superstitious villagers tried to
soothe her by striking another set of explanations about how the pain would rid
her of her sins from her previous life. The pain would help in making her next
birth more fortunate. They said that the scorpion poison would purify her blood
and make her free of worldly attachments. The speaker’s mother gained
consciousness; she broke the silence with a prayer to God. She was grateful to
the almighty for sparing her children from the excruciating sting. This depicts
she was also superstation and she thinks that if the scorpion has not bitten
her, he may have then bitten her children.
The
father of the speaker or husband of the woman was a rationalist. He did not
share the views of the inexperienced villagers. Hence, he applied powder,
mixture and herbs to the bitten spot. He also poured paraffin and put a match
to it. He did stand for reason unlike all others on the scene.
2. Through the actions and the behavior of the
peasants, Ezekil evokes a whole world of myth and philosophy. Discuss this.
Ans.: Myth gives the answer the fundamental aspects of tradition and beliefs,
while as Philosophy gives the
answer to the fundamental nature of knowledge and reality. India is a land of superstitions. The
educated classes may be rational but by and large we are a tradition bound and
superstitious society. The major portion of the villagers believes more upon
the myths than on the philosophy. The peasants were rooted in a philosophy of superstition,
which Ezekil wants to evoke a whole world of myth and philosophy through the
actions and the behavior of the peasants. The peasants who ran to the house of the lady
stung by a scorpion believed in a philosophy of superstitions. They thought
that the pain of scorpion's poison would purify mother's soul and help her in
the next world. They also said that it would reduce the sum of evil in this
world. All these were mere superstitions. The child's father is a rationalist.
He tries to apply some herb to the lady’s toe. He makes use of paraffin to burn
the stung portion away. His approach to the sting of the scorpion is rational.
The reactions of peasants are based on superstition. The approach of the
child's father is rational. Through this poem Elizel wants to inform us that
most of the villagers in India are superstitious and they believe more upon the
myths than upon the philosophy which is depicted by him through the actions and
the behavior of the peasants. The educated classes have got rid of superstition
and their approach to such situations is rational. The poet seems to be
criticising superstitious villagers. He has pity for the innocent and ignorant
people. He wants Indian society to get rid of these meaningless superstitions.
There are some glimpses of philosophy
also in Indian villages which is represented by father in the poem. The father
was a sceptic and make true use of philosophy. He is an educated man. He was
free from any kind of superstitions. He believed in the power of medicines to
cure a wound or sting. So he made use of the suitable medicines for the
affected toe of his wife. He made use of paraffin and burning match stick to
destroy the effect the scorpion's sting.
Additional Important
Questions
Q. 1. Why did the peasants want to find the scorpion?
Ans. The neighboring
peasants came crowding to the house of narrator when his mother was stung by a
scorpion. They show sympathy for the narrator's mother in her pain. They wished
that scorpion might sit still so that the poison might not spread in her body.
This is the main reason they wanted to find the scorpion. They prayed that her
body and soul might be purified of all desires so she might get happiness in
her next birth. They uttered the God a hundred times for this purpose. They are
compared to swarm flies.
The
villagers prayed that the pain of the scorpion bite, suffered the mother might
decrease evil in the world. They wished that her s might be free from all
ambitions. Every one of them was convinced the narrator's mother was suffering
because of some sin of her previous birth. The views expressed by the peasants
were the result of the superstitious beliefs. To a logical mind, such belief is
irrational.
Q. 2. What impression do you form of the child's
father and the villagers? Whose attitude do you find more viable?
Ans. The child's father was a
sceptic as well as a rationalist. He is an educated man. He was free from any
kind of superstitions. He believed in the power of medicines to cure a wound or
sting. So he made use of the suitable medicines for the affected toe of his
wife. He made use of paraffin and burning match stick to destroy the effect the
scorpion's sting. The villagers were illiterate. They did not believe in
medical treatment for the sting of the scorpion. They were prisoners of their
Superstitions. They believed that if the scorpion was stopped from moving
about, the pain of the lady would be brought under control. So he ignorant
villagers started looking for the scorpion. They wanted to kill the Scorpion.
The villagers chanted God's name a hundred times to immobilize the scorpion.
Then with candles and lanterns in their hands they tried to trace out the
scorpion. They could not find it. Then they clicked their tongues in despair.
They said that with every movement that the scorpion made, his poison would
move in Mother's blood. They were in the grip of superstitions. The father's
attitude is more viable than that of the villagers. While the father is an
enlightened man and a rationalist, the villagers are ignorant people.
Q. 3. Examine the use of parallelism and contrast by
the poet in order to juxtapose the rationalism represented by father with the
beliefs of the peasants.
Ans. Parallelism is the state
or quality of being parallel. Or it is correspondence in form and ideas.
Juxtaposition means putting side by side. The poem is the story of a scorpion
bitting a child's mother. There are two parallel and contrasted ways of looking
at the bite and offering a cure for it. The peasants in the neighborhood learnt
about a woman having been stung by a scorpion. They came to the woman to
express their sympathy and to relieve her of her pain. They chanted the name of
God again and again in order to end the effect of the scorpion's sting. The
scorpion was a devil that could be rendered ineffective only by this method,
they thought. Then they planned another device to relieve the woman's pain.
They began to search for the scorpion in order to kill it. According to a
general belief, with every movement of the scorpion, the poison injected by it
into the woman's blood through its sting would also move and would increase her
pain. Then they all wished that the scorpion should remain motionless wherever
it was. They also expressed the wish that the sins which this woman had
committed in her previous life should be burned away that night by the pain of
the sting. Furthermore the pain which she was suffering that night she will
have to undergo in her next life. The peasants also expressed the wish that the
woman's pain reduce the sum total of evil in this world which is unreal. They
express the wish that the poison should rid the woman and should also free her
of all worldly ambitions. The peasants could not locate the scorpion. The woman
in meantime continued to suffer till the pain came to an end after hours. On
the other side, the child's father was a man with a scientific attitude to
life. He did not share the views of the peasants who superstitious. He applied
a herb to his wife's toe. He even poured little paraffin over the affected
flesh. He applied a burning candle order to burn away the sting from the
woman's bitten toe. The poet has tried to paint the contrasted attitudes of the
peasants were and the child's father to a scorpion sting suffered by a woman.
The peasants were superstitious in their approach to the cure of the sting. The
child's father was a rationalist. The parallelism of the two attitudes is very
nicely contrasted in the poem.
Q. 4. Describe the use of multiple perspectives in the
poem in order to make an all inclusive statement about the human situation.
Ans. A perspective is a
particular way of thinking about or viewing something, especially one that is
influenced by your beliefs or experiences. On the surface the poem tells the
simple story of a rainy night. The narrator's mother is stung by a scorpion. When
the villagers come to know of it, they come running to her. They try to trace
the scorpion and also pray for the narrator's mother. The narrator's father
treats the woman in a rational way. He applies some herb to her toe. He tries
to burn the stung toe with paraffin.
But
it is not merely a simple story of a scorpion bite. The poet has presented
multiple perspectives. He has tried to mirror the whole tone and sensibility of
the Indian society. Though set in a small village, the poet tells us about
various shades of Indian thought and philosophy. We have superstitious but
sympathetic villagers, the sceptical and rational father, the self sacrificing
Indian mother, a holy man trying to tame poison with an incantation, and the
popular belief that this world is unreal and that our sufferings purify our
soul. In fact, this poem is a true reflection of the multiple perspectives
through which Indian sensibility is reflected.
The
peasants or villagers come to know that the narrator's mother has been stung by
a scorpion. They come running like swarms of bees. They are superstitious
people but their hearts are full of true sympathy. Their beliefs and views are
typically Indian. Their sympathetic hearts are also typical Indian. The holy
man trying to tame the poison reflects the typical Indian priest. The poet's
father represents the rational outlook of educated classes. We also get a
picture of Indian motherhood. After having suffered the pain of sting for
twenty-four hours, the mother is thankful to God that only she has suffered and
her children are safe. Thus the poem has presented multiple perspectives of a
minor incident.
Q. 5. Will it be correct to say that the Indian
society is a true expression of Indian society and sensibility?
Ans. It is easy to read this
poem at two different levels. On the surface level, it narrates the story of a
rainy night in a village when the narrator's mother (child's mother) is bitten
by a scorpion. Her husband and the villagers try to lessen the sufferings of
the victim till she recovers the next day and thanks God for sparing her
children. At a deeper level, the poem presents a fascinating world of
illiterate and superstitious rural folk who are sincere to the core and full of
sympathy.
It
is common knowledge that superstitious people believe in some of the old
traditions and they believe some magical formulas for treating a disease or
ailment: 'Educated people in the country are rational. Through a very simple
incident, the poet has mirrored the entire tone and sensibility of Indian
society.' It covers all aspects of Indian thought and philosophy. We have
superstitious peasants, the sceptical and rational father, the self sacrificing
Indian mother, a holy man trying to tame poison with an incantation, and the
popular belief that this world is unreal and that our sufferings purify our
soul. As a matter of fact, this poem is a true reflection of Indian
sensibility. It is about India and the way in which Indians (both illiterate
and educated) conduct themselves in moments of physical pain.
Q6. Write a short note on the story of the poem.
Ans.: The author's
mother was once stung by a scorpion on a rainy night when the creature had come
and settled under the sack of rice. Farmers from nearby places came and tried
to ward off the evil by reciting the name of God a hundred times. They searched
for the scorpion with the help of lanterns and candles but failed to find it.
They said that the poison moved in the blood of the mother with the movement of
the scorpion. They also said that the sting of the scorpion would wash away the
sins of her previous birth and that it would reduce her sufferings in the next
birth. It had the power to purify her flesh and her spirit. They sat in a
circle with the mother in the centre where she cried with pain sitting on a
mat.
The
author's father was even more superstitious. He tried all sorts of magic spells
and drugs to relieve the mother of the effect of the sting He even put a little
kerosene oil at the toe of the mother and set it to fire among chanting of
certain charms to lessen the effect of the poison. At last, after twenty hours
the effect of the sting ended. Then the mother thanked God that the scorpion
had stung her and not her children.
Q7. What is the message of the poem Night of
the Scorpion?
Ans.: The message of the
poem "The Night of the Scorpion" is the effort of the father and the
peasants to save the mother from the effect of the poison of scorpion.
Q8.What is the Theme of the poem?
Ans. There are different
themes of the poem and some important ones are discussed below:
Theme of Faith and Superstition: This
poem can be understood in the context of Indian culture, which frequently
builds its foundation on faith and superstitions. The peasants or the
villagers, who came to extend their helping hands for the mother, started
buzzing the name of God. They were in search of the scorpion in hopes of
paralyzing the devilish creature. They also believed that with every movement
of the scorpion, the poison would move in the mother’s blood causing her more
pain. The villagers believed that the mother was only getting rid of her sins
from her previous life.
Indianness and Motherly love: In his poems is the Indian culture or the
theme of Indianness most dominant in theme as well as in structure. Firstly,
there are the peasants, who are represented as a collective mass. They are
believers of the Hindu concepts like “previous birth” and “afterlife” along
with the spiritual purification process through suffering. They were of the
view that the sting would purify the mother’s body and help her get rid of
normal human instincts. Secondly, Ezekiel introduces the father who was more
rational in his ways. He employed both traditional and scientific methods in
order to pacify his ailing wife.
Lastly, there is the traditional “silent
mother,” who thank God
the scorpion picked on her and secured her children. Even in such condition like
other Indian mother’s remains more fretful about the security and wellbeing of
her children. This
is the characteristic trait of an Indian mother, idealized in Indian culture as
a dutiful, selfless, and devout woman. Whatsoever, a mother continues to love, regardless
of the cultural context. She loves in a way she would.
Q9. Write a short note on the irony or ironical
elements in the poem.
Ans.: Ezekiel draws
upon irony and contrast to explore the conflict between superstition and
reason. The irony of the whole poem consists in what the peasants did to cure
the woman and what they should actually have done. The streak /note of this
irony run through the images of the good and the evil, the images of light and
darkness, and the juxtaposition of belief and reason. It should, however, be
noted that the poet takes a perfectly detached view of the situation. Just as
he does not satirize those who are superstitious, so also he does not admire
the one who stands for reason. He only views the situation as an onlooker. If
he does anything, he only casts an ironical smile, as an onlooker, on one of
the ever-so-common incidents within his society that feeds on superstitions.
Ironically, however, all his treatment also proved useless.
Q10. Identify the Literary Devices used in the poem?
Ans.
I.
Alliteration - stung by a scorpion, Parting with
his poison, diabolic tail in the dark, risked the rain, poison purfiy, through
and through, poured a little paraffin, flame feeding.
II.
Antonyms - previous/next, evil/good,
sceptic/rationalist, curse/blessing.
III.
Assonance - candle/lantern, buzzed/hundred,
Mother's blood.
IV.
Metaphor - scorpion is the Evil One.
V.
Simile - like swarms of flies.
Q11. Who are the two main characters in the
poem Night of the Scorpion?
Ans. Mother and children are the two main characters in the night
of the scorpion poem.
Q12.What is the mood of the poem Night of the
Scorpion?
Ans.The poem is reflective; it also has a religious
and superstitious background and an underlying message of motherly love.
Q13.Identity the Symbols used in
the poem.
Ans. In “Night of the Scorpion,”
Ezekiel makes use of symbols to represent different ideas and thoughts. The
“rain” pouring steadily throughout adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the poem.
The “rain” is symbolic of the constant pain of the mother. The “shadows,” cast
on sun-baked walls that took the form of a scorpion, indicate the hidden
presence of an evil force. “Shadows,” as a motif, are often associated with a
fear of the unknown that is in the backdrop of the poem. The “peasants”
represent the agrarian nature of rural India. They are also symbolic of a
closely-knit community. The father’s use of every “curse and blessing” and
different natural remedies like “powder, mixture, herb and hybrid” to cure the
scorpion sting are symbolic of traditional healing techniques some of which
still persist.
Q14. Depict the images used in
the poem.
Ans. Imagery, as a literary device, helps readers
form a mental image evoking the five senses. There are majorly four types of
imagery present in the poem that include:
I.
Visual Imagery: This kind of imagery invokes the sense of vision. The poem
is based entirely upon the retrospective visualization of a childhood incident.
In order to paint the scenes, Ezekiel makes use of this type of imagery. For
instance, he depicts how the scorpion stung his mother in the line, “flash/ of
diabolic tail in the dark room.” He also uses visual images in “throwing giant
scorpion shadows,” “I watched the flame feeding on my mother,” etc.
II.
Tactile Imagery: This kind of imagery invokes the sense of touch. It is
used in “My mother twisted through and through,” “He even poured a little
paraffin/ upon the bitten toe,” and “I watched the flame feeding on my mother.”
III.
Auditory Imagery: This kind of imagery is associated with the sense of
hearing. For instance, the lines “buzzed the name of God a hundred times” and
“They clicked their tongues” appeal to readers’ sense of hearing. Ezekiel uses
the scheme of traditional chants in lines 18 through 29.
IV.
Kinesthetic Imagery: This kind of imagery depicts movements. For instance, the
stealthy movement of the scorpion is recorded in “to crawl beneath a sack of
rice.” The way it stung the poet’s mother is depicted in “Parting with his
poison—flash/ of diabolic tail in the dark room.”
Language
Activity
Pronunciation
Vowel sounds: Vowels in English are produced with a
relatively open vocal tract, allowing for unrestricted airflow. There are
several vowel sounds in English, categorized based on tongue position, lip
rounding, and tension. The English language typically has around 15 vowel sounds,
but this can vary depending on accent and dialect. Vowels can be short or long,
and they play a crucial role in determining word stress and pronunciation.
Vowel Sounds:
1. /i/: E (e.g., see), I (e.g., like), Y (e.g., happy)
2. /ɪ/: I (e.g., sit)
3. /eɪ/: A (e.g., day), E (e.g., say), Y (e.g., way)
4. /ɛ/: A (e.g., pen), E (e.g., bed)
5. /æ/: A (e.g., cat)
6. /ɑ/: A (e.g., father), O (e.g., car)
7. /ɔ/: O (e.g., dog)
8. /oʊ/: O (e.g., boat)
9. /ʊ/: U (e.g., put)
10. /u/: U (e.g., boot), OO (e.g., soon)
11. /ə/: A (e.g., about), E (e.g., mother), I (e.g.,
pencil), O (e.g., lemon), U (e.g., circus), Y (e.g., happy)
12. /ɝ/: ER (e.g., bird), IR (e.g., first), UR (e.g.,
hurt)
13.
/ɚ/: ER (e.g., water), IR (e.g., better), UR (e.g., occur)
Vowel Classification by Position and Duration
Front Vowels:
Short:
/ɪ/ (sit) , /e/ (bed),
/æ/ (cat); Long:
/iː/ (see)
Central Vowels: Short: /ʌ/ (cup) , /ə/
(about); Long: /ɜː/ (bird)
Back Vowels: Short: /ɒ/
(hot), /ʊ/ (put); Long: /ɑː/
(father), /ɔː/ (saw), /uː/ (blue)
Classification of English Vowel Sounds
1. Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
Short
Vowels:
|
Sound |
Example |
Tongue Position |
|
/ɪ/ |
Sit |
Front |
|
/e/ |
Bed |
Front |
|
/æ/ |
Cat |
Front |
|
/ʌ/ |
Cup |
Central |
|
/ə/ |
About |
Central |
|
/ɒ/ |
Hot |
Back |
|
/ʊ/ |
Put |
Back |
Long
Vowels:
|
Sound |
Example |
Tongue Position |
|
/iː/ |
See |
Front |
|
/ɑː/ |
Father |
Back |
|
/ɔː/ |
Saw |
Back |
|
/ɜː/ |
Bird |
Central |
|
/uː/ |
Blue |
Back |
Chart for vowels with examples:
|
Phonetic Symbol |
Initial Example |
Medial Example |
Final Example |
|
/æ/ |
Apple |
Cat |
(rare) |
|
/ɛ/ |
Elephant |
Bed |
(rare) |
|
/ɪ/ |
Ink |
Sit |
City |
|
/ɒ/ |
octopus |
(rare) |
(rare) |
|
/ʊ/ |
(rare) |
Book |
(rare) |
|
/ɑː/ |
Arm |
Father |
(rare) |
|
/iː/ |
Eat |
Meet |
See |
|
/uː/ |
Ooze |
Food |
Do |
|
/ə/ |
About |
Banana |
(rare) |
|
/ɜː/ |
Earth |
Bird |
Fur |
|
/ɔː/ |
(rare) |
More |
Saw |
|
/ʌ/ |
Up |
Cup |
(rare) |
Exercises
A. Look at the following words that occur in the text.
Write all the vowels that occur in the word.
1. fields:
/fiːldz/ /i:/
2.
8. wit: /wɪt/ /I/
3. hero: /ˈhɪəəʊ/ /ɪ/
, /əʊ/
4. of: /ʌv/ /ʌ/
5. to: /tuː/ /uː/
6. up: /ʌp/ /ʌ/
7. even: /ˈiːvən/ /iː/
, /ə/
8. two: /tuː/ /uː/
B. In the following complete the words by filling in
the missing vowel sound. The transcription is provided for your guidance.
1.
full( /I/ ) : fully
2.
f…r ( /ɔː/
) : For
3. … ny
(/e/) :
Any
4.
…njoy ( /e/) : Enjoy
5.
l…king ( / ʊ / ) : Looking
Diphthongs: Diphthongs in English are
complex vowel sounds formed by the combination of two vowel sounds within a
single syllable. They involve a smooth transition between two distinct vowel
sounds in a single syllable.
1. /aɪ/: Its sound is similar to word “eye”. It is
mostly used for below alphabets:
- AY: day,
play
- AI: rain,
pain
- EY: they,
grey
- I: kite,
write, like
- Y: try, sky,
cry
-igh: light
2. /eɪ/: Its
sound is similar to alphabet “A”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- AY: say,
way
- AI: mail,
fail
- EI: eight,
vein
- EY: they,
survey
- A: ate,
date
3. /ɔɪ/: Its sound is
similar to “oy”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- OY: boy,
toy
- OI: oil,
boil
- OY: enjoy,
annoy
- OI: coin,
join
4. /aʊ/: Its sound is
similar to “Ow”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- OW: cow,
how
- OU: house,
mouse
- OU: out,
about
- OW: now,
brown
5. /oʊ/: Its sound is
similar to “O”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- O: go, so
- OW: know,
snow
- OA: boat,
coat
- OE: toe,
foe
6. /ɔʊ/: Its sound is
similar to alphabet “O”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- OW: grow,
slow
- OU: dough,
though
- O: sew,
below
- OA: goat,
coach
7. /eə/: Its sound is
similar to word “air”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- EA: bear,
tear (as in rip)
- AIR: care,
fair
- ARE: stare,
share
- EIR: their,
heir
8. /ɪə/: Its sound is
similar to word “ear”. It is mostly used for below alphabets:
- EAR: fear,
near
- EER: beer,
steer
- IER: tier,
pier
- IRE: fire,
wire
Diphthongs (Gliding Vowels)
|
Sound |
Example |
Starting Position |
Ending Position |
|
/eɪ/ |
Face |
Front |
Front |
|
/aɪ/ |
My |
Front |
Front |
|
/ɔɪ/ |
Boy |
Back |
Front |
|
/aʊ/ |
Now |
Front |
Back |
|
/əʊ/ |
Go |
Central |
Back |
|
/ɪə/ |
Near |
Front |
Central |
|
/eə/ |
Care |
Front |
Central |
|
/ʊə/ |
Cure |
Back |
Central |
Exercises
A.
Read out the sets of words given below. Write down the diphthong in IPS.
1. /eɪ/ : - male, great, take, fate, baker, grate,
weight, rate, shape, sail, make
2. /aɪ/ : - eye, bite, die, five, side, tiger, pilot,
bright, while, fight, sign
3. /ɔɪ/ : - boy, toil, loiter, joy, moisture, noise,
coin, employ, join, spoil
4. /oʊ/ : - own, home, float, close, bone, boat,
stone, ocean, loaf, note, soak, mould
5. /aʊ/ : - owl, vowel, down, doubt, loud, shout,
howl, devour, cow, around, bow
6. /ɪə/ : - tear, cheer, dear, hear, here, career, clear,
severe, spear, peer
7. /eə/ : - air, fair, there, wear, scarce, affair,
stair, care, tear, mare
8. /ʊə/ : - tour, poor, sure, fuel, lure, sewer,
cruel, gruel
B. Read the following words aloud. Mark out the
diphthongs in each of the words and write them out using the IPA. The first one
has been done.
1. low /loʊ/
2. sure /ʃʊər/
3. peer /pɪər/
4. take /teɪk/
5. lure /lʊər/
6. time /taɪm/
7. fine /faɪn/
8. deer /dɪər/
9. fear /fɪər/
10. house /haʊs/
11. wait /weɪt/
12. wear /wɛər/
13. there /ðɛər/
14. tear /tɛər/
15. mare /mɛər/
16. light /laɪt/
17. hello /həˈloʊ/
18. sear /sɪər/
19. hope /hoʊp/
20. night /naɪt/
Grammar
Tense
Tense shows us Two
Things: i. Time and ii. Statement (Completeness of our work)
Time: According to Time
Tense is of three types: Present, Past, Future
Note: All
actions have Three Stages (Beginning, Middle, and End)
Statement: According to
Statement Tense is of Four types: I. Indefinite/Simple, ii.Perfect, iii. Continuous,
iv.P.C.
Identification of Tense:
For the Identification of Tense we need two Things:
H.V=
Be (Is, Am, Are, Was, Were) Has,
Have, Had, Will, Shall etc
Verb Forms=
(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th)
Tense Chart
|
Tense |
Present
|
Past
|
Future |
|
V.F Indefinite H.V |
I Do,
(Other) Does (He, She, It) |
I
& II
Did
( All )
|
I Will
(Other) Shall
(I, We) |
|
V.F
Perfect H.V |
III
Have, (Other) Has
(He, She, It) |
III
& II
Had
(All) |
III
Will
have Shall
have |
|
V.F Continuous H.V
|
IV Is
(He, She It) Am
(I) Are(
other) |
IV Was(
He She It I) Were (Other) |
IV Will
be Shall
be |
|
V.F Perfect Continuous
H.V |
IV Has
been Have
been
Since
(Point of Time) |
IV Had
been
For
(Period of Time) |
IV Will
have been Shall
have been |
Important Note
- H.V is not used with two Tense i.e.
“Present Indefinite and Past Indefinite” in case of “Affirmative
Sentences” only. Also, II- Form is used in “Past Indefinite Affirmative
Sentences”.
- With “Present
Indefinite Affirmative Sentences” ‘…s’ or ‘…es’ is used with the Verb
incase of 3rd Person Singular (He,
She, It) Subject.
- “Past Perfect” is also called “Double
Past”. In case of “Past Perfect” two actions are performed but not
simultaneously. With first action –
III form of verb is used as usual and with Second action II form of Verb
is used.
- In case of all
“Perfect Continuous” tenses ‘Since’ and ‘For’ is used. ‘Since’ with ‘Point
of Time’ and ‘For’ with ‘Period of Time.’
|
Tense |
Present |
Past |
|
Simple |
He rides a bike |
He rode a bike |
|
Continuous |
He is riding a bike |
He was riding a bike |
|
Perfect |
He has ridden a bike |
He had ridden a bike |
|
Perfect continuous |
He has been riding a bike since the morning |
He had been riding a bike since 8 am |
|
|
1.
Present
Simple/ Indefinite:
1. To
express habitual action: In this case we use following adverbs: Always, Often,
Seldom, Usually, Daily, Everyday (Weak, month, year, normally, Twice, Thrice, a
week etc
2. To
express Universal or general Truth.
3. To
give Commentary or sporting events on some action which is going on
4. To
express official plans in the future i.e. plans which will go on according to a
schedule of time table and programme.
5. To
express great writers saying.
2.
Present
Continuous:
1. To express an action that is going on at the
time of speaking.
2. To express one’s immediate personal plans.
3. To express an action taking place about the
present time but not necessarily at the movement of speaking.
4. The following verbs are not normally used in
the continous tense:
A.
Verbs of Senses or
Perception:- Hear, See, Taste, Smell etc.
B.
Verbs of Like and
Dislike:- Like, Dislike, Love, Hate, Desire, Want etc.
C.
Verbs Express Wish:-
Wish, Desire, Want
D.
Verbs of Possession:-
Possess, Own, Have, Contain, Belong, etc.
Verbs
Connected with Mind:- Think, Suppose, Known, Understand, Believe, Feel etc
3.
Present
Perfect:
(i)
To express recent past
action.
(ii)
To express an action just
completed.
(iii)
Mostly used words in this
tense are:
So, Far, Since, For,
Hitherto, Up to, Now, Lately, Recently, Yet, Already, Just etc.
4.
Present
Perfect Continuous:
(i)
To express an action
which began in the past and is still continuing.
5.
Past
Indefinite:
(i)
To express habitual
action in the past
(ii)
To express an action
completed in the past
(iii)
To express past action
when time is not given.
(iv)
In this Tense following
words are mostly used: Yesterday, Last week, Last month, Last year, & ago.
6.
Past
Continuous:
(i)
It is used when the
action continued for some time in the
past.
(ii)
It is used to describe
two actions going in simultaneously in the past.
7. Past Perfect:
(i)
It is used to describe an
activity before another activity took place in the past or to describe which
action took place first if either of the two happened in the past.
8. Past Perfect Continuous:
(i)
It is used to express an
action that continued for a specific time in the Past and was still continuing
at the time of speaking.
9.
Future
Indefinite:
This tense is used for an action that has
still to take place.
10. Future Continuous:
This tense is used to express an action
going on at some point in future.
11. Future Perfect:
This tense is used to
indicate the completion of an action by a certain future time.
12. Future Perfect
Continuous:
This tense is used when
an action is to continue for some period of time in the future.
Exercise
Rewrite the following sentences in
the tense suggested in brackets.
1. Kate is
keying in her paper for the conference. (Change into the present perfect tense)
Kate has keyed in her paper for the conference.
2. They were
working all day. (Change into the simple present tense) They work all day.
3. I lived in
Kolkata for ten years. (Change into the present perfect progressive tense.)
I have been living in Kolkata for ten
years.
4. Farukh will
buy us chocolates when we visit him. (Change into future perfect tense)
Farukh will have
bought us chocolates when we visit him.
5. Huge boulders
had rolled down the mountainside when we got there. (Change into the simple
past tense)
Huge boulders
rolled down the mountainside when we got there.
6. I am playing
a game of cards with my uncle. (Change into the past progressive tense)
I was playing a
game of cards with my uncle.
7. Jessie met
you at the clinic. (Change into the simple future tense.) Jessie will meet you
at the clinic.
8. The bees have
left the hive. (Change into the present progressive tense.) The bees are going
to leave the hive.
9. Kapil broke
his leg when the vacation started. (Change into the past perfect tense)
Kapil had broken
his leg when the vacation had started.
10. Sarabjit
Singh has been practising for the tournament since October. (Change into the
past perfect progressive tense)
Sarabjit Singh
had been practising for the tournament since October.
ocolates when we visit him.
5. Huge boulders
had rolled down the mountainside when we got there. (Change into the simple
past tense)
Huge boulders
rolled down the mountainside when we got there.
6. I am playing
a game of cards with my uncle. (Change into the past progressive tense)
I was playing a
game of cards with my uncle.
7. Jessie met
you at the clinic. (Change into the simple future tense.) Jessie will meet you
at the clinic.
8. The bees have
left the hive. (Change into the present progressive tense.) The bees are going
to leave the hive.
9. Kapil broke
his leg when the vacation started. (Change into the past perfect tense)
Kapil had broken
his leg when the vacation had started.
10. Sarabjit
Singh has been practising for the tournament since October. (Change into the
past perfect progressive tense)
Sarabjit Singh
had been practising for the tournament since October.
