English
Maharashtra State BoardSSC (English Medium) 10th Standard

Get into pairs and discuss the following with your partners and complete the table. Many people are superstitious. This means that they have a belief for which they have no logical reason. - English

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Question

Get into pairs and discuss the following with your partners and complete the table.

Many people are superstitious. This means that they have a belief for which they have no logical reason.

An example of superstition is that - walking under a ladder brings bad luck. In pairs, list any superstitions that you know of.

Superstition What it implies
(1) Smashing a mirror Brings seven years of bad luck.
(2)  
(3)  
(4)  
(5)  
Chart
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Solution

Superstation

What it implies

(1) Walking under a ladder

1. Brings bad luck.

(2) Smashing a mirror

2. Brings seven years of bad luck.

(3) A black cat crossing your path

3. A bad omen.

(4) Twitching of the eye

4. Brings bad luck.

(5) Sweeping your house after sunset

5. Goddess Lakshmi will walk out.

(6) Going near a peepal tree at night

6. The ghosts will kill you.

(7) Putting a black dot on your child's face

7. Will ward off the evil eye.

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Night of the Scorpion
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Chapter 3.1: Night of the Scorpion - Warming Up! [Page 100]

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Balbharati English Kumarbharati [English] Standard 10 Maharashtra State Board
Chapter 3.1 Night of the Scorpion
Warming Up! | Q 1 | Page 100

RELATED QUESTIONS

Brainstorm what you know about Scorpions. Use the points given below.


After reading the poem, complete the following. What happens? There are three main parts of the poem. Do you know what they are about? The first one is done for you.

Lines What is happening?
1-7 The scorpion comes into the home to escape the rain and stings the poet’s mother.
8-33  
34-48  

Complete the following table.

Scorpion
Many images of the scorpion contrast in the opening lines of the poem. Find examples of each and add them to the columns below.
Timid Dangerous

(1) hides _________

(2) ___________ back

(i) Diabolic ____________

(ii) ____________


Choose the correct alternative.

His father and the villagers panic and hastily suggest _____________.


Choose the correct alternative.

The poet seems to see the villagers as impractical and almost irritating which suggests that ________________.


Choose the correct alternative.

The peasants chant the name of God to _______________.


Choose the correct alternative.

The click of tongues reflects their __________ to the predicament.


From the poem provide evidence for the following:

Stages Evidence (lines from the poem)
(a) the attempts by the peasants to help alleviate the mother’s pain.  
(b) the action of these same peasants to kill the scorpion  
(c) the reaction of the rational father.  
(d) the various superstitions versus the ‘scientific’  
(e) evil versus good.  

Prepare a Presentation (on paper or on a PC) as a piece of reference to other students. Make use of the following points.


Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:

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 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.

Points:

  • The title and the poet of the poem
  • Rhyme scheme
  • Figures of speech
  • Central Idea/Theme

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