Night of the Scorpion

Language
• Narrative
o “I remember...I watched”
- Setting the poem as a first person narrative- may be autobiographical
- After this he rarely uses “I”
- Shows that he is not thinking about himself but about his mother
• Likening scorpion to devil
o “diabolical”
- One definition of this word is “of the devil”
- This suggests that he hates the creature for what he has done and thinks of it as pure
evil
- Suggests the scorpion is proud of what he has done- supported by “parting with his
poison”
- Shows that he is not thinking straight or his childish mind- because probably attacked
because he was scared
• Imaginative thinking
o “giant scorpion shadows”
- The scorpion has now gone- these shadows are from their imagination
- May be the shadows of the crowds of moving people- emphasising number of people
and restlessness
- May suggest the peasants are the “devil”
• Irony
o “peace of understanding”
- Ironic because the peasants have been anything but peaceful or understanding
- Shows that they are calm and knowing
- Ironic also because they can’t understand because they have not been stung otherwise
they would be dead
- Could just mean they are in shock at her pain and are just looking at her but he would
rather think that they understand what she is going through

Themes
• Feeling of helplessness/ desperation
o “I watched”
- The fact that he is only thinking and takes no action through the whole poem
emphasises how helpless he feels and
o “More...more...more...”
- This repetition shows that he feels helpless and is noticing all of this because he cannot
do anything about it
- May suggest he is getting annoyed/ or this is going on and on/ or he is trying to
distract himself from his mothers pain
o “every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid...put a match to it”
- Shows that even though the father is religious he is still using medicine because he is
so desperate
- He’s even willing to let her lose he foot and be disfigured (looked down upon in Indian
society) to save her
• References of religion/ superstition
o “buzzed the name of God...Evil One”
- Shows that they are very superstitious- clue as to where they are as people in India
are very superstitious
- Evil one is written in capitals show that they are likening the scorpion to the devil and
make it sound like it is actually a commonly known religious name
o “previous birth...next birth”
- This is the belief of reincarnation- which is something Sikhs and Hindu’s believe- helps
us know where it is set- India
 o “May he...may the...may your...”
- List and repetition of “may” makes this sound like a religious ritual
- Could be like a spell- idea of superstition again

Imagery
• Simile
o “peasants came like swarms of flies”
- Suggests their family is of a higher social class
- Sounds negative- flies are annoying and normally unwelcome
- May suggest that they are there purely as spectators- may have a “serves you right”
attitude for being higher than them

Sound
• Harsh sounds
o “stung...scorpion”
- Straight away creates the impression that this animal isn’t nice
• Alliteration
o “parting with his poison...herb and hybrid”
- Helps to tie events together neatly
- Makes it sound more poetic and less like a real event- maybe suggests he is still
covering up his feelings with a confident facade