From the poem provide evidence for the following : (Night of the Scorpion) Stages: (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.

 From the poem provide evidence for the following : (Night of the Scorpion)

Ans.

Stages: (a) the attempts by the peasants to help alleviate the mother’s pain.
Evidence (lines from the poem): (a) may your suffering decrease, the misfortunes of your next birth, they said. (b) may the sum of all evil balanced in this unreal world against the sum of good become diminished by your pain.

Stages: (b) the action of these same peasants to kill the scorpion
Evidence (lines from the poem): (a) with candles and lanterns, they searched for him (b)he was not found

Stages: (c) the reaction of the rational father.
Evidence (lines from the poem): my father sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid

Stages: (d) the various superstitions versus the ‘scientific’
Evidence (lines from the poem): (a) I watched the holy man perform his rites to tame the poison with an incantation. (b) after twenty-hours, it lost its sting.

Stages: (e) evil versus good.
Evidence (lines from the poem): (a) the peasants buzzed the name of God hundred times to paralyse the evil one. (b) may the sum of all evil, balanced in this unreal world against the sum of good, become diminished by your pain.