Night of the Scorpion Power Point

http://www.slideshare.net/sunitahowell/night-of-the-scorpion-4672530

Cast Your Vote

Do You Agree that Superstitions Influence our Behaviour?
Yes / No

Cite an experience that confirms your position.  Your experience may be a  true firsthand account/imaginary account that concerns someone else.

View the Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/sunitahowell/sting-in-the-tale-4

Check out The Sting in the Tale ppt.

http://teachonline.intel.com/in/file.php/986/moddata/forum/14941/21275/Sting_in_the_Tale.ppt

How Can I Make A Difference?

We the Reporters of Class X conclude that each one of us can make a great difference to the world we live in.  From our study on superstitions we realize that no one is exempt from being influenced by superstitions. 

Each person is a product of his culture, his religious beliefs and the upbringing that has shaped him.  Hence even on his grandmother's knee or while at school or with his friends he has been impacted by some superstitions.   As 21st century students it is our duty to investigate our beliefs and expose them to the light of science and reason.  Are our beliefs rational?  Do they pass the test of logic?  Am I blindly following what was told to me without checking out its authenticity?  Having ascertained the truth for myself I should also help others to raise pertinent questions to check out their own beliefs.  Ignorance and blind faith have to be dealt with. 

We pledge  to spread awareness in our family/school/neighbourhood by being a voice for the voiceless.  We will accomplish this by our blog/debate/street play. 

Our Conclusions

We the students of Class X conclude that pain is a universal problem.  No country on earth, no community or family or individual is exempt from pain.  Pain can be of varying degrees and levels - global, international, national, societal, communal, individual etc.

In our poem, Night of the Scorpion, Nissim Ezekiel portrays the pain endured by the hapless mother when a scorpion driven out of its shelter due to the incessant rain chose to inflict its poison in her toe.  The amazing part is that the mother at the end of her long drawn out ordeal still comments, Thank God the scorpion picked on me...'

The superstitious villagers link the scorpion to 'the Evil One' (line 10). They claim that the poison will help in many ways. For example, by burning away the sins of the woman's former life - 'her previous birth' (line 19) - and ease her life after this one - 'her next birth' (line 22). Perhaps this is their way of making sense of the event: if good comes out of it, it is easier to bear.

Ezekiel's father who is described as a sceptic and a rationalist acts contrary to his beliefs. We read that when his wife is suffering, he tries 'every curse and blessing' (line 37) to help her. Although supposed to be a rationalist he is ready to experiment anything - even turn to the tantrik is the hope that his wife will be well.  'After twenty hours / it lost its sting' (lines 44-5) shows that nothing worked, after all.

The final three lines are poignant. We hear Ezekiel's mother's exact words, her simple speech is in contrast to the gabbling neighbours. She doesn't show any bitterness about her ordeal: she is just grateful that she was the one who was hurt rather than her children.  Mothers all over the world have an amazing capacity to endure pain, especially if their suffering can reduce the pain of their children. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english/poemscult/ezekielrev5.shtml
 

SUPERSTITIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY INDIA

The following facts are quoted from a blog created by K. R. Ravi, USA. 
http://ravi-k-r.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/11/superstition-in-the-21st-century-india.htm.  He goes on to say, 'This is my 13th blog. Wish me good luck! ' Talk about superstitions!

In a shocking incident, a daily wage labourer named Afizuddin Ali married his teenage daughter and made her pregnant, citing "divine sanction" at Kashiajhora village in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal recently.

A rickshaw puller in Chennai committed suicide so that his eyes could be used to restore vision to his blind brother. Tragically it was found out after his death that his eyes could anyway not have been used on account of medical reasons.

A woman psychiatrist killed her elder son in order to use his blood for transfusion into the body of her younger son so that the latter could become as intelligent as his [ now dead] brother. The father who looked on at the horrendous and bizarre operation was a doctor himself. All this was done at the behest of a swamiji.

One can submit any number of such macabre but true stories in support of the contention that we are a superstitious nation. I have done some research into such bizarre stories in the media and found that this cuts cross boundaries of religion, caste economic status, and even nationalities. Even in the US some superstitions abound thereby suggesting that educational and material progress alone may not eliminate this problem.

Scientists are also prone to having their untenable beliefs despite their eminence in their field of specialization.

The dividing line between superstition and mistaken beliefs based on racism etc is not clear. Thus a Harvard dean announced that he believed women were genetically inferior to men in the study of mathematics. Even as this raised a storm another eminent American scientist said that Africans were genetically inferior and as such Africa could never progress.

The highest paid astrologer in the US and maybe the world is not an Indian but a woman called Marjory Orr.

According to Lalitha Subbaraman in her article on http://www.helium.com/items/1604385-superstitions-common-to-india?page=2,

Superstitions can be categorized into three divisions: cultural, religious and personal. Personal superstitions are based on the advice given by sages or 'wise men' - hermits/gurus/sadhus etc.  Ordinary people are afraid to offend the 'wise men' and hence continue to follow the advice given by them.  Some Indians hold that a certain time/day of the week is not suitable for important activities such as weddings/birthday christening and other religious events. This personal belief is prevalent in some areas and among religious Indians still. Rural areas are known for cultural superstitions as well as personal superstitions. Temples are viewed as sacred ground. People belonging to a low caste are not allowed entry into the temple. 

Religious superstitions are widely prevalent in India. India is a deeply religious country and it has a host of gods and goddesses to appease.  Everyday can be a celebration to appease some devi or devta. This provides opportunity to hoodwink the ignorant and superstitious simple folk who do not reason for themselves. 

What do you believe in?

  Don't hold on to a baseless superstition.

Investigate your fears.

Watch out Against ...

If a black cat crosses your path, try not to follow it as you will then take the same path as the cat. Bad luck will follow immediately.

TOP 10 COMMON SUPERSTITIONS PEOPLE BELIEVE

http://top-10-list.org/2010/05/18/ten-common-superstitions-people-believe/


The term ‘superstitions’ is used to describe those beliefs that are not rational and have been passed on from generation to generation and are not based on reason or evidence.  Since most of these beliefs involve good or bad fortune, good or bad omens and dread of the supernatural, most superstitions continue to influence people.

1. Friday the 13th
2. An Itchy Palm
3. Walking Under a Ladder
4. Breaking a Mirror
5. Finding a Horseshoe
6. Opening an Umbrella Indoors
7. Knocking on Wood
8. Tossing Spilled Salt Over Shoulder
9. Black Cats
10. Mongoose
 

Class X Reporters in Action

We the students of Class X were given the following Curriculum Framing Questions"

Essential Question How can I make a difference?

Unit Questions How does Literature reflect society?

Do superstitions exist in the 21st century?

Content Questions What superstitious beliefs did the peasants have?

What religious beliefs did the peasants hold?

How is the mother’s love depicted in The Night of the Scorpion? Is it in any way different from your mother’s love?

Keeping the above questions in mind we collaborated as a team of reporters and decided on some common superstitions that influence our thinking and behaviour.  We share our findings with you.