In 'Night of the Scorpion' and 'Vultures', the use of description is both vivid and surprising. The descriptions often lead the reader to expect a certain conclusion or tone and then the poets' use of description changes and this changes the reader's anticipation of how the poems might develop; this is what makes the poems thought-provoking and surprising.
The title 'Night of the Scorpion' sounds like the sort of name a horror film might be given. This is misleading because this poem is not like a horror film at all. Instead of the scorpion being the enemy, the poet 's description of the scorpion's circumstances leads us to feel sympathy for it. He has been 'driven' into the hut by 'ten hours of steady rain'. The use of the word 'driven' suggests that this is a last resort for the scorpion. He really does not want to be there, but he's desperate to be dry and quiet, so he crawls 'beneath a sack of rice'. At this point, we do not see the scorpion as an object of fear or horror as the title of the poems suggests. Ezekiel's sympathy for the scorpion is contrasted with the moment that the scorpion stings his mother - 'flash' reflects the sudden and shocking moment of the sting. His tail is described as 'diabolic' and the neighbours call the scorpion 'the evil one'; the repetition of the alliteration 'parting with his poison' helps the reader feel the sudden and dangerous nature of the sting because the P sounds quick and harsh.
The title 'Night of the Scorpion' sounds like the sort of name a horror film might be given. This is misleading because this poem is not like a horror film at all. Instead of the scorpion being the enemy, the poet 's description of the scorpion's circumstances leads us to feel sympathy for it. He has been 'driven' into the hut by 'ten hours of steady rain'. The use of the word 'driven' suggests that this is a last resort for the scorpion. He really does not want to be there, but he's desperate to be dry and quiet, so he crawls 'beneath a sack of rice'. At this point, we do not see the scorpion as an object of fear or horror as the title of the poems suggests. Ezekiel's sympathy for the scorpion is contrasted with the moment that the scorpion stings his mother - 'flash' reflects the sudden and shocking moment of the sting. His tail is described as 'diabolic' and the neighbours call the scorpion 'the evil one'; the repetition of the alliteration 'parting with his poison' helps the reader feel the sudden and dangerous nature of the sting because the P sounds quick and harsh.
