Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gangrene
Introduction
Stanza 1
Stanza 2
Stanza 3
Stanza 4
Stanza 5
Stanza 6
Stanza 7
Stanza 8
Stanza 9
Introduction
Gangrene by Taufiq Rafat begins with the poet telling us about the boy. He
was a shy, quiet, and well-mannered boy of twelve. There were dirty bandages
wrapped around his arm. The boy came from the poet’s ancestral village. He
was the son of a carpenter who was a cousin-by-marriage of a tanner with
whom the poet traded. It was for this relationship that they had brought the
boy to him. They needed the poet’s help to get the boy’s wounded arm
examined by a doctor in the city.
The boy hurt himself when he fell from the roof while flying a kite. He fell on a
pile of bricks and might have broken his neck. However, his folks considered it
a miracle that it did not happen. He received, as they considered it, only a
minor injury in the form of a dislocated elbow. His parents took him to a local
wrestler who was famous as a mender of bones. The wrestler casually
examined the boy’s shattered elbow, applied oil to it, and covered it with lint.
He charged his fee and declared that it was a slight fracture that would heal
soon. However, the wound continued to get infected till it became gangrene.
The wrestler, who had miscalculated the damage, did not admit his fault.
Instead, he attributed it to the influence of some supernatural presence that
hampered the recovery of the bone.
The wrestler tried, again and again, to somehow treat the shattered elbow of
the boy. Anyhow, with no actual knowledge of bone therapy, he failed
miserably. When the boy began to develop gangrene, his parents decided to
get him examined by a doctor in the city. The simple villagers thought it
befitting to involve the poet who belonged to their village but lived in the city.
They believed that he could get them to some specialist doctor. No sooner did
the poet see the boy’s arm, he realized that the villagers had gone late. Still,
he took them to a surgeon.
The Diagnosis
The poet lived near a mission hospital. He took the boy to this hospital where
the doctor confirmed that it was gangrene. He added that the amputation had
become inevitable. If delayed, the boy would die of it.
The poet felt sorry for the little boy who was unaware of the severity of his
wound. He was busy watching pigeons. The poet could not find words to
break the news to the boy’s father. The tanner, however, realized the
seriousness of the matter and tactfully took the poet aside. The poet disclosed
the matter to the tanner who informed the boy’s father.
As soon as the boy’s father came to know of the situation, he flared up in rage.
The poet could not distinguish whether it was rage, grief, or a combination of
both. The boy’s father declared that a son with only one arm was a shame. He
could not stand amputation. He insisted that the doctor knew nothing. Once
again, he asserted his faith in the village wrestler. Furthermore, he insisted on
going to some other hospital for the treatment of the boy. The poet did his
best to make the boy’s father understand the gravity of the situation. But he
did not listen to anyone. He walked out of the hospital.
The Consequence
Introduction
A Lack of Awareness
Gangrene by Taugfiq Rafat presents a situation in which a boy fell from the
roof while flying a kite. He fell on a brick pile and hurt his elbow. In a situation
like this, the parents must have taken the boy to a hospital. Instead, they took
the matter lightly. They considered the shattered elbow a slight injury and
were satisfied that the boy did not break his neck. They took the boy to a local
wrestler whom they considered an expert in mending bones. It is a clear sign
of a lack of awareness. In rural Punjab where the literacy rate is quite low, such
cases are common. Wrestlers and quacks take full advantage of illiterate and
unaware people. Also, it raises a question about the health system in Pakistan
where doctors have lost the faith of the people.
Excessive Selfishness
Gross Mismanagement
Conclusion