Class 10 : English – Lesson 17. Fog
EXPLANATION & SUMMARY
💠 Explanation
🌟 Introduction to the Poem
Fog by Carl Sandburg is a short, imagist poem that presents a vivid picture of fog as a living creature. Using a simple yet powerful metaphor, the poet compares the fog to a cat.
📚 About the Poet
Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) was an American poet, journalist, and editor. He was known for his realistic, imagist poetry and writings on American life. His style often used everyday images to express profound truths.
💡 Theme and Context
The poem captures the mysterious, silent arrival and departure of fog. Instead of describing it scientifically, the poet uses imagination to highlight its quiet, graceful, and temporary presence.
🎭 Key Ideas
Fog as a Cat: The fog comes silently, like a cat on little feet.
Temporary Stay: It sits quietly, observing the harbour and city.
Movement: Just as silently, it moves on.
🖋️ Tone, Style, and Devices
Tone: calm, mysterious, imaginative.
Devices:
Metaphor: Fog compared to a cat.
Personification: Fog is given life-like qualities.
Imagery: Harbour, city, and silent movement create a visual picture.
Simplicity: Short, free-verse lines make it direct and powerful.
🕊️ Themes and Takeaways
Nature’s Mystery: Natural elements arrive and leave quietly, beyond human control.
Power of Imagination: Nature can be understood through creative metaphors.
Impermanence: Like fog, many things in life are transient and pass quickly.
💠 Summary
Carl Sandburg’s Fog compares the fog to a cat, arriving quietly on “little cat feet.” It settles over the harbour and city, watching silently, and then moves on without disturbance. The poem highlights the mysterious, temporary, and gentle nature of fog, showing Sandburg’s ability to transform an ordinary natural phenomenon into a vivid and imaginative picture.
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PASSAGE
PASSAGE
“The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.”
💠 (Short Answer – 30 words)
How does the poet describe the arrival of fog?
Answer: The poet compares the fog’s arrival to a cat walking silently on soft feet, showing its mysterious and quiet entry without warning.
💠 (Multiple Choice)
What does “on little cat feet” suggest?
A. The fog is dangerous.
B. The fog arrives silently and softly.
C. The fog runs noisily.
D. The fog has claws.
Answer: B. The fog arrives silently and softly.
💠 (Fill in the blank)
The fog sits looking over _ and _.
Answer: harbour, city
💠 (Fill in the blank)
The poet compares fog to a __.
Answer: cat
💠 (Assertion and Reason)
Assertion (A): The fog is noisy and disturbing.
Reason (R): The poet compares it to a cat that comes silently and leaves quietly.
A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C. A is false, but R is true.
D. Both A and R are false.
Answer: C. A is false, but R is true.
💠 (Short Answer – 30 words)
What quality of nature does this passage highlight?
Answer: It highlights nature’s quiet, mysterious, and transient quality, as the fog, like a cat, comes and goes without noise or permanence.
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OTHER QUESTIONS: –
🔴 Q1. Who is the poet of Fog?
🔵 Answer: Carl Sandburg.
🔴 Q2. With what does the poet compare the fog?
🔵 Answer: The poet compares the fog to a cat.
🔴 Q3. How does the fog come, according to the poet?
🔵 Answer: The fog comes quietly, “on little cat feet,” without noise.
🔴 Q4. Where does the fog sit?
🔵 Answer: The fog sits silently, looking over the harbour and the city.
🔴 Q5. What does the phrase “silent haunches” suggest?
🔵 Answer: It suggests the fog rests like a cat sitting quietly, observing its surroundings.
🔴 Q6. How does the fog leave the city?
🔵 Answer: The fog moves on silently, just as quietly as it arrived.
🔴 Q7. What is the central metaphor in the poem?
🔵 Answer: The central metaphor is the comparison of fog to a cat.
🔴 Q8. How many lines are there in the poem Fog?
🔵 Answer: The poem has six short lines.
🔴 Q9. What does the fog’s temporary stay symbolise?
🔵 Answer: It symbolises the transience of natural phenomena and life’s passing moments.
🔴 Q10. What poetic style is used in this poem?
🔵 Answer: The poem is written in free verse, with no rhyme scheme.
🔴 Q11. What qualities of the cat are compared to fog?
🔵 Answer: Silence, grace, mystery, and sudden movement.
🔴 Q12. What theme does the poem convey?
🔵 Answer: The poem conveys the mysterious, temporary, and quiet presence of natural elements like fog.
🔴 Q13. Why is Fog considered an imagist poem?
🔵 Answer: Because it uses a simple, clear image (a cat) to create a vivid picture of fog, typical of imagist poetry.
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