Class 10 English - CBSE
Poetry: Fog
Fog by Carl Sandburg is a short, imagist poem that describes the silent and stealthy arrival of fog over a city and harbor. Through an extended metaphor, the poet compares the fog to a cat, capturing its quiet movements and sudden disappearance. For CBSE Class 10 board exams, this chapter is crucial for testing students' understanding of poetic devices, particularly extended metaphors and imagery. Questions frequently test the ability to interpret the cat imagery and analyze how the poet attributes living qualities to a non-living natural phenomenon without using personification explicitly.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Extended Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences or lines, comparing fog directly to a cat.
Cat Imagery
The use of descriptive language regarding a cat (little cat feet, sitting on silent haunches) to visualize the silent approach of fog.
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza, seen in the smooth flow of the poem.
Free Verse
Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter, allowing the poem to flow naturally like the movement of fog.
Ambience and Setting
The depiction of the harbor and city, creating a quiet, still atmosphere before the fog moves on.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the CBSE Class 10 English Literature exam, this poem typically appears as a reference to context (RTC) question carrying 3-4 marks, or as a short answer question worth 2-3 marks focusing on the central theme, poetic devices, or the comparison between fog and a cat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the poet compare fog to a cat?
The poet compares fog to a cat because both arrive silently, move stealthily on small feet, sit quietly observing their surroundings, and depart unexpectedly without making any noise.
What poetic devices are used in the poem 'Fog'?
The primary poetic devices are metaphor (extended metaphor comparing fog to a cat), imagery, and enjambment.
Does the poem have a rhyming scheme?
No, 'Fog' is written in free verse, meaning it does not have a fixed rhyme scheme or regular meter.
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