Class 10 English - GUJARAT

Poetry: Fog

The chapter 'Fog' is a short, imagist poem by Carl Sandburg included in the Class 10 English curriculum for Gujarat (GSEB) students. The poem describes the slow and silent arrival of fog over a city and harbor, comparing it metaphorically to a cat. It matters significantly for board exams because it tests a student's ability to identify poetic devices, understand extended metaphors, and analyze visual imagery. Questions from this poem often appear in the reading comprehension and poetry sections, requiring both short answers and objective-type questions to score well.

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Key Concepts

Extended Metaphor

The entire poem compares the fog to a cat, describing its movement, arrival, and departure using feline characteristics.

Visual Imagery

Sandburg creates a strong mental picture of fog moving silently on 'little cat feet' and sitting over the city and harbor.

Free Verse

The poem is written in free verse, meaning it has no regular rhyme scheme or metrical pattern, reflecting the unpredictable nature of fog.

Ambience and Personification

Fog is personified as a living creature that comes quietly, watches the city, and then moves on.

Important Formulas

Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things (Fog = Cat).
Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
Free Verse: Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.
Imagery: Visually descriptive or figurative language in a literary work.

Board Exam Info

In the Gujarat (GSEB) Class 10 English board exam, poetry comprehension passages and short answer questions from this poem typically carry around 2 to 4 marks. Common question types include explaining the central idea, identifying figures of speech, and answering short descriptive questions about how the fog is compared to a cat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the poet compare the fog to a cat?

The poet says the fog comes on 'little cat feet,' meaning it arrives silently, sits looking over the harbor and city quietly, and then moves on just like a cat.

What poetic device is predominantly used in the poem 'Fog'?

The main poetic device is a Metaphor (specifically an extended metaphor), where the fog is directly compared to a cat throughout the poem.

Why does the poet say the fog 'sits looking'?

This is personification. It describes how the fog pauses and settles over the city and harbor, blanketing the area just like a cat sitting and observing its surroundings.

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