Class 10 English - RAJASTHAN

Poetry: Fog

The poem 'Fog' by Carl Sandburg is a short yet profound piece prescribed for Class 10 students under the Rajasthan Board (RBSE). In this poem, the poet beautifully captures the arrival and departure of fog through an extended metaphor, comparing it to a cat. Students will learn how poets use imagery and personification to bring non-living natural phenomena to life. For board exams, understanding the central theme, identifying poetic devices like metaphor and personification, and explaining the 'cat' metaphor are essential for scoring high marks in the English literature section.

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Key Concepts

Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences or lines. In this poem, fog is continuously compared to a cat.

Personification

Giving human or animal qualities to an inanimate object or abstract idea. The fog is given the qualities of a cat as it comes silently and sits.

Free Verse

Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter. 'Fog' is written in free verse, reflecting the natural and unpredictable movement of fog.

Visual Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sight, helping readers visualize the silent, creeping arrival of the fog over the harbor and city.

Important Formulas

Personification: Attribution of animal/human traits (e.g., 'fog comes on little cat feet')
Metaphor: Direct comparison without 'like' or 'as' (e.g., fog = cat)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line

Board Exam Info

In the Rajasthan (RBSE) Class 10 English board examination, poetry sections typically carry around 4 to 6 marks. Questions from 'Fog' usually include reference to context (RTC)-based short answer questions, extract-based multiple-choice questions (MCQs), or 2-mark subjective questions explaining the central idea and the cat metaphor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the poet compare the fog to a cat?

The poet compares fog to a cat because both arrive silently and stealthily, unnoticed, settle down over a place, and move away without making a sound.

What does the phrase 'it sits looking over harbor and city' signify?

This phrase personifies the fog, showing how it covers the entire landscape, encompassing both the water body (harbor) and the urban area (city) while pausing briefly.

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem 'Fog'?

The poem has no rhyme scheme because it is written in free verse, which mimics the natural, unstructured flow of the fog.

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