Chapter 8: The Fog

Thinking about the Poem

Question: 1

1. What does Sandburg think the fog is like?
2. How does the fog come?
3. What does ‘it’ in the third line refer to? CBSE 2012
4. Does the poet actually say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat. say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat.

Answer:

1. Sandburg thinks that the fog is like a cat.
2. The fog comes silently like a cat on its small feet.
3. ‘It’ refers to fog.
4. The poet does not actually say that the fog is like a cat, but he uses the metaphor of cat for comparison.

Three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat are:

• It comes silently like a cat on its small feet.
• It looks over like a cat.
• It sits on its haunches like a cat.

Question: 2

You know that a metaphor compares two things by transferring a feature of one thing to the other.

1. Find metaphors for the following words and complete the table below. Also try to say how they are alike. The first is done for you.

Storm	Tiger	over the fields, growls
Train	Snake	Long rope like body
Fire	Sun	Symbol of power
School	Temple	Teaches moral values, virtues
Home	Shelter	Safety, warmth

2. Think about a storm. Try to visualise the force of the storm, hear the sound of the storm, feel the power of the storm and the sudden calm that happens afterwards. Write a poem about the storm comparing it with an animal.

Answer:

Do it yourself.

Question: 3

Does this poem have a rhyme scheme? Poetry that does not have an obvious rhythm or rhyme is called ‘free verse’.

Answer:

This poem does not have a rhyme scheme as the sentences do not end with like sounds. There is no pattern of similarity in the sounds of the ending words of any of the sentences, therefore the poem is written in free verse.