Class 10th Fog Poem Question & Answer
Thinking About the Poem
(Page 115)
Q. 1. What does Sandburg think the fog is like?
Ans. Sandburg thinks that the fog is like a cat.
Q. 2. How does the fog come?
Ans. The fog comes silently like a cat in its small feet.
Q. 3. What does ‘it’ in the third line refer to? (CBSE 2012)
Ans. ‘It’ refers to fog.
Q. 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.
Ans. 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 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.
Q. 5. “It sits looking….” what is the poetic device used here? [CBSE 2012]
Ans: Metaphor is used here.
Q. 6. How does the poet compare fog to a living being?
Ans: The poet compares the fog to a cat. The silent steps of a cat and the way it sits on its haunches is very similar to the way fog comes and surrounds the city and looks over it.
Q. 7. What image does the poet give to the fog? What are the similarities between that image and fog?
Ans: The poet looks at fog as a living creature and compares it to a cat. The fog moves like a cat on little cat feet and sits on haunches like a cat.
Q.2 You know that 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 |
Pounces over the fields, growls. |
|
Train |
Snake |
Long rope like body. |
|
Fire |
Sun |
Symbol of power. |
|
School |
Temple |
Teaches more values, virtues. |
|
Home |
Shelter |
Safety, warmth |
2. Think about a storm. Try to visualize the force of the storm, hear 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.
Ans.
In the heart of nature’s wild embrace,
A tempest roars with fervent grace,
An untamed beast, a force untold,
The storm, a creature, fierce and bold.
It prowls the skies with thunderous might,
Akin to a lion’s daunting sight,
Its growls of thunder shake the ground,
As lightning claws flash all around.
Winds, like a stallion, race and run,
Their gallop fierce, their power spun,
They whip and lash with frenzied glee,
A wild mustang, untamed and free.
Torrential rains, a serpent’s hiss,
Slithering down, no mercy, no miss,
They coil and strike with relentless pour,
Flooding the earth, an endless downpour.
But as the tempest claims its reign,
A sudden hush, a calm regained,
The storm, a creature, now at rest,
The tranquil pause, its fleeting best.
Like a gentle dove, the skies now clear,
The aftermath, serene and near,
The storm, a beast, has had its say,
Yet leaves behind a peaceful day.
Q.3 Does this poem have a rhyme scheme? Poetry that does not have an obvious rhythm or rhyme is called ‘free verse’.
Ans. 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.
Extra Questions:
Q. 1. Difficulties come but they are not to stay forever. They come and go. Comment referring to the poem ‘Fog’.
Ans: Difficulties, when faced by people, tend to leave them hopeless and shattered. It takes a lot of courage to overcome any problem and to solve it. If we take a clue from the poem and compare difficulties to fog, we find that just like fog, difficulties also come and go.
One need not be hopeless and lose courage when problems come, one should rather think of it as fog, meaning that it has not come to stay but will always leave, like fog.
Q.2. Nature has many wonders that people take for granted and never pay attention to. How is the poem ‘Fog’ different from this perspective?
Ans: The poet has taken utmost pleasure in nature and natural phenomenon like fog. Fog is so special to the poet that he cared enough not only to write about it, but also thinks of its resemblance with other things in the world. In his close attention to fog, he found fog resembles a cat, in the way it moves and sits on its haunches. The fact that such a resemblance was found by the poet shows how connected he is to various things in nature. This poem serves as a motivation for people, who take nature for granted to find such interesting comparisons and similarities around them.
Q. 3. What does the poet want to convey through the poem ‘Fog’?
Ans: The poet ‘Carl Sandburg” takes pleasure in nature. He states that when difficulties are faced by people, they become hopeless and shattered. It takes a lot of courage to overcome any problem and to solve it. The poet has compared difficulties to fog, he states that as fog comes and goes in the same manner difficulties come and go. Our should not lose hope and should be brave enough to face problems; rather find solutions as difficulties will soon disappear and leave soon.