Poem 9 - Fog

The 9th poem of the NCERT First Flight textbook – Fog is a short poem written by Carl Sandburg, a noted American poet, writer and editor. In this poem, the poet says that the fog is usually seen, particularly during the winter season and harbours like a cat. It indicates that the fog silently approaches the city so that no one can notice. The poet elegantly compares the fog with a cat because a cat always moves quietly.

The poet goes on to say that the fog has covered the entire city and harbour. He explains that the fog appears in a way that it looks like it is folding its leg and looks around curiously like a cat. It likewise sits on its haunches and looks around. Towards the end, the poet describes how the fog disappears, which is silently and unforeseeable just the way it appeared.

Critical Analysis – Fog by Carl Sandburg

Fog is a poem of only six lines which has been split into two stanzas. The poem is written in free verse form. The poem is an extended metaphor where the poet uses the metaphor of a cat to describe the fog and its arrival and departure. When the fog arrives, it engulfs everything within its path in a silent manner. Before departing the place, the fog sits and looks over the city and its harbours and disappears in a feline way.

The Main Points of the Poem are- 

1. The poet gives a powerful visual of fog through the metaphor of a cat.

2. The fog turns into a cat, and its movements imitate that of a cat.

3. The fog comes silently and engulfs everything around it.

4. It approaches the city quietly like a cat who comes to stalk.

5. It looks over the harbour and the city with its legs haunched like a cat.

6. It continues sitting silently and then moves on and disappears.

About the Poet

Born in the year 1878, Carl August Sandburg was a poet, writer, and editor from America. He has won three Pulitzer Prizes for two of his poems and one biography about Abraham Lincoln. Carl August Sandburg has also written poems like Analysis, Chicago, grass, etc.

We at UrbanPro, provide a detailed explanation of the poem to help class 10 students. The accurate and comprehensive provided include Class 10 English Fog question answer and Fog Class 10 Extra Questions alongside the summary for a better understanding of the poem.