Fog

 

FOG

-          By Carl Sandburg

 

Introduction

The poem Fog by Carl Sandburg is a short, haiku-like poem. In this poem, the poet personifies the fog by comparing it to a cat that silently enters the city, stays there for a while, and then moves away. Through this comparison, the poet highlights the mysterious and unpredictable nature of fog. He beautifully captures an ordinary natural phenomenon through a simple yet striking image, demonstrating his deep appreciation for nature.

Themes

Theme of Nature

The poet describes a simple natural phenomenon that we witness from time to time. Although fog is a common occurrence, people do not usually pay much attention to it. However, the poet presents it vividly by comparing it to a cat. According to him, the fog, like a cat, creeps silently into the human world without any warning. It remains still for a while, observing its surroundings, and finally moves away quietly. Through this comparison, the poet highlights the beauty, mystery, and quiet movements of nature.

Theme of Change

Another theme of the poem is change. Change is an inevitable part of both nature and human life. Sometimes, changes occur so quietly that we hardly notice when they begin or end. The poet illustrates this idea through the fog, which silently arrives, covers the city and harbour, remains there for a while, and then disappears. Thus, the poem suggests that natural phenomena, like many experiences in life, are temporary and constantly changing.

Theme of Hope

The poem can also be interpreted as offering a message of hope. We face many ups and downs in life, and sometimes problems and difficulties surround us without warning. These challenges may make us feel distressed or hopeless. However, difficulties do not necessarily last forever; like the fog, they may eventually pass away. From this perspective, the poem reminds us to remain patient and hopeful during difficult times. Although this is an extended interpretation, it offers a meaningful connection between the poem and human life.

Summary of the Poem

The poet describes the arrival, presence, and departure of fog by comparing it to a cat. He says that the fog comes silently on little cat feet, suggesting that it approaches the city and harbour without making any noise. The fog then sits over the city and harbour like a cat sitting on its haunches and looking around. It remains there quietly for some time, observing its surroundings. Finally, the fog moves away as silently as it arrived. Through this simple yet powerful comparison, the poet beautifully captures the mysterious, quiet, and temporary nature of fog.

Poetic Devices in Fog

Metaphor

The entire poem is an extended metaphor.

The fog is compared to a cat—quiet, graceful, and stealthy.

Example: “It sits looking over harbor and city / on silent haunches.”

Personification

The fog is described as though it is alive and behaving like a cat.

It “comes,” “sits,” “looks,” and then “moves on.”

Imagery

Vivid pictures are created in the reader’s mind: a cat sitting silently, observing, then moving away.

Visual (cat sitting), Auditory (silence), Kinesthetic (movement).

Simile (Implied)

Although the word “like” or “as” is not used, the fog is likened to a cat in behavior and motion.

Symbolism

The fog symbolizes nature’s quiet but powerful presence—mysterious, unpredictable, and transient.

Free Verse

The poem has no rhyme scheme, rhythm, or fixed meter—typical of free verse, which gives it natural flow.

 

Additional Questions.

 

Q1. How does the fog spread over the harbour and the city?

Q2. How does Carl Sandburg describe the arrival, stay and departure of fog through the image of a metaphorical cat?

Q3. In the poem, the fog is described as living being. Substantiate the statement. 

Q4. Explain the term “on little cat feet.” 

Q5. Stealth is an important aspect of fog. State any two instances from the poem “Fog” that suggest the same.

Q6. Is the fog portrayed as a resident of the city or as an outsider? Support your answer with two such references from the poem.

Q7. Write about the poetic devices used in the poem.

019	Read the extract and answer: “It sits looking / over harbour and city / on silent haunches / and then moves on.” (a) What does ‘It’ refer to here?

 

2017	According to the poet, What is fog like? How does it come?

 

2017 / C-code / B-code

How has Carl Sandburg portrayed the nature and its silent working?

 

2018	What is fog compared to? What does it look over?

 

2018	Where does fog lie and how?

 

CBSE 2012

What does Sandburg think the fog is like? How does the fog come? What does ‘it’ in the third line refer to?

 

Multiple Years

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.

 

2010	According to the poet, what is the fog like?

 

2015	What is the fog compared to?

 

2007	What does the fog look over?