summary of poem the fog by W.H.davis
Answers
Vey simple. A sighted man finds himself in
a fog so thick that he is disoriented and cannot find his way home. He must
then depend on a blind man to lead the way.
On a more abstract level, the poem may be about how
people trust only what they can literally see, and lack awareness of things
unseen (faith, belief, religion
The poet finds himself in a fog so thick that he is disoriented and cannot find his way home. He is then helped by a man who promised to take him home. Once the poet got home, he realizes that the man who had led him home was blind. On a more abstract level, the poem may be about how people trust only what they can literally see, and lack awareness of things unseen, such as faith, belief, religion, etc.
Stanza 1
I saw the fog grow thick
Which soon made blind my ken;
It made tall men of boys,
And giants of tall men.
I saw the fog growing enormously heavy, Soon the fog made me blind, boys appeared to be tall men in the fog, and tall men appeared to be giants in the fog.
Meanings
Ken – Senses
Which soon made blind my ken – the fog blinded the poet’s senses.
It made tall men of boys and giants of tall men – everyone feels taller and bigger in fog.
Questions & Answers
What was the effect of the fog on the poet’s senses?
How did the appearance of the world change due to fog?
Under the effect of thick fog, the poet saw everything bigger than they used to be. Small boys appeared tall men and tall men appeared giants.
Stanza 2
It clutched my throat, I coughed;
Nothing was in my head
Except two heavy eyes
Like balls of burning lead.
The fog had its effect on me. I felt like being choked. I coughed, my head seemed empty, yet I could feel my eyes, very heavy and hot now. I could feel the heat of my eyes.
Meanings
It clutched my throat – The poet could not speak.
Nothing was in my head – I could not think, remember.
Eyes like balls of burning lead – The poet could see, that’s all.
Questions
What clutched the poet’s throat? How?
Fog clutched the poet’s throat. The heavy fog thickened around the poet’s sensitive throat so he felt like being clutched by the fog.
What is the poetic device in the first line? Explain.
Personification is the poetic device. Fog is given the human quality of clutching.
Explain, “nothing was in my head.”
Caught in a heavily laden fog, the poet felt his head empty. First he had a blurred vision due to which he saw things bigger than their size. Gradually he lost his vision. Slowly he was feeling completely blind.
The poet experienced no sensation in his head, except one. What was that sensation?
“Like balls of burning lead.” Explain how simile is used in this expression.
Stanza 3
And when it grew so black
That I could know no place,
I lost all judgment then,
Of distance and of space.
Meanings
Judgment – Mental ability to decide or judge one’s own surroundings.
And when it grew so black – The burning eyes burnt out and the poet was blind now.
I lost all judgment then – The poet was not able to find his way, directions and distance to his home.
Paraphrase
The red, hot light in my eyes was now gone. It was dark. I lost directions, track… I was not able to decide where I should move, where I was… No idea how much distance I covered and how much I had to cover.
Questions
What grew so black?
What does the poet mean by ‘judgment?’
Judgment is one’s ability to judge or decide one’s own surroundings.
What was the effect of the loss of judgment upon the poet?
Stanza 4
The street lamps, and the lights
Upon the halted cars,
Could either be on earth
Or be the heavenly stars.
Meanings
The street lamps… – The poet could not recognize if the glint of light was from the street lamps or from the stars.
Paraphrase
There were street lamps and their light fell upon the halted cars but I could not say if they were really lamps or the stars in the sky.
Questions & Answers
Stanza 5
A man passed by me close,
I asked my way, he said,
“Come, follow me, my friend”
I followed where he led.
Meanings
A man passed… – A pedestrian offers to help the poet. He was bling but the poet realizes it later.
Paraphrase
While I walked thus, a stranger passed by, and he asked me to follow him. So I followed him, without suspecting him.
Questions & Answers
Stanza 6
He rapped the stones in front,
“Trust me,” he said, “and come”;
I followed like a child
A blind man led me home.
Meanings
A blind man led me home – We cannot say which house it was. Was it the blind man’s or was it the poet’s?
Paraphrase
Finally we reached a house and the man rapped on the walls of a a stone hut. He asked me to trust him, to follow him into the stone hut, I followed him, without doubting. Once inside, I learnt that he was a blind man.