Sandburg’s use of these poetic devices—metaphor, personification, imagery, symbolism, free verse, and enjambment—helps create a vivid, mysterious, and gentle portrayal of fog. They make the poem simple yet deep, allowing readers to connect with nature’s quiet beauty.
The Key Poetic Devices in the ‘Fog’ Poem
Rhyme Scheme:
The poem does not follow a strict rhyme scheme or rhythm. It is written in free verse, meaning it flows naturally like everyday speech. This style adds to the quiet and subtle effect of the poem, just like the fog itself.
Metaphor:
It is a comparison without using the words ‘like’ and ‘as’.
The entire poem is built around a metaphor, comparing the fog to a cat. The fog does not literally have cat-like features, but the poet describes it as if it does. This comparison helps the reader visualize how the fog moves—quietly, mysteriously, and independently.
Here ‘cat’ refers to ‘fog’ and vice versa
- In the line ‘The fog comes on little cat feet’, Sandburg has indirectly compared the fog with a cat.
- He also compares the behavioural movement of both with fog settled over the city compared to a cat sitting on its hind legs in the line ‘It sits looking over harbour and city on silent haunches and then moves on’.
- In the same line, the poet says that fog leaving the city is like a cat leaving a place quietly.
Note: Although it doesn’t use “like” explicitly in every line, it creates a comparison that works like a simile.
Analogy:
Comparison of fog to a cat is the analogy here throughout the poem.
Personification:
Personification is when non-human things are given human or animal characteristics.
In this poem, the fog is personified as a cat—it “comes,” “sits looking,” and “moves on,” just like a living creature. This makes the fog feel more lifelike and active rather than just a weather phenomenon.
Symbolism:
The fog symbolizes change, mystery, and the fleeting nature of life. Just as the fog comes and goes without warning, many things in life—such as emotions, experiences, and challenges—appear and disappear.
Imagery:
Imagery refers to descriptive language that appeals to the senses. Sandburg uses visual and sensory details to help the reader imagine the fog:
The poem paints a clear picture in our minds. We can visualize the soft, silent arrival of the fog and its gentle presence over the city and harbor.
- “on little cat feet”—This creates an image of the fog moving softly and silently.
- “It sits looking over harbor and city”—This makes us picture the fog resting over the landscape, watching silently like a cat.
Transferred Epithet:
Epithet is nothing but an adjective or phrase that shows/describes the quality of a person or a thing. It is called transferred epithet when this attribute (quality or description or adjective) is transferred from the one it appears it is used for to any other one nearby in the sentence.
The phrase ‘on silent haunches’ is an example of a transferred epithet. Here, ‘haunches’ are not ‘silent’. Rather, the phrase refers to how a cat silently sits on its back legs.
Brevity:
With just a few lines, the poem captures a complete, vivid scene. The short, simple style emphasizes the fleeting, delicate nature of the fog.
Enjambment:
Enjambment refers to the continuation of a sentence or clause from one line of poetry to the next without a pause or punctuation.
“It sits looking ….. over harbor and city”—The thought continues across two lines, mimicking the slow movement of fog.
