Fog Carl Sandburg Analysis

Ever been approached by fog and suddenly become caution and worried? Could it possibly be dangerous or remain harmless and pass through? “Fog”, written by Carl Sandburg, briefly digs into the thoughts and details of someone’s observations about fog clouding over a city. The poem “Fog” has an observant speaker, poetic elements such as personification throughout the poem, and a mood that causes the reader to think about change. Because of the words “harbor and city”, the speaker is near a city with tall buildings, possibly skyscrapers, which is allowing him to observe the oncoming fog. He creates images for the reader as if the reader were there themselves to experience the sight, too. As stated in line four, “over harbor and city”, this indicates that the fog is in the city. The speaker is allowed to be observant of the fog by using the tall buildings to his advantage. The speaker is an observer of the fog because lines one through three and lines five through six, “The fog comes...on little cat feet...It sits looking...on silent haunches...and then moves on...”. These lines allow the reader to know the speaker is paying close attention to the fog and its characteristics. Because of lines one through two and lines five through six, the poem

The speaker allows the reader to be there at that same moment and understand what he is seeing and how the reader can see it, too. The poem, no matter how brief, consists of many images that could help the reader understand the speaker’s reason for acting the way he did to begin with. The poetic elements contribute to the analysis of “Fog” because they help portray the life given to the fog, including its characteristics that help the reader have a better understanding of the fog itself. Without the mood causing the reader the think about change, the reader would not think like that of the speaker, which is key to the understanding of the