Adapted from “The Fog” by Carl Sandberg in Modern American Poetry (1919; ed. Untermeyer)
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Adapted from “The Eagle” by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1851)
He crasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
5. Which of the following describes a major difference between how these two short descriptive
poems each distinguish their two stanzas? (RL 8.5)
A. “The Fog” uses a simile in its first stanza, and elaborates on it in the second stanza. “The Eagle”
uses vivid imagery throughout, including a metaphor in its second stanza.
B. “The Fog” discusses weather in the first stanza but switches to discussing an animal in the second;
“The Eagle” discusses an animal in both of its stanzas.
C. The first stanza of “The Fog” establishes a metaphor crucial to the poem, and the second stanza
elaborates on it. “The Eagle” uses a simile in its second stanza that is not as crucial to the poem.
D. “The Fog” discusses an animal in both of its stanzas; “The Eagle” discusses a person in its first
stanza and an animal in its second stanza.
C. The first stanza of “The Fog” establishes a metaphor crucial to the poem, and the second stanza elaborates on it. “The Eagle” uses a simile in its second stanza that is not as crucial to the poem.
To determine the correct answer, we need to analyze the two poems and identify the distinguishing characteristics of their stanzas. Let's examine the options one by one:
A. "The Fog" does use a simile in its first stanza, comparing the fog to "little cat feet." However, there is no elaboration on this simile in the second stanza. Similarly, "The Eagle" does use vivid imagery throughout the poem, but there is no metaphor in its second stanza. Therefore, option A is not the correct answer.
B. This option correctly identifies that "The Fog" discusses weather in the first stanza and switches to discussing an animal (the fog being compared to a cat) in the second stanza. On the other hand, "The Eagle" discusses an animal (the eagle) in both of its stanzas. Therefore, option B accurately describes the difference between the two poems.
C. While the first stanza of "The Fog" does establish a metaphor between the fog and "little cat feet" as mentioned earlier, there is no clear elaboration on this metaphor in the second stanza. As for "The Eagle," there is a simile in its second stanza when it says "And like a thunderbolt he falls." However, this simile is not as crucial to the entire poem. Therefore, option C is not the correct answer.
D. This option is incorrect because it misrepresents the content of the two poems. "The Fog" compares the fog to "little cat feet" in both of its stanzas, while "The Eagle" discusses an animal (eagle) in both of its stanzas. It does not discuss a person in its first stanza.
Based on our analysis, the correct answer to the question is B. "The Fog" discusses weather in the first stanza but switches to discussing an animal in the second; "The Eagle" discusses an animal in both of its stanzas.