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.
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 will analyze the two poems.
In "The Fog" by Carl Sandberg, the first stanza describes the fog as coming on "little cat feet" and sitting on harbor and city. The second stanza implies that the fog moves on after observing.
In "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the first stanza describes the eagle grasping the crag with crooked hands, standing close to the sun in lonely lands, and watching from his mountain walls. The second stanza depicts the eagle falling like a thunderbolt, while the wrinkled sea crawls beneath him.
Now let's evaluate each answer option:
A. This option claims that "The Fog" uses a simile in its first stanza, and elaborates on it in the second stanza, while "The Eagle" uses vivid imagery throughout, including a metaphor in its second stanza. However, this statement is not accurate as "The Fog" does not elaborate on a simile in its second stanza, and "The Eagle" does not use a metaphor in its second stanza.
B. This option suggests that "The Fog" discusses weather in the first stanza but switches to discussing an animal in the second, while "The Eagle" discusses an animal in both stanzas. This is incorrect, as "The Fog" discusses the fog in both stanzas, not an animal.
C. This option states that 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. This accurately describes the distinction between the two poems. In "The Fog," the metaphor of the fog coming on little cat feet is established in the first stanza and elaborated upon in the second stanza. In contrast, in "The Eagle," the simile of the eagle falling like a thunderbolt is used in the second stanza but is not as significant to the overall poem.
D. This option claims that "The Fog" discusses an animal in both stanzas, while "The Eagle" discusses a person in its first stanza and an animal in its second stanza. This does not accurately reflect the content of the poems, as "The Fog" discusses the fog in both stanzas, not an animal, and "The Eagle" solely focuses on the eagle in both stanzas.
Therefore, the correct answer is 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.