Fog

 Poet:

Carl August Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet. He was awarded three Pulitzer Prizes (two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lioncoln).

Poem: Fog is a small poem consisting 2 sentences in 6 lines. The poet writes about the arrival and departure of the Fog into a harbour city. He compares the fog to a cat. 

Summary: 

The poet says the fog is coming towards the city and the harbour just like a cat. It comes very silently and unnoticed. Later the fog covers the whole city and the harbour as if a cat is siting on its hunches. At the end, the fog departs as silently, as unpredictably as a cat.

Literary Devices:

Metaphor: Fog is comapred to a cat.

Personification: Fog is personified. 

Enjambment: The two sentences used in the poem continue to the following line without any punctuation marks at the end of the lines.

Rhyme Scheme: There is no rhymne scheme followed in the poem. It is in free verse.

Answers to the textual questions:

1. What does Sandburg think the fog is like?

Sandburg, the poem thinks that the fog is like a cat that comes silently and unnoticed.

2. How does the fog come?

The fog comes very silenctly like a cat.

3. What does 'it' in the third line refer to?

'It' in the third lilne refers to the fog.

4. Does the poet actually say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat.

The poet compares fog to a cat.

The three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat are:

1. The fog comes on its little cat feet meaning that the fog arrivves silently just like a cat.

2. It sits looking over harbour and city on silent hunches meaning that the fog has encompassed the city as it a cat sitting on its hunches is looking all over.

3. ... and then moves on meaning that the fog departs as silently and as unexpectedly as a cat.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

 Literary Devices in the poem

 1. Rhyme Scheme: abab

 2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound in two or more closely placed words.  

  a.‘hive’, ‘honey bee’ – ‘h’ sound is repeated;

  b.‘lake’, ‘lapping’, ‘low’ – ‘l’ sound is repeated

  3. Repetition: ‘I will arise and go now’ is repeated in stanzas 1 and 3

  4. Personification: morning is personified

  5. Metaphor: clouds are compared to veils

 

 Summary

 

The poet remembers his past, his boyhood when he visited the peaceful Lake Isle of Innisfree. He wants to go there and says he will live there alone. He wants to build a small cabin with clay and wattles. He would grow beans and set up a honeybee hive.

 

The poet describes the peaceful natural surroundings of the lake. He tells us that the scene of the cloudy mornings, the shining stars, the glowing Sun, and birds flying in the sky give him peace. He feels relaxed to hear the pleasant sound of the cricket’s song.

 

The poet feels the urgency to go to the lake Isle of Innisfree. Deep in his heart, he can hear the sound of the lake waters hitting the shore. It is as if the lake is calling him. He hears the sound everywhere; either on the busy roads or the grey-colored pavements of the city where he lives. This indicates that he wants to escape from the artificial life of the city into the peaceful surroundings of nature.

 

 Answers to the Textual Questions

1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:

 

(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);

 

Ans:

 

(i) The three things that the poet wants to do when he goes to Innisfree are as follows –

 

a) he wants to build a small cabin with clay and wattles.

 

b) he wants to plant nine rows of beans.

 

c) he wants to keep a honeybee hive.

 

(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);

 

Ans:

(ii) The poet sees the cloudy morning which looks like the sky is wearing a veil. He hears the song of the cricket. He sees the linnet bird flying in the evening sky. The glimmering stars in the night sky and the purplish glow of the afternoon Sun. All these give him a feeling of being at peace.

  (iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).

 Ans:

 (iii) Even when the poet is far away from Innisfree, he hears the sound of the lake water hitting the shore in the depth of his heart.

 

2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III.)

 A. The poet describes lake Innisfree as a place full of the bounties of nature. He sees the cloudy sky, the glowing stars in the night sky, the purple glow of the afternoon Sun, and the linnet bird flying in the evening sky. The sound of the cricket’s song is also pleasing to him. On the other hand, the place where he stands now is an urban place that is devoid of all these beauties of nature. He says that there are roadways and grey-colored pavements around him.

 

3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

 A. Innisfree is a place that the poet used to visit in his boyhood. As he lives in the city now, he expresses a desire to go to Innisfree which had peaceful surroundings. This shows his state of mind.

 Yes, he misses lake Innisfree when he says that the sound of the lake water hitting the shore echoes in the core of his heart.

 

 II. 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree

 (i) bee-loud glade

 (ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings

 (iii) lake water lapping with low sounds

 What pictures do these words create in your mind?

 Ans:

 (i) bee-loud glade

 We can imagine bees buzzing around.

 (ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings

The image of linnets flying across the evening sky appears in the reader’s mind.

 (iii) lake water lapping with low sounds

 These words draw an image and also, create the sound of the lake water striking against the shore of the lake.

 

2. Look at these words;

 … peace comes dropping slow

 Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings

 What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

 Ans: These lines indicate that the feeling of being ‘at peace’ seeps in slowly and gradually. As one sees the cloudy morning which is followed by the pleasant song of the cricket, the poet gains peace of mind. These vibrant sounds and scenes of nature bring a feeling of peacefulness experienced by the poet.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

 

About the Poet:

This poem is written by an American poet, Ogden Nash (1902-1971). He was famous for his light verse and humorous poetry.

Introduction:

This poem is about a little girl Belinda. Belinda has a black kitten named ink, a grey mouse named blink, a yellow dog named mustard, and a coward dragon named custard. All the pets and Belinda are described as brave except the dragon. Custard, the dragon is a coward. Their true character is revealed when a pirate attacks Belinda’s house. No one dares to face the pirate. It is the dragon that kills the pirate. All the characters are relieved and happy because they are saved by the dragon. However, they soon change their minds and convince themselves to be more daring and stronger. They blame the situation and say that it confused them.

Summary:

This poem tells us the tale of custard the dragon is a ballad. It is a humorous poem about a cowardly dragon named custard. Custard is a pet of Belinda, a little girl who lives in a little white house with her other pets. She had a black kitten named ink, a grey mouse named blink, a yellow dog mustard, and a cowardly dragon custard.

The poet says that all of them are very brave except the dragon. Others are described as brave. They are compared with animals like bear, tiger or lion. The dragon is very timid. He always asks for a safe place for himself. All the other characters make fun of him for his cowardice.

But one night they are shocked by the entry of a pirate in the house. All of them are afraid and start hiding here and there. But to everyone’s surprise, the dragon not only tackles the pirate but also eats him up. As all of them are saved by custard, they thank him. Soon they realized that till now, they are making fun of the dragon. So, they start saying that they are braver and could have handled the situation in a much better way. Here the poet has tried to say that sometimes a timid person is the actual hero in the toughest situations of life.

Meanings:

Wagon: a vehicle used for transporting goods or another specified purpose

Mustard: a yellow coloured flower

Coward: weakling

Spikes: thin pointed surfaces

Scales: Thin bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles

Underneath: situated directly below

Fire place: a structure of brick, stone or metal for an open fire

Dagger: A sharp knife

Barrel: drum

Chased: hunt, follow

Rage: anger

Tickled: stroke, here it means to tease

Unmerciful: cruel, without mercy

Percival: A knight in King Arthur’s court

Giggled: to laugh

Weeck: a sound made by a mouse

Nasty: bad or unpleasant

Growled: bark

Pirate: A person who robs ship in the sea

Winda: a term for window

Pistol: a handgun

Cutlass: a short sword with a curved blade.

Paled: turn yellow due to fear

Yelp: a short sharp cry

Trickle: to flow, to run

Strategically: planned

Mouseholed:  here it is the hole where the mouse lives

Snorting: make a sudden explosive sound through one’s nose

Clashed: fought

Dungeon: underground prison

Clatter Clank, Jangling squirm: the sound of hard objects falling on each other

Robin: A bird

Gaped: stared with mouth wide open

Gulped: swallowed

Grog: a drink

Flagon: a container made of silver in which drink is stored, a flask

Gobbled: swallowed hurriedly

Embraced: to hug

Mourned: feel sorrow for the death of someone

Victim: sufferer

Glee: delight

Gyrate: danced

Flustered: upset or confused

Stanza	Meaning/Literary Devices
Stanza 1 Belinda lived in a little white house,                           With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.	A girl named Belinda lived in a little white house. She lived with some creatures who were her pets. They were a black kitten, a grey mouse, a yellow dog, a little red wagon, and a dragon.   Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, wagon-dragon) Repetition: use of the word ‘little’ oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings “pet dragon” Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines. (And a little ….And a realio) Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,) poetic license: realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have been changed to create a musical effect.
Stanza 2 Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink, And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.	The name of all the animals that are tamed by Belinda. He says that the name of black kitten is ink. The name of grey mouse is blink. The little yellow dog had yellow colour and so she calls him mustard and the dragon, a coward was called custard. Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (ink-blink, mustard-custard) simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard” Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” - “c” sound Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines (And the little grey…And the little yellow) Repetition: use of word little
Stanza 3 Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, And spikes on top of him and scales underneath, Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.	The dragon had big sharp teeth and spikes on top. On the lower part it had scales. His mouth was compared to a fireplace and his nose was compared to a chimney.  His feet were like sharp knives.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (teeth-underneath, nose-toes) Simile: Dragon’s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth like a fireplace) Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,) Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney.
Stanza 4 Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.	Belinda was as brave as a group of bears and ink and blink were so brave that they could hunt lions. The dog was also very brave just like an angry tiger. Custard, the dragon was not brave. He was so afraid of everything that he always demanded a safe cage.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (bears-stairs, rage-cage) Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full of bears (as a barrel full of bears), Mustard’s bravery is compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage) Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears)
Stanza 5 Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful, Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival, They all sat laughing in the little red wagon      At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.	Belinda used to tease the dragon without mercy.  Ink, blink and mustard made fun of him by comparing him to a knight named Percival who was thought to be brave but ran away due to lack of courage. They used to tease the dragon while sitting in their little red wagon.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (unmerciful-Percival, wagon-dragon) Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,) Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’ Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival) Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival
Stanza 6 Belinda giggled till she shook the house, And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse, Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,            When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.	The poet says that Belinda used to laugh so loudly that her voice echoed in the house. Blink, the mouse used to laugh and make a sound of weeck. On the other hand, ink and mustard would tease him by asking the dragon his age whenever he used to demand for a nice safe cage.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, rage-cage) Onomatopoeia:  usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (giggled, weeck) Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage (used in stanza 4)
Stanza 7 Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound, And Mustard growled, and they all looked around. Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda, For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda	Suddenly, they heard a sound of someone entering the house. They saw a pirate climbing up the wall. The dog barked at him and the kitten meowed to him. Belinda cried ‘ooh’ because all of them were scared of the pirate.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (sound-around, Belinda-winda) Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound) Onomatopoeia:  usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (Mustard growled, Meowch, cried ink) Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’ to create rhyme. Repetition: suddenly
Stanza 8 Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,              His beard was black, one leg was wood; It was clear that the pirate meant no good   .	The pirate was holding handguns in both his hands and had a little sword too. He was holding his sword with his teeth. He had a black beard and his one leg was made of wood. It was clear that his intentions were not good.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (right- bright, wood- good) Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h” Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the pirate.
Stanza 9 Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help! But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household, And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed	All of them were frightened. Belinda was so frightened that she turned yellow due to fear and started crying for help. Mustard the dog started crying for help too. The kitten ink ran down towards the bottom of the house. The mouse Bink ran into his little mouse hole.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (help-yelp, household – mousehold) transferred epithet: terrified yelp Repetition: help help Poetic license: use of the word mousehold to rhyme with household
Stanza 10 But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine, dragon Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon, With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm, He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.	The dragon jumped onto the pirate and made such a strong sound with his nose as if an engine was producing a sound. He hit his tail on the ground with great force that it made a heavy metallic sound made in an underground prison. He attacked the pirate just like robin bird that attacks the worms.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (engine-dungeon, squirm-worm) Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine (snorting like an engine), Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird (like a robin at a worm) Onomatopoeia:  usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (clatter, clank, jangling) Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an image in our minds.
Stanza 11 The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon, And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon, He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit, And Custard gobbled him, every bit.	The pirate opened his mouth wide with shock. To gather some strength, he drank some alcohol from a container in his pocket. After gathering some courage, he fired two bullets on the dragon but missed it. Custard the dragon ate every bit of this fierce looking pirate.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (dragon-flagon, hit-bit) alliteration: gulped some grog “g” Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate on seeing the dragon.
Stanza 12 Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him, No one mourned for his pirate victim. Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the pirate.	When the pirate was dead, Belinda hugged the dragon and mustard licked him. No one was sad for the death of the pirate, they all were happy. Both ink and blink were running around the dragon in happiness.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (him-victim, gyrate-pirate) alliteration: glee did gyrate “g” Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and blink in glee did), use of vowel sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate)
Stanza 13 But presently up spoke little dog Mustard, I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered. And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink, We’d have been three times as brave, we think, And Custard said, I quite agree That everybody is braver than me.	After they thanked and showed their love towards the dragon, they changed their mind. Soon, the dog said that it was just because of some confusion that he wasn’t able to do anything otherwise he would have been twice as brave as custard. Both ink and blink also said that they would have been three times braver than custard. To this, the dragon said that he fully agreed to this that all of them were more powerful and braver than him.  Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (mustard-flustered, blink-ink, agree-me)
Stanza 14 Belinda still lives in her little white house, With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse, And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon, And her realio, trulio little pet dragon. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs, Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage	At last, the poet used the same lines again to show that after this terrific episode in which the dragon was the hero where all the other characters still undermined him by saying that they were more powerful than him and could have handled the situation in a much better way. Belinda still lives in that little white house with ink, blink, mustard and custard and all of them are very brave whereas the dragon is still a coward who always wants to stay safe in his cage.  Literary Devices Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio) Repetition: stanza has been repeated

Thinking about the poem (132)

1. Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.

The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little girl, and her pets: a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate. The names are as follow: kitten - Ink, mouse - Blink, dog - Mustard and dragon - Custard.

2. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?

Custard cried for a nice safe cage he wanted to be safe. He was a coward and was scared very easily. He was called “cowardly dragon” as everyone else in the house was very brave and he was the only one, who feared a lot. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink can chase lions and Mustard is as brave as an angry tiger.

3. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why?

Tickling always works on people, who are a little softer. So, Belinda tickled the dragon unmerciful as it worked a lot on him. Despite being a dragon, a tickling could disturb him and this showed his cowardice on which everyone laughed.

4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example, “Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon” – the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?

In the poem, ‘The tale of Custard, the Dragon’, the poet has used a lot of poetic devices. Following are the devices used

1. Simile: mouth like a fireplace

2. Repetition: the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in stanza 1.

5. Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,

And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,

Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,

And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘aabb’.

7. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?

Writers always use such phrases and words that do not tell us directly about what they mean but always give us an indication of the meaning. Such words or phrases are used to trigger our own imagination in painting the picture that they mean. Use of such images in the poem is the following: ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at a worm’, etc.

8. Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.

‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a very light and funny poem meant to be enjoyed by everyone. The way the poem has been written with a fix rhyme scheme, makes it very easy and enjoyable to read. The poet has even used wrong spelling to maintain the rhyme scheme. The features of Belinda and her pets described in the poem make it quite funny. All the tiny creatures such as the kitten and the mouse have been shown as brave. The biggest of them all, the dragon is the only one, who has been shown as a coward and soft being, who looks for a cage for himself. It is very ironic and makes the poem funny.