Text

I saw the fog grow thick,

Which soon made blind my ken;

It made tall men of boys,

And giants of tall men.

It clutched my throat, I coughed;

Nothing was in my head

Except two heavy eyes

Like balls of burning lead.

And when it grew so black

That I could know no place,

I lost all judgment then,

Of distance and of space.

The street lamps, and the lights

Upon the halted cars,

Could either be on earth

Or be the heavenly stars.

A man passed by me close,

I asked my way, he said,

‘Come, follow me, my friend’—

I followed where he led.

He rapped the stones in front,

‘Trust me,’ he said, ‘and come’;

I followed like a child—

A blind man led me home.

Questions for discussion

Q1. How can the …….. vision?  Ans: The fog, depending on its density, can mire a person’s vision either lightly or greatly. Because of this, the person might feel disoriented, lost, and distressed.

Q2. What examples ……. …………….. judgement?  Ans: The pedestrian discovered that he is no longer able to see clearly the road ahead. For him, a boy looked like a tall man, and a towering figure or object appeared to be the like of a tall man.

Q3. What similie does he use …………………………felt in the fog?  Ans:  ‘Heavy eyes burning as lead’, “The street lights, and the lamps of stationary cars appearing as stars’, 

Q4. At what stage of ………………………….. overpowered by the fog?   Ans:  By the time the poet (pedestrian) lost all sense of altitude and confused the position of stars and car lamps, he was totally befuddled. This was moments before he met the stranger.

Q5. How does he describe the street…………………… fog? Ans: As the fog became more and more intense, visibility in the street became increasingly poorer. It made the poet struggle to see the road ahead. Everything looked so        topsy-turvy to him. He found it hard to proceed ahead.

Q6. Who rapped ………………….. why?  Ans: It was the stranger who was escorting the poet to his destination. Being a blind man, he used his stick to feel the position of stones that were markers for him.

Q7. What was the poet’s reaction ……………….. lelp? Ans: The author was relieved and very thankful when the stranger offered to escort him home.

Q8. Do you find the …………………….. Explain. Ans: In a way, the line is paradoxical, because the blind man could make his way through the fog, where as the poet with normal vision found it hard to negotiate his way through it.

Q9. In an otherwise dark scene, ………………………………………………….serve in the poem? Ans: These words help to create the impression that the darkness was not all that difficult to negotiate through, and the author was unduly nervous about the fog.

Q10. If you find yourself ……………………………………. fog clears? Ans: I will do neither. I will keenly watch the road, the landmarks in the side, and slowly walk ahead.

Answers to Composition questions 1 & 2 will be posted on specific request from the readers. While sending in your request, mention the word limit for the answers you desire.

[To be contd.]