Sunday, January 11, 2015

In "Fog" by Carl Sandburg, how does his style affect the poem's meaning?

Because there is so little to the poem—just a few lines, just a few words—the style is essential to its meaning and its effect. The core element of the style is the personification. The fog is made animate, willful, and familiar, by making it into a cat. This implies many other meanings that Sandburg skillfully leaves unsaid. For example, any little trailing wisp of fog can now be seen as the cat's tail, or as a bit of fur left behind. The simple vocabulary makes it accessible; the brief lines give a regular pacing to it.

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What is the main function of the fool in "King Lear"? What is the secondly function?

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