Poem Fog and Mijbil the Otter Review

Flashcards testing concepts from English notes covering Carl Sandburg's poem 'Fog' and Gavin Maxwell's text on 'Mijbil the Otter'.

Who wrote the poem 'Fog', and what is its central idea?

Written by Carl Sandburg, the poem describes the arrival, stay, and departure of fog as a natural phenomenon using vivid imagery, silently and stealthily comparing its behavior to a cat.

What are the three stages of fog represented in Carl Sandburg's poem?

1. It descends over the city and harbour of Chicago, 2. It stays there for some time, and 3. It ultimately retreats from there.

How does the fog arrive according to the poem 'Fog'?

The fog comes silently and stealthily, appearing noiselessly without any prior warning or indication, compared to the creepy, stealthy, and swift movements of a cat.

How does the poet present the retreat of the fog?

The retreat of the fog is presented as silent and sudden, moving away from the harbour and city without anybody noticing its departure, as quiet as a cat on its padded feet.

What primary poetic device is used in the poem 'Fog'?

Metaphor, which metaphorically compares the movement and behavior of fog to that of a cat.

What group of animals do otters belong to according to the notes, and what other animals share this category?

Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals popularly known as Mustellines. Badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, minks, and otters belong to the same category.

What compulsive habits do otters exhibit, similar to school children?

Otters love to create their own patterns while walking on the same route every day, such as touching every second lamp post or jumping after a set number of steps.

What wild guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?

People of London made wild guesses, thinking Mij was a baby seal, a walrus, a beaver, a bear cub, or even a hippopotamus.

What facts and actions prove that Mijbil is an intelligent animal?

He stayed away from the author for the first 24 hours until he found him trustworthy, invented a ping-pong ball game, and demonstrated the ability to turn on the tap with his paws.

How does Mijbil demonstrate his fun-loving and friendly nature?

His fun-loving nature is shown when he splashes water by plunging and rolling in the bathtub, while his friendliness is shown by bounding on the author's knees in the plane.

Why did Maxwell describe the airhostess as 'the very queen of her kind'?

Because after Maxwell took her into his confidence about Mij's recent behavior, she pacified him and kindly advised him to take the otter out of the box and put him on his knees.

What happened inside the aircraft when Maxwell opened Mijbil's box?

Mij jumped out in a flash and disappeared at high speed; passengers panicked with a woman screaming 'A rat! A rat!', Maxwell landed with his face in curry while trying to catch him, and Mij slid beneath the legs of a partly white turbaned Indian.

How did Mijbil play the ping-pong ball game he invented?

He used a damaged suitcase with a slanting lid, rolling the ball from the high end down the length of the lid, then dashing around to the lower end to stop it or hide from it before it went down the slope.

Who is the poet of the poem 'Fog'?

Carl Sandburg

What is the central idea of the poem 'Fog'?

The poem describes the arrival, stay, and departure of the fog using vivid imagery, comparing the appearance and disappearance of this natural phenomenon to the silent and stealthy movement of a cat.

What are the three stages of fog represented by the poet?

1. It descends over the city and harbour of Chicago.
2. It stays there for some time.
3. It ultimately retreats from there.

How does the fog arrive according to the poem?

The fog comes silently, stealthily, and noiselessly without any prior warning or indication, with creepy, stealthy, and swift movements compared to a cat.

How does the poet present the retreat of the fog?

The poet presents the retreat of the fog as silent and sudden, moving away from the harbour and city as quietly as a cat on its padded feet without anybody noticing its departure.

What poetic device is highlighted in the notes for the poem 'Fog'?

Metaphor (comparing a cat and fog).

What group of animals do otters belong to, and what other animals are in this category?

Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals known as Mustelines. Other animals in this category include badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, and minks.

What are some examples of compulsive habits mentioned regarding otters?

Creating their own habits or paths while walking on the same route every day, touching every second lamp post, or jumping after four steps.

What wild guesses did Londoners make about what Mij was?

Londoners guessed that Mij was a baby seal, a walrus, a beaver, a bear cub, or even a hippopotamus.

What actions prove that Mij is an intelligent animal?

Mij does not surrender himself to the author until he finds him trustworthy (staying away for the first 24 hours), invents a ping-pong ball game, and has the ability to turn on the tap with his paws.

How are Mij's fun-loving and friendly natures demonstrated in the text?

His fun-loving nature is revealed when he splashes water by plunging and rolling in the bathtub. His friendliness is shown when he bounds on the author's knees in the plane.

Why does Maxwell say the airhostess was 'the very queen of her kind'?

Because after Maxwell took her into his confidence and told her what Mij had done, she kindly pacified him and advised him to take the otter out of the box and put him on his knees.

What happened on the flight when the box was opened?

Mij jumped out in a flash and disappeared at high speed. Passengers got scared, a woman stood up screaming 'A rat! A rat!', Maxwell tried to catch him and landed face-first in curry, and Mij slid beneath the leg of a partly white-turbaned Indian.

How did Mij play the ping-pong ball game he invented?

Using a damaged suitcase with a slanting lid, he would roll the ball from the high end down the slope, dash around to the other end to stop and hide from it, then crouch to spring up and take it by surprise before grabbing it and taking it to the high end again.