“Fog-fraught cities”
(Stanza viii Line 9)
Throughout the poem “Hole in the Sky”, Niyi Osundare uses short phrases to describe greater issues, whether they are historical, political, social, or environmental. The poet makes it evident that although man and nature are extremes, it is the collusion of man and nature that results in the happenings of reality. The phrase “fog-fraught cities” refers to horrible conditions of the Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th century. As the use of coal began to increase, factories were releasing smog into the air that had a serious effect on not only human but the environment as a whole. Osundare, as an environmental activist, wants to spread awareness of the poor environmental conditions in the world that results from going from an agrarian lifestyle to an industrial living. By using the word “fraught”, he emphasizes on the idea that the cities are being filled with undesirable substance from the transformation to mass production in factories. Osundare stresses upon the environmental impacts from this turning historical event to raise a social issue between man and nature.
Eric, McLamb. “The Ecological Impact of the Industrial Revolution.”Ecology 18 Sept. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
1 response so far ↓
JMERLE // Nov 29th 2015 at 2:44 pm
Rose, yes, your chosen quotation is an important one, and your reference is quite appropriate. I like that you focus most specifically on the word “fraught” because, as you say, in implies a filling up, and more than that, there is the connotation of weight, as if fog (the smoke and smog of our modern world) usually so light, is so compounded that it actually has a weight that will possibly weigh down, and finally break, our world.