There he found a derelict jammed in the ice, named Alice May. In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring. And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum; Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum.". Line 59: Sams funny last words let us know that hes finally beat the cold. This section portrays a mixed emotional state of the speakers mind. WebSam hates the cold and doesnt want to be buried in the frozen ground. And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow; And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low; The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in; And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin. Bang is another word for a loud noise, so the narrator is saying that Sam died with a loud noise. He was from Tennessee where people cultivated cotton. He asked him for his cap and said that he would cash in that trip anyhow. see a mile" and "I'm chilled clean through the bone". In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load. So, at last, he died. There! Although the poem is a fictional tale of Sam McGee, it was based on real people and things that Service saw in the Yukon, Canada. Sam is not fond of the cold, and he does not want to be buried in frozen ground. After some moments, the stars came out in the sky. Moreover, there is a palilogy in the phrase, In the long, long night. Thereafter, in quiet clay, the poet uses synecdoche. https://poemanalysis.com/robert-service/the-cremation-of-sam-mcgee/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell; Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell.". The catastrophic death of McGee and his cremation depict this theme sufficiently. And face your audience again. Thereafter, he ironically says, I guess hes cooked and its time I looked. Here, the poet. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Robert Service was a British-Canadian poet born in 1874. Web- He asks the speaker to cremate him if the cold kills him. As you may have seen, Sam is battling the weather conditions in the Arctic in order to survive. For this reason, he asked the speaker to cremate him. The stars seemed to him as dancers who were dancing in the night sky. Thereafter, he looked at it and thought a bit. The Cremation of Sam McGee Poetry Analysis. The Cremation of Sam McGee contains some important themes such as the lust for gold, human-greed, suffering, horror, and vanity of human desire. It doesnt last long, but its sort of sweet. On that night, when the speaker cremated McGee, he saw his ghost who talked with him. The most important theme of the poem that leads to the downfall of the titular character Sam McGee is the lust for gold. He is sometimes referred to as the "Bard of the Yukon.. As he was looking calm and warm after his death. In the last stanza of the poem, the poet depicts a horrific scene. Throughout Jack Londons story, the author employs effective literary techniques such as narration and conflict, which keep readers engaged. He placed him in the corner. He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell; Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell.". That person becomes insane due to his greed. Example of Hyperbole answer choices Miya is as slow as a sloth!!!! It was first published in 1907 as part of his collection Songs of a Sourdough. In essence, Sam wishes to make one last request before he dies. McGee was so low spirited that the speaker could not say no. The author uses personification several times in the first few stanzas. The speaker claims in the second stanza that on Christmas Day, they were mushing their way across the Dawson Trail. Sam told him with a sort of moan that the cursed cold had a firm hold on him. And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled, But the stars came out and they danced about. Why is the setting of "The Cremation of Sam McGee" important to the poem's conflict? Some are with approbation lit, Is it for fond illusion gone? Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire; Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher; The flames just soared, and the furnace roaredsuch a blaze you seldom see; And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee. WebI cremated Sam McGee. And You, deep shrinking in the gloom, Sam McGee arrived in the Yukon from San Francisco in 1898 to hike over the Chilkoot Pass. How many credits do you need to graduate with a doctoral degree? He is sometimes referred to as the ", In this poem, Service presents the story of Sam McGee, an inhabitant of Tennessee, who died in the cold of the north pole. A pals last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail; And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no;then he says with a sort of moan,"It's the cursed cold, and it's got right holdtill I'm chilled clean through to the boneYet 'taint being dead-it's my awful dreadof the icy grave that pains;So I want you to swear that, foul or fair,you'll cremate my last remains. With much of blame, with little praise. Thereafter, he ironically says, I guess hes cooked and its time I looked. Here, the poet metaphorically compares cremation to cooking. Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows. Sam McGee, who knows he will die, is desperate for one last gift before his death. There are strange things done in the midnight sunBy the men who moil for gold;The Arctic trails have their secret talesThat would make your blood run cold;The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,But the queerest they ever did seeWas that night on the marge of Lake LebargeI cremated Sam McGee. In addition to telling his friends and family that he loved them, Sam asks the speaker to say that he loved them too. During one of their few times alone together, the Englishman recalls how McGee developed a cold. The stars seemed to him as dancers who were dancing in the night sky. The Cremation of Sam McGee is one of the best-known poems of Robert W. Service. Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan: "It's the cursd cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone. As an example, the phrase, the cotton blooms and blows, contains an alliteration. How do you download your XBOX 360 upgrade onto a CD? The Cremation of Sam McGee BY ROBERT W. SERVICE Let's first go over hyperbole - it's overstatement and not meant to be taken literally. I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear; But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near; I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: Ill just take a peep inside. It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why; And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky. Were not exactly sure how to feel about the sled dogs in this poem. Despite the fact that doing so is difficult, he does everything he can to help his friend. So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day. Its a fantasy of home, comfort, and warmth. The nature of Sam McGees character is one of the most important issues in The Cremation of Sam McGee. My pipe is out, my glass is dry; How do you telepathically connet with the astral plain? LEVEL: 6-12. What urge to crime, what evil done? However, the speaker says the Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make ones blood run cold. After reading the poem, readers can understand why the poet gives such a description at the beginning of the poem. If you are looking for information on funeral services, you have come to the right place. Hence he told the speaker to cremate him as soon as he was dead. The speaker regretted at times that he committed to cremating Sam. And before going out he asked the speaker not to refuse his last request. Rather he raved all day of his home in Tennessee. He was out of breath in that land of death. In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load. Hence he told the speaker to cremate him as soon as he was dead. The Hyperbole's where in the verses "He wore a smile you could see a mile" and "I'm chilled clean through the bone" What year is a 350 engine with GM 8970010 stamped on it? WebRobert W. Service. What Sam McGee's Funeral Scene May Have Looked Like, A Possible Setting for "The Cremation of Sam McGee", What the Prospectors Might Have Seen in the Sky, What Sam's Surroundings Might Have Looked Like. WebThe Cremation of Sam McGee 2005abcteach.com Poetry Analysis 12. Thereafter, in the twelfth stanza of the poem, the speaker says he does not know how long he wrestled with grisly fear in the snow. Do you think we will see more as we read the rest of the poem? Sam McGee came from Tennessee, where cotton blooms and blows. That sphinx-like face, remote, austere, If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see; It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee. When he looked at McGee he looked ghastly pale in the cold. While laying there, the speaker watched the stars overhead that were dancing heel and toe. He was firstly mournful for the death of his friend. It will now be difficult to perform this deed in the snow-covered Yukon. Vary the pitch and volume of your voices and the pace of the reading to express the speaker's emotions. A popular success upon publication, this exaggerated folktale about a pair of Yukon gold miners was reprinted 15 times in its first year. By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales. WebThe Cremation of Sam McGee By Robert W. Service There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That The answer key for this poem can be found in the back of most poetry anthologies. McGees body was lashed to the sleigh and it seemed to say to the speaker, You may tax your brawn (muscles) and brains. Moreover the corpse seemed to say, But you promised true, and its up to you to cremate those last remains. Here, the poet introduces the first element of horror. He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee; And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee. Learn about the charties we donate to. how I loathed the thing. WebReview the chart you made in your all Reader's Notebook about the structure of the two speeches. On a Christmas Day we were mushing our wayover the Dawson trail.Talk of your cold! , the speaker says a promise made is a debt unpaid. Here, the poet uses a metaphor. WebThe Cremation of Sam McGee, ballad by Robert Service, published in Canada in 1907 in Songs of a Sourdough (U.S. title, The Spell of the Yukon, and Other Verses ). The epilogue to the poem, The Cremation of Sam McGee is a repetition of the prologue. And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm. Hyperbole. lust for gold, human greed, suffering, horror, and vanity of human desire are just a few of the themes in Sam McGees Cremation of Sam McGee. When the speaker looked inside the room, he saw Sam sitting there. They danced about in the night sky when he ventured near the boiler room. However, he burrowed a hole in the glowing coal and stuffed Sam McGee inside the fire. Despite this, he stuffed Sam McGee in a hole in the glowing coal that had been dug in. The use of poetic devices in this poem, such as alliteration and paradox, creates a sense of strangeness and surreality. Here the speaker ironically pronounces the word crematorium according to its syllable division. Finally, Sam gets thawed out, and the corpse comes back to life. When he arrives in the town, he finds that the only witness to the murder is a young boy. The Hyperbole's where in the verses "He wore a smile you could The stars dont come up a lot, but we think the couple of mentions add a lot to the poem. The speaker of the poem and McGee left their southern hometown and went to the chilling north pole in search of gold. In 1904, when Service was working in the Canadian Bank of Commerce branch in Whitehorse, he saw the name of William Samuel McGee on a form and used it in his poem. 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