Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary reason Sam McGee requests to be cremated?
What is the primary reason Sam McGee requests to be cremated?
- He believes cremation is the only way to ensure his soul's peace.
- He has an intense dread of the icy grave. (correct)
- He fears being forgotten in the desolate Arctic.
- He wants to return to his home in Tennessee in ashes.
How does the narrator initially feel about Sam McGee's request?
How does the narrator initially feel about Sam McGee's request?
- He is amused by the strange request and finds it humorous.
- He is disgusted by the morbid request and tries to refuse.
- He is deeply honored and agrees without hesitation.
- He is reluctant but agrees out of obligation to a dying friend. (correct)
What external conflict does the narrator face after Sam McGee's death?
What external conflict does the narrator face after Sam McGee's death?
- He battles the harsh Arctic weather conditions to fulfill his promise. (correct)
- He struggles to find enough food to survive the journey.
- He must protect Sam's body from scavenging animals.
- He is pursued by other prospectors seeking Sam's gold.
What is the significance of the line: "Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code."
What is the significance of the line: "Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code."
What is the primary source of internal conflict for the narrator as he carries Sam McGee's body?
What is the primary source of internal conflict for the narrator as he carries Sam McGee's body?
What is the symbolic significance of the 'Alice May' in the poem?
What is the symbolic significance of the 'Alice May' in the poem?
How does the poem use the setting of the Arctic to enhance its themes?
How does the poem use the setting of the Arctic to enhance its themes?
What is the most unexpected element of the poem's resolution?
What is the most unexpected element of the poem's resolution?
How does Sam McGee's perception of the cold change throughout the poem?
How does Sam McGee's perception of the cold change throughout the poem?
Which literary device is most evident in the lines describing Sam McGee in the furnace: 'And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;'?
Which literary device is most evident in the lines describing Sam McGee in the furnace: 'And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;'?
How does the poem blend elements of the realistic and the surreal?
How does the poem blend elements of the realistic and the surreal?
What is the effect of the poem's rhyme scheme and meter on the overall tone?
What is the effect of the poem's rhyme scheme and meter on the overall tone?
How does the narrator's emotional state evolve throughout the poem?
How does the narrator's emotional state evolve throughout the poem?
What does the poem suggest about the nature of human promises and obligations?
What does the poem suggest about the nature of human promises and obligations?
Which of the following themes is least prominent in 'The Cremation of Sam McGee'?
Which of the following themes is least prominent in 'The Cremation of Sam McGee'?
Flashcards
Moil
Moil
To work hard, especially in a dirty or laborious way.
Marge
Marge
The edge or border of something.
Mushing
Mushing
To travel or carry in a sled pulled by dogs across snow or ice.
Parka
Parka
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Cash In
Cash In
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Crematorium
Crematorium
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Derelict
Derelict
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Grisly
Grisly
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Calm
Calm
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Pains
Pains
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Study Notes
- The poem is about the narrator's promise to cremate Sam McGee, a man from Tennessee, who dies of the cold in the Arctic.
Setting
- The poem is set in the Arctic, near Lake Lebarge.
- The time is during the Klondike Gold Rush.
- The harsh, freezing environment is a significant factor.
Characters
- Sam McGee: A man from Tennessee who hates the cold and eventually dies from it.
- Narrator (Cap): A gold prospector who promises to cremate Sam McGee.
- Huskies: The sled dogs.
Plot
- Sam McGee, longing for warmth, asks the narrator to cremate him if he dies.
- Sam dies, and the narrator fulfills his promise, hauling the body.
- The narrator finds a derelict ship, the "Alice May," on the shore of Lake Lebarge and uses its boiler as a crematorium.
- Upon checking the furnace, he finds Sam alive and comfortable, enjoying the warmth.
Themes
- The extremes of the Arctic environment.
- The importance of keeping promises.
- The strange and unexpected events that can occur in the wilderness.
- Man vs. Nature, with the unforgiving cold as the antagonist.
Tone
- Darkly humorous, blending the grim reality of death with the absurdity of the situation.
- The poem uses vivid and exaggerated imagery to create a sense of the surreal.
- The tone shifts from somber to comical as the poem progresses.
Literary Devices
- Rhyme Scheme: AABBA
- Imagery: Used to emphasize the cold and desolation of the Arctic.
- Hyperbole: Used for comedic effect.
- Personification: Giving human characteristics to the "homeless snows" and the corpse that "hearkened with a grin".
- Alliteration: "men who moil," "queer sights".
- Irony: Sam McGee, who was always cold, finds comfort in a blazing furnace.
Symbolism
- Fire: Represents warmth and comfort.
- Corpse: Represents the burden of a promise.
- The Alice May: Represents a solution to an impossible situation
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