Here is a list of a few poems that are similar to Service’s ‘The Cremation of Sam McGee’. Moreover, he saw the greasy smoke rising in the sky like an inky cloak. Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows. Howled out their woes to the homeless snows— O God! In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load. Rather he dreaded the thoughts of the icy grave that pained him. To begin with, the prologue to the poem contains, Thereafter, the third stanza begins with an. 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. 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. Thereafter, he ironically says, “I guess he’s cooked and it’s time I looked.” Here, the poet metaphorically compares cremation to cooking. The poet uses a metaphor in the phrase, the “land of death”. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. It is a story about one’s lust and how it has a catastrophic effect on life. The Alice May was based on the derelict stern-wheeler the Olive May that belonged to the Bennett Lake & Klondike Navigation Co.[6] and had originally been named for the wife and daughter of Albert Sperry Kerry Sr.[7] It was abandoned after it struck a rock near Tagish, which is about 50 kilometres south of Lake Laberge. At last, he opened the door wide to look at whether the cremation was finished or not. However, he burrowed a hole in the glowing coal and stuffed Sam McGee inside the fire. But the queerest they ever did see, was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge. Moreover, he saw the greasy smoke rising in the sky like an inky cloak. Robert Service based the poem on an experience of his roommate, Dr. Leonard S. E. Sugden, who had cremated a corpse in the firebox of the steamer Olive May.[4]. If they would close their eyes, the eyelashes froze till sometimes they could not see anything. ‎Dive deep into The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service anywhere you go: on a plane, on a mountain, in a canoe, under a tree. talks about a prospector, Sam McGee who froze to death and how his friend cremated his body on the marge of Lake Lebarge. It seems the speaker was feeling satisfied after seeing Sam in his calm and cold appearance. He asked him for his cap and said that he would cash in that trip anyhow. Common terms and phrases. However, the trail to fulfill that promise was a stern code. , the speaker says a promise made is a debt unpaid. Even though he was staring at the ghost of his friend, he was feeling happy for him. There is a simile in the line, “but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell.” Moreover, the remark by McGee, “he’d sooner live in hell” is an example of a paradox. Thereafter he found some coal that was lying around the boiler. Came the cremation of Sam McGee But Sam wasn't from Tennessee Now the truth can be told McGee was a banker in fields of gold For it was to Yukon miners did rush Trekking, dog sleds, onward, "Mush" Now, Robert Service met Sam McGee "I'm writing a poem...need a name you see" And so it was that banker Sam Was immortalized throughout the land Now Sam's niece a true story told In conversation … The. Thereafter, the third stanza begins with an anaphora. ‘The Cremation of Sam McGee’ is one of the best-known poems of Robert W. Service. The poet based the poem on the experience of his roommate, Dr. Leonard S. E. Sugden. The Cremation of Sam McGee and Other Poems Robert Service No preview available - 1989. , the speaker says on that very night they laid packed in their robes beneath the snow. Each line contains 16 syllables and the stress falls on the second syllable of each foot. Cash's "The Cremation of Sam McGee" was released along with a vast collection of personal archive recordings of Johnny Cash on the two-disc album Personal File. He detested a burial under the chilling polar ice. Your Name: Your Comment: Submit your comment Best Poems of Robert Service . On that night, the narrator cremated the titular character, Sam McGee. He has a passion for analyzing poetic works with a strong grip on literary devices and scansion. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. [14], In 1909 McGee traveled south of the Yukon to build roads, including some in Yellowstone National Park. It acts as a refrain. ‘The Cremation of Sam McGee’ contains some important themes such as the lust for gold, human-greed, suffering, horror, and vanity of human desire. Yet ’tain’t being dead—it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains; So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”. In the last stanza of the poem, the poet depicts a horrific scene. We spend a little bit of time with Sam McGee while he’s alive, but even more with his frozen corpse. However, when the speaker was looking at the sky, McGee turned to him. Honors Degree in English Literature. The Cremation of Sam McGee Introduction. Firstly, the speaker of the poem says there are strange things done in the midnight sun. Thereafter, the speaker says a pal’s last need is a thing to heed. He tore some planks from the cabin door of “Alice May” and lit the boiler fire. The stars seemed to him as dancers who were dancing in the night sky. Here, the poet uses a metaphor. He did not like to hear the sizzling sound made during the cremation of Sam McGee. “Yukon Territory Accidents and Deaths.” Canada, Parliament (1901). The poet based the poem on the experience of his roommate, Dr. Leonard S. E. Sugden. Here, the poet uses a personification. He cremated Sam McGee in the boiler fire. The Cremation of Sam McGee deserves to be the best poem in the world. At last, the speaker says since he left Plumtree, in Tennessee, it was the first time he had been feeling so warm. Your analysis should contain a thesis that is discussed throughout the essay. It was written by Robert W. Service. In 1995, Canadian band Weeping Tile (Sarah Harmer) released Eepee, featuring the song “Westray”, borrowing lines from The Cremation of Sam McGee, with slight changes to the lyrics written to reference the Westray mine disaster. You can read about 10 of the Scariest Poems and 10 of the Best Gothic Poems here. 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