Figurative Lang.
What type of Fig. Lang. is in this line?
"That would make your blood run cold"
Idiom
There are 15 of these in the Sam McGee poem.
Stanzas
Where is Sam McGee from?
Tennessee
What does the third stanza reveal about how the speaker feels about his friend Sam?
Sam is a bit weak, not very tough.
In what part of the world did the Klondike Gold Rush take place?
Canada, Alaska, or Yukon territory.
What types (2) of fig. lang. is this?
"The land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell."
Simile and Personification
What is the rhyme scheme?
"Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so.
And the heavens scowled and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
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."
AABB
What journey are the two men in the poem on? Describe the weather.
A journey to the Klondike for gold. Cold & snowy.
Throughout the poem the speaker uses jokes, such as referring to Sam's dead corpse as "my frozen chum" and later saying, "I guess he's cooked and it's time I looked."
Why do you think Robert Service added these odd jokes in the poem?
Either 1. to add humor and lighten the mood or 2. to show that the speaker feels uncomfortable and when we feel that way we often make poor jokes.
True or false: People who went to the mountain in search for gold were not required to bring anything with them.
False! The wilderness rangers checked everyone crossing the Canadian border and made sure they had one year's supply of tools and goods.
What types of fig. lang. is this? (3 options - 2 required for all points.)
"It's the cursed cold, and it's got right hold, till I'm chilled clean through to the bone."
Alliteration - cursed cold
Personification - it's got right hold
Hyperbole - till I'm chilled clean through to the bone
Find the assonance:
"Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge that I cremated Sam McGee."
What did the speaker (Sam's friend) see when he opened the door to the crematorium?
Find 1 piece of evidence in the poem that supports the following statement:
The speaker is going mad. (crazy)
"And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin."
"And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar; And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please close that door."
A lot of people who set out on the trails did not actually find gold. Why? Give two reasons.
1. They turned around because journey was too treacherous.
2. They were injured or died during the hike.
3. They got there to find all the land already staked / the gold already claimed.
What 2 types of fig. lang. is this? (The line is referring to Sam McGee's dead corpse.)
And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavier and heavier grow.
quiet clay - metaphor
heavier and heavier - alliteration
Find the assonance in the following line:
"Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows."
The vowel "o" is repeated.
"Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows."
Based on these lines, Sam's dying wish is what?
"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."
For his friend to cremate him when he dies.
Do you think Sam’s resurrection (the act of rising from the dead) at the end is a joke, or does it have a deeper meaning? Explain.
Answer will vary. Points awarded based on thoughtfulness.
Give one piece of evidence in the poem that proves the setting is during Klondike gold rush specifically.
"we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail."
"The Arctic trails have their secret tales"
"The Northern Lights have seen queer sights."
What 2 types of fig. lang. is this?
"Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code."
a promise made is a debt unpaid - Metaphor
the trail has its own stern code - Personification
What sensory details are used to create the image in these lines? (which of the 5 senses)
"Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so. / And the heavens scowled and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow. / 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."
sizzle so / the huskies howled - sound
the wind began to blow / the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks - touch
the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky - sight
Which LINE in the poem answers this question:
Why did Sam's friend have to walk away from the boiler fire as Sam's corpse was being cremated?
"Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;" - stanza 12
How is perseverance shown in the poem?
N. to have persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
The speaker is determined to cremate his friend since it was his dying wish even though it is physically and mentally challenging.
“And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe.” This line adds another mood to the poem. Pick a word to describe that mood.
Then, answer this: Do you think that mood can truly be applied to all wilderness, even as brutal as the Arctic?
Points for part two will be awarded based on thoughtfulness.