The 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 would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Summary of The Cremation of Sam McGee
- Author and Publication: Canadian poet Robert W. Service published the poem in 1907 in his collection Songs of a Sourdough.
- Plot Overview: The narrator meets his friend Sam McGee on a treacherous Arctic trail. Sam is terrified of the cold and predicts that he will die at Lake Lebarge. He asks the narrator to cremate his body at the lake if he dies. The narrator fulfills Sam’s last wish, carrying out the cremation after Sam’s death.
- Central Themes: Loyalty, perseverance, and the inevitability of death are explored through the friendship and the harsh Arctic environment.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Cremation of Sam McGee
Robert W. Service uses a range of literary devices to heighten the story’s emotional impact and to emphasize the harshness of the Arctic setting.
- Imagery: Vivid descriptions such as “the midnight sun” and “the cold that bites the marrow” paint a clear picture of the environment and Sam’s terror.
- Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds, e.g. “marge of Lake Lebarge” and “cremated Sam McGee,” create musicality and draw attention to key moments.
- Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in lines like “the cold that bites the marrow” enhances the poem’s rhythmic quality.
- Personification: The poem gives human traits to the Arctic, describing “the Arctic trails have their secret tales,” which underscores the wilderness’s mystery.
- Enjambment: Lines flow into each other without pause, such as “There are strange things done in the midnight sun / By the men who moil for gold;” which mirrors the relentless march of the journey.
Poetic Devices in The Cremation of Sam McGee
- Stanza Structure: The poem is composed of 15 quatrains, giving it a regular rhythmic structure.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem uses end rhyme, for example “cold” rhymes with “gold,” creating a musical flow.
- Repetition: The opening stanza is repeated at the end, functioning as a refrain that frames the narrative.
- Internal Rhyme: Lines such as “The Northern Lights have seen queer sights” contain internal rhyme that adds to the musical texture.
Quotes for Discussion
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.