Question

Part A Identify the literary and poetic sound devices used in the poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” First, label the rhyme scheme for each stanza, using letters (a, b, c, d, etc.) to indicate which lines rhyme with each other. Next, read through the poem and find examples of the literary and poetic devices listed below. At the end of this subsection, you will complete a table by finding at least one example from the poem for each device. Alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close together Assonance—the repetition of similar vowel sounds in two or more words that start with different consonants (example: mellow wedding bells) Consonance—the repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of accented syllables (example: wind and sand) Hyperbole—a figure of speech that uses an exaggeration; also called an overstatement (example: I caught a million fish.) Understatement —the opposite of overstatement; a figure of speech used to make something seem less important than it really is Imagery—the use of words to describe sensory experience, such as sight, smell, or touch Personification—a figure of speech in which an object or animal is spoken of as having human traits, such as thoughts, feelings, or attitudes End rhyme—the matching of similar sounds in two or more words that occur at the end of two or more lines Internal rhyme—a rhyme between two or more words that occurs within a line of a poem Repetition—repeating the same sounds, words, phrases, lines, or stanzas in order to emphasize an idea Metaphor—a comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be something else Simile—a comparison between two things through words such as like or as

Answer 1

1 ) Alliteration - “Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan"

The words in this line, from a quatrain from ‘The Cremation of Sam McGee’ by Robert W. Service, is an example of alliteration. Notice that when reading this line aloud you hear the repetitiveness of what saying the letter ‘o’ sounds like. The words that create this sound are ‘so,’ ‘low,’ and ‘moan.'

•

2 ) Assonance - “Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, [...]"

The words ‘came,’ ‘marge,’ ‘lake,’ and ‘Lebarge’ all consist of the same vowel sound that is ‘a.’ Another example is in the line that states “In the long, long night, [...].” Both the words ‘long’ and ‘long,’ consist of the the ‘o’ vowel.'

•

3 ) Consonance - “"It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold [...]."

The words ‘cold’ and ‘hold’ both end with an ‘-old’ sort of sound. This is what causes the thought of repetition. The ending of the words are the same, therefore being the reason this line is a consonance.

•

4 ) Hyperbole - “And he wore a smile you could see a mile, [...]"

This is a good and common example of a hyperbole. It is impossible to see someone's smile from a mile away. It’s merely a saying people use to describe how happy a person looks.

•

5 ) Understatement - “It wasn't much fun, [...]"

This is another common understatement used in this people and by people all over the world. It describes something that was in fact fun, but the speaker refuses to admit it.

•

6 ) Imagery - “In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,"

This is an example of the use of imagery in the poem. In this line the speaker is describing the light of the fire and giving a brief description of the area in which the huskies are in. It also gives a sense of what the author feels the night is like.

•

7 ) Personification - “But the stars came out and they danced about [...]"

Here the speaker is using personification to say that the stars were rather bright and twinkly, that one could say it looked as though they were dancing.

•

8 ) End Rhyme -

“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: "I'll just take a peep inside.

I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; ... then the door I opened wide."

The rhyme scheme of this quatrain would be a, a, b, b. This quatrain contains the use of end rhyme at the last word of the first two lines and the last two lines. Those words that rhyme are ‘fear’ and ‘near’ and ‘inside’ and ‘wide.'

•

9 ) Internal Rhyme - "It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone."

This line is a prime example of the use of internal rhyme. Within the line there are three words that rhyme. These words are ‘cold,’ ‘hold,’ and ‘bone.’ The main reason these words rhyme is because the use of the end letter in each of these words which is ‘-old.'

•

10 ) Repetition - “cold"

Throughout the poem the author often uses the word cold. He uses that word cold in many of the quatrains of the poem.

•

11 ) Metaphor - “And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;"

In this line the term ‘quiet clay’ is a metaphor.

•

12 ) Simile - “Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail."

Here the word like gives a hint that this line contains a simile. It compares the stabbing to a the feeling of a driven nail.

•

•

- Marlon Nunez

Answer 2

The poem has both internal and end rhymes. The 1st and the last stanzas have an end rhyme scheme ABCBDEGE. The subsequent 13 stanzas have an end rhyme as couplets: AABB. However, each verse has an internal rhyme in its first half: “McGee” – “Tennessee”; “home” – “roam”; “cold” – “gold”, etc. This rhyme scheme contributes to the regularity of rhythm.

Alliteration: “marge of Lake Lebarge”; “cursèd cold”; “foul or fair”; “hurried, horror-driven”. In the first example, the alliteration makes us aware of the sound of water on the lake. In the “cursèd cold“ example, we can almost feel the gnashing of the Sam’s teeth as he talks in a freezing weather.

Assonance: “God only knows” – contributes to the sense of destiny. The “o” vowel intensifies the feeling of fatality. “In the long, long night, by the lone firelight” – the repeated vowel “o” signifies the prolonged loneliness that seems to have no end. Assonance is also present in the internal rhyme of every verse (“McGee – Tennessee”, “home” – “roam”, “Day” – “way”).

Consonance: “blooms and blows” – in relation to the cotton, the “s” consonant, at the end of these verbs, indicates the sound of nurturing wind, as well as the continuity of the cotton’s growing. “I’d often sing to the hateful thing” – the repetition of the consonants “ng” add to the eery atmosphere.

Hyperbole: “he wore a smile you could see a mile” – Sam’s smile is so earnest and joyous because he has survived the deadly cold. In a way, he survived and conquered death, thanks to his friend’s commitment. This hyperbole also adds to the feeling of the subject’s relief, after much turmoil. “Secret tales that would make your blood run cold” – scary or creepy tales; it also associates the coldness which is one of the main motifs in the poem.

Understatement: “It wasn’t much fun” – the statement which follows the description of harsh weather and coldness. It is as if the poet tries to relax, reflecting on the tough conditions of their journey. Obviously, he also wants to point out that he himself didn’t have such a hard time coping with the coldness as Sam did.

Imagery: “through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail” – this is a simile and imagery at the same time. It depicts the sensory experience of facing the cold and failing to protect oneself from it. The coldness is pervasive and lethal. This use of imagery goes beyond mere description. “the huskies, round in a ring, howled out their woes” – not only can we see the huskies in the place, but we can also hear their desperate voices.

Personification: “the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe” – everything is so calm and dark that only the stars seem to dance with light. The dancing stars also symbolize the gold diggers’ lingering hope which gives them strength to go on. They appear once more, towards the end of the poem. “the homeless snows” – even the snows seem dispossessed in that dreadful night.

End rhyme: There are end rhymes all through the poem (“blows” – “knows”, “spell” – “hell”, “trail” – “nail”). The rhythm of the poem, with its long heptameters, is slow and narrative. The end rhymes improve the rhythm’s consistency. The story is very dramatic, has sudden twists and turns, but it is still a story about a long voyage through cold darkness.

Repetition: “And that very night, as we laid packed tight… And the dogs were fed…” Also: “And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow” – emphasizes the intensity of the drama and accelerates the dynamics of the heptameters, which, as lines with 7 stressed syllables, are quite narrative in character.

Metaphor: “quiet clay” – clay is what was left of Sam when he seemingly died. He is like clay because he is immobile and silent, and he is heavy to drag. It also relates to the mythological story that man was made of clay. However, in this context, it adds to the grotesque and effects of this macabre scene where the subject drags his friend who has turned into a grinning “hateful thing”.

Simile: “the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell” – the land of gold enchants him so much that he can’t help but go there, as if it were his destiny. This simile is all the more effective when we consider the fact that the land of gold almost killed Sam. It is detrimental to his physical well-being, unlike his homeland Tennessee.