The title of this poem is “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert Service. The application of literary devices and appropriate tone and structure in such a long poem enhances the flow of themes and figurative language.
This poem narrates the adventure of two men who embark on a journey to seek gold in the harsh Yukon weather. The speaker is Sam McGee’s friend, who they travel together but dies at the Lake Lerbage. The speaker gives a vivid description of how he fulfills his friend’s last wish after being overwhelmed by the harsh weather conditions. The events of the poem are set at Yukon around Lake Lebarge.
The tone of this poem is mournful because the speaker is expressing sorrow as he feels his friend is going to dies. Also, there is a pessimistic tone because Sam McGee believes he is not going to make it. The Cremation of Sam McGee has a narrative structure because it tells a story. This also makes to take the form of an epic poem. The poem has two forms of rhyme schemes; regular and irregular. In the first and the last stanzas, the rhyme scheme is irregular, taking the form of abcbdefe. In the rest of the stanzas, the rhyme scheme is regular with the form aabb. This form of rhyme scheme makes the poem easy to recite and gives it a predictable pleasure. The speaker has used this rhyme scheme to make the poem memorable.
The author of this poem has used figurative language that creates a timeless tale for the past, present, and future generations. The influence casts on the audience is produced through proper placement of words and literary devices.
In my opinion, Robert Service was brilliant in his work. He was able to author such an eloquent poem that presents a vivid narration about the Klondike Gold Rush. The audience can vividly capture and feel the harshness of the Arctic weather and the speaker’s emotional experiences when fulfilling his friend’s wish. The narration may also be sorrowful, but the author keeps it humorous with plot twists.