In this task you will read and analyze Robert W. Service’s narrative poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” This poem is a frontier ballad that describes the hardships of the life of prospectors in the Yukon, a region in Northwest Canada where many prospectors traveled during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s.
Construct a written analysis of approximately 300 words about the poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Your analysis should explain how the figurative language and literary devices contribute either to the meaning or to the narrative structure— plot, setting, characterization, and point of view—of the poem. Your analysis should contain a thesis that is discussed throughout the essay. The essay should also contain textual evidence to support the argument and a concluding paragraph to sum up the argument. Use terms from the list provided below to construct your analysis. You can also read more about writing about poetry to help you with your analysis.
• Ballad—a type of narrative poem that tells a story, usually in the form of a folktale or legend
• Stanza—a division of a poem that consists of two or more lines
• Diction—the selection and use of words that influence the style and tone of the poem
• Connotation—the emotional suggestion or implied meaning of a word that goes beyond its dictionary definition
• Denotation—the actual or dictionary definition of a word
• Rhythm—the recurrence of sound patterns created by a series of stressed and unstressed syllables
• Meter—the pattern of beats within a line of poetry created by the rhythmic structure of stressed sounds
• Rhyme scheme—a pattern of rhymes in poetry
• Tone—the attitude of the poet toward the subject or readers, separate from mood or atmosphere
• Mood—the overall or prevailing feeling that is created in a story or poem
• Theme—the central idea of the story that reveals something about human life or behavior
As you write your analysis, consider these questions:
• What is the function of rhyme in the poem?
• What would the poem be like if it did not rhyme?
• How do the rhyme and rhythm affect or enhance the meaning of the poem?
• How does the use of imagery and figurative language affect the poem?
• How is the subject matter and conflict affected by the structure of the poem?
A few other helpful hints to remember:
• Your thesis should be the final sentence of your introduction paragraph. It should clearly state an answer to the prompt: How does figurative language/literary devices contribute to the meaning and narrative structure of the poem?
• You should organize your essay into four clear paragraphs (min.)
o Intro + Thesis
o Body 1 – Figurative language affects meaning in poem
o Body 2 – Figurative language affects meaning in narrative structure
o Conclusion – Wrap it all up
• Read the “Writing About Poetry”; it’s quite helpful.
Rubric
Distinguished
(90-100) • The literary and poetic sound devices used in the poem have all been accurately identified.
• The analysis thoroughly examines how literary devices contribute to the plot, setting, characterization, and point of view of the poem.
• The analysis is well structured with a thesis that is discussed throughout the essay and has a logical concluding paragraph that sums up the argument.
• The analysis uses relevant textual evidence to support the thesis.
Proficient
(80-89 points) • The literary and poetic sound devices used in the poem have been mostly accurately identified.
• The analysis somewhat thoroughly examines how literary devices contribute to the plot, setting, characterization, and point of view of the poem.
• The analysis is mostly well structured with a thesis that is discussed through most of the essay and has a logical concluding paragraph that sums up the argument.
• The analysis uses mostly relevant textual evidence to support the thesis.
Developing
(70-79 points) • The literary and poetic sound devices used in the poem have been somewhat accurately identified.
• The analysis briefly examines how literary devices contribute to the plot, setting, characterization, and point of view of the poem.
• The analysis is somewhat well structured with a thesis that is discussed in some parts of the essay and has a mostly logical concluding paragraph that adequately sums up the argument.
• The analysis uses somewhat relevant textual evidence to support the thesis.
Beginning
(60-69 point) • The literary and poetic sound devices used in the poem have not been accurately identified.
• The analysis does not examine how literary devices contribute to the plot, setting, characterization, and point of view of the poem.
• The analysis is not well structured, and the thesis is not discussed throughout the essay.
• There is no logical concluding paragraph that sums up the argument.
• The analysis does not use relevant textual evidence to support the thesis.
Anything below this is considered partial or incomplete.
