Robert Service's "Cremation of Sam McGee"

For my Canadian book report, I chose "The Cremation of Sam McGee and Other Poems" by Robert Service. The title of this book is also the title of one of the poems of hardship embedded among many other painful, sorrowful, hilarious, and captivating tales. Because this is not a novel, but rather a collection of poetically illustrated tales, the plots are very simple and the reader can easily connect the plot and conclusion. Not only do the plots of the individual stories wrap up nicely, but there is also a very consistent theme throughout the entire book. Earlier in the year, we were given a sheet illustrating common themes in Canadian literature. Service, through all his poems, connects all of the themes from this paper such as the cold, the space, the harsh and indifferent landscape, the mythology and lack of Canadian history, the isolation and loneliness, man as a victim, and distant and vague hope for a better future. As a classic Canadian author, Service uses Canadian writing traits such as humour, irony, and recognizing the average guy as a hero. This book, and more specifically the poem, "The Cremation of Sam McGee", is a favorite piece of writing passed down through the family. My grandfather loved, and still loves, this poem so much, he has it memorized and can, without difficulty, recite the 4-and-a-half page poem. I can imagine him sitting his kids down at the dinner table and reading it many times because my dad, uncles and aunts are all able to recite pieces of the poem. My dad has done the same for our family. Just as some families sit around the uncleared dinner table reading the bible for devotions, our family sits and listens to my dad tell the gruesome tale of "The Cremation of Sam McGee". This never sits well with my mom and brother because they "have much better things to do". But these stories live and thrive within my father and I. The stories in "The cremation of Sam McGee and Other Poems: by Robert Service are, without a doubt, my favorite stories - They never lose their charm.