Jason Park
Mrs. Kelly
Language Arts, Period 3
22 February 2023
Literary Analysis: “Call of the Klondike” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee”
Imagine participating in the Klondike Gold Rush, in the harsh, cold regions of Canada. Experiencing this, Sam McGee’s best friend, referred to as “Cap,” had to cremate his friend as his last promise in the historical fiction poem, “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Similar events happened to Stanley Pearce and Marshal Bond, watching gold rush expeditions return with tons of gold, and also having to lead a group of people through the Yukon region with a candlelight, the events taking place in “Call of the Klondike.” While “Call of the Klondike” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee” both demonstrate experiences taken
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Service portrays two best friends in the gold rush, in which Sam McGee dies, and the story does not tell us whether Sam’s friend lives on to be successful or not. In “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” Robert W. Service states, “ He turned to me, and ‘Cap,’ says he, 'I’ll cash in this trip, I guess; / And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t refuse my last request,’” (Service 11-12) emphasizing the idea that Sam is dying, and wants to request his friend of something. Dissimilarly, in “Call of the Klondike,” the authors state, “Other stampedes are on very much the same order. This, however is the only midnight stampede on record. Quite a number regretted going to Swede creek on that trip. At least six men had their feet frozen, and two men died in the hospital from pneumonia. They were careless and did not take proper care of themselves…”(Meissner and Richardson 12). As shown by the text, this was what Stanley H. Pearce himself had said, conveying the idea that he had lived through the hard time and was able to make it out alive and successful. The historical fiction poem’s emphasis on Sam McGee’s death makes it seem more engaging for the …show more content…
Differently, in “The Call of the Klondike” the authors focus on the general events of the Klondike Gold Rush, as described by Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond. In “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” the author illustrates, “And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar; / And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: ‘Please close that door. / It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm– / Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.’”(Service 57-60). The cremation of Sam McGee, as stated by the author, Sam’s cremation was one of the main events in the story, the other events being Sam McGee’s death and his friend looking for a place to cremate
Into the Wild Summer Reading Assignment Passage: “April 27th, 1992 Greetings from Fairbanks! This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory.
This particular discovery of the Kalgoorlie mine by Paddy Hannan attracted several thousands of prospectors (mineral explorers) and created a “ rush” to whoever would quickly become prosperous from mining gold at Kalgoorlie. Hence,
An attribution to Jon Krakauer’s convincing overall argument is his thorough and plausible research formulated to create Christopher McCandless’s biography. Krakauer conducted a copious set of interviews with various people; he consulted specialists and scientists, and others in their respected professions. Krakauer also ventured in McCandless’s footsteps and studied into other adventurers cases. The “sources” Krakauer uses to devise his argument range from the people “close” to McCandless such as friends and family, people Alex (Christopher) met during his journey, professionals (police officers, rangers, scientists, professors, authors, etc.), those that found McCandless’s body, Alaskan locals, and letters from the readers of his Outside
It has been many years since Chris McCandless was found dead in Bus 142. When he died, his story became public and widely popular, allowing many people to learn of his fatal story. He was known to have been a rubber and later on a leather tramp, while searching for the ultimate conquest of alaska. When he made it to Alaska, he wasn't prepared, which led him to his desperate and lonely death. This sparked the worldwide debate on whether he was stupid, or if he was just living his life.
On November 15, 1959, a tragedy would strike that would not only have a large effect on the small town it occurred in, but also ensnare the entirety of America. In the opening passage of In Cold Blood, Truman Capote’s humdrum portrayal of small-town America, instances of life within the seemingly run-down town, and the subtle nods to the grim events yet to occur are used to ensnare the reader with a sense of curiosity. Truman Capote’s intricately humdrum introduction to the town of Kansas through its far-from-urban location, clear blue skies, and vastly peaceful ranches viewable long before anyone reaches them instantly creates the impression of safety through its mundane simplicity. However, this peacefully dull imagery is abruptly shattered by “Holcomb, too, can be seen from great distances. Not that there
Even if he did eventually find the peace and solitude he was looking for in Alaska, his family did not. “From then on he scrupulously avoided contacting either his parents or Carine, the sister for whom he purportedly cared immensely. ‘We were all worried when we didn’t hear from him’ says Carine, ‘and I think my parents’ worry was mixed with hurt and anger. But I didn’t really feel hurt by his failure to write. I knew he was happy and doing what he wanted to do; I understood that it was important for him to see how independent he could be. ”
Many, particularly Alaskans, tend to criticize and judge McCandless for the path he chose, make guesses about his intentions, even assume he decided to end his life in the bush purposefully. That is the beauty of Jon Krakauer’s narration as we see a perspective of Chris from someone who chose a similar life path. Throughout the book Krakauer, I believe, does a wonderful job in balancing both positive and negative associations of McCandless. Though I believe the reader gains the most from a particular section reflecting on the theory that Chris entered the bush to end his life, the idea that he never intended to walk back out. Chapter 15 follows the narration of Krakauer’s experience on Devil’s Thumb, facing death head on as a 23 year old himself- only one year older than Christopher McCandless when he died in the bush.
Zoe Engel 6-19-23 Mr. Selfridge Period: 2 Stepping Into the Wilderness The work of nonfiction Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer, tells the true story of Chris McCandless, an adventurous young man, who leaves home to travel around the continent eventually setting foot into the Alaskan wilderness on a journey that becomes fatal. Highlighted throughout this work of nonfiction is the true story of McCandless’s life, along with bits of Krakauer’s personal life as it relates to McCandless’s. Each chapter begins with at least one epigraph that shares common themes with the following chapter. The focus in this paper will be on chapter 14, “The Stikine Ice Cap,” in which Krakauer shares his experience climbing the Devil’s Thumb in Alaska, and the second
Get Rich or Die Trying During the Yukon trail gold rush, many people risked their lives and many others died all because they wanted gold to have a better life and provide for their families. In Robert W. Service’s poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee” it depicts the struggles the characters went through for gold. This poem which was written a hundred years ago is still a relevant poem today, because of its figurative language, voice, and imagery. Robert Service’s first literary term is figurative language.
Rhetorical Analysis of Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild ” Jon Krakauer ’s purpose in writing Into the Wild is to recount Chris McCandless’ journey, physical and metaphysical, from college in Georgia to his death in Alaska, through the use of factual, and anecdotal evidence. Krakauer uses factual evidence to establish that he is a trustworthy narrator capable of giving the reader a realistic scope on the events in the story. Jon uses anecdotal evidence to see into Chris’ psyche from the various perspectives found in the book’s excerpts, including how Jon understands the events.
1. John Krakauer’s tone in the first couple of chapters of the book was of curiosity and sympathy. He was constantly wondering how Chris McCandless died and why he would put himself into that situation of extreme danger while also feeling sorrowful; almost as if he felt like Chris was in over his head and didn’t deserve what had happened to him. “Gallien offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go. ‘No, thanks anyway,’ Alex replied, ‘I’ll be fine with what I’ve got.”
This book is a great story about a man who struggles to survive in Alaska and eventually dies from poison which was from potatoes that he collected. His last note before he died was, “‘S.O.S. I NEED YOUR HELP. I AM INJURED, NEAR DEATH, AND TOO WEAK TO HIKE OUT OF HERE.I AM ALL ALONE, THIS IS NO JOKE. IN THE NAME OF GOD, PLEASE REMAIN TO SAVE ME. I AM OUT COLLECTING BERRIES CLOSE BY AND SHALL RETURN THIS EVENING.
This statement, made by Shaun Callarman, pertains to Chris McCandless’s trek into Alaska that ultimately led to death by starvation. Since the recovery of Chris’s body, there has been much speculation about the prevention of Chris’s death and the possible causes. Despite Callarman’s plea of craziness, there have been both eye-witness accounts showing that Chris was sane and prepared when leaving for the Alaskan wilderness, many natural
The narrator’s changing understanding of the inevitability of death across the two sections of the poem illustrates the dynamic and contrasting nature of the human
In the 2013 online article, “The Chris McCandless Obsession Problem”, author Diana Saverin describes the Alaskan wilderness travel phenomenon along with attempting to uncover the ‘McCandless Pilgrims’ “root of motivation. Sparked by the release of both Jon Krakauer’s and Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild”, numerous individuals pack their backpacks and eagerly step into their (sometimes newly-bought) hiking shoes and tramp into the Alaskan Wild to pay homage to their hero Chris McCandless. Filled with personal anecdotes and interviews, Severin’s Outside article takes a new approach Into the Wild commentary by directing attention to the lives McCandless’s story affected indirectly rather than critiquing on McCandless himself. In response to what appears to be a huge amount of troubled McCandless-inspired tramping stories, Saverin provides an unbiased rationale as a attempt to explain why so many are “willing to risk injury, and even death, to..visit the last home of Alaska’s most famous adventure casualty”. Saverin begins her article with anecdote- telling the unfortunate experience of young lovers and adept adventure seekers, Ackerman and Gros.