Question

What motivates the speaker in "The Cremation of Sam McGee" to fulfill Sam's wish for cremation?

Option 1: He thinks it will be easy.
Option 2: He does not want to argue about it.
Option 3: It seems reasonable.
Option 4: He feels compelled to do it.

Answer 1

The speaker in “The Cremation of Sam McGee” feels a deep sense of duty to honor his friend's last wish, leading him to feel compelled to cremate Sam's body despite the daunting circumstances.

Step-by-step explanation:

The speaker in “The Cremation of Sam McGee” is motivated to fulfill Sam's wish for cremation not because he thinks it will be easy, nor is it because he does not want to argue about it or because it seems reasonable. Rather, the speaker feels compelled to do it.

This sense of compulsion likely arises from a deep sense of duty to his friend and the solemn promise that he made. Throughout the poem, the harsh conditions of the Yukon and the promise of a final wish give a moral weight to the speaker's actions, propelling him to complete the cremation despite the difficulty of the task.