Alligator/Cremation of Sam McGee

Aunt Belle is not scared of the alligator, but the alligator may be scared of her.

Aunt Belle is jumping around and waving her arms because she is scared of the alligator.

Aunt Belle is too old to be jumping around, waving her arms, and scaring alligators.

Aunt Belle is scaring the alligator just as much as the alligator is scaring her.

bellowing loudly

the biggest alligator they had ever seen

swimming fiercely toward Aunt Belle

feared by everyone

The alligator bellows when he is hungry.

Belle knows when the alligator is about to bellow.

The alligator does not like the noise the truck makes.

Belle has trained the alligator to bellow when she cuts the engine.

She enjoys being outdoors because her house is empty and quiet.

The alligator cannot be found, and she is spending her time looking for him.

Her children are grown, she is lonely, and the alligator keeps her company.

She enjoys watching the alligator swim out to the middle of the pond and disappear.

The alligator killed an animal whose carcass is decaying.

The alligator has not come to sit with her and has probably died.

Belle has dementia and believes that the alligator is hiding from her.

Belle is entertaining the children who are watching from high up on the bank.

He thinks that living in the Arctic is like living in hell.

He would rather be in hell than feel cold all the time,

He thinks that living in Tennessee is like living in hell.

He believes that he will soon be living in hell

He is returning to Tennessee.

He has discovered gold.

He will die soon.

He is very hungry.

It brings the two characters together.

It is beyond the experience of most readers.

It creates the conflict by causing Sam's death.

It creates the conflict by causing Sam to go insane.

It uses regular rhythm and rhyme.

The speaker is character in the poem.

It contains a surprise ending.

It is a poem that tells a story.

"cotton blooms and blows"

"it stabbed like a driven nail"

"the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe"

"I hurried, horror-driven,"

The narrator uses exaggeration to create humor.

The narrator describes an illogical or unusual situation.

The narrator concludes in a more serious tone.

The narrator writes both about family members and animals.

Aunt Belle gets used to seeing the alligator

Aunt Belle teaches an alligator to bellow.

Sam McGee has a last request.

The narrator promises to honor McGee's request.

Aunt Belle crawls through the marsh to meet an alligator face to face.

Aunt Belle drives down to the pond and guns the engine.

Sam McGee mushes a dog team down the Dawson trail on Christmas day.

Sam McGee whimpers over the cold.

Both characters come from a cold climate.

Both characters are adventurous.

Both characters have a mistaken view of reality.

Both characters are training an animal to do something unusual.