1. Describe "the spell of the Yukon" and the sort of person who is gripped by its power.

2. What qualities does Service seem to admire in the men who do not "fit in"?

Are they qualities you also admire?

3. Explain "the law of the Yukon" and how one must live with it.

4. Compare Service's ballads with his war poems. Do they differ in tone and in attitude toward life? Describe his attitude toward death and dying.

5. "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill" are both poems about dealing with corpses.

What makes such a grisly subject so humorous?

6. What is a ballad? Why are Service's ballads so appealing and delightful to hear?

7. What about the bohemian life of Paris seems to fascinate Service? (See "The Absinthe Drinkers" and "The Bohemian" for examples.)

8. How does the story of "The Shooting of Dan...