Item 3 How does the setting affect the question that Sam McGee asks the speaker in the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee"? The isolated setting of the Arctic worries Sam McGee, so he travels to Tennessee instead. The lonely setting of the Arctic excites Sam McGee, so he asks the speaker to leave him alone while they mush. The busy setting of the Arctic frustrates Sam McGee, so he asks the speaker to go with him to Lake Lebarge. The cold setting of the Arctic terrifies Sam McGee, so he asks the speaker to cremate him so that his remains do not freeze.