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A comprehensive guide to Whitman's elegy for President Lincoln, published in 1865. Learn about the poem's themes, symbols, poetic devices, form, meter, rhyme scheme, speaker, setting, and context.
- Summary
- Poem Title’S Meaning
- Structure
- Literary Devices
- Themes
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- Historical Context
- Similar Poetry
‘O Captain! My Captain!’ by Walt Whitman(Bio | Poems) is a heart-touching elegy on the death of the American President Abraham Lincoln(Poems). The speaker’s coming to terms with the death of his fallen comrade is the focal point of the poem at hand. At the start of the poem, the speaker attempts to come to reality as he observes his dead captain on...
The title of the poem, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ refers to Abraham Lincoln(Poems) as a captain of the ship. Here, the “ship” is a symbol of the civil war fought to liberate the slaves. According to the poet, the ship is sailing nearer to the shore, meaning the war is about to end. They have achieved their coveted goal. Being a moment of victory, eve...
The poem, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ consists of 3 stanzas in totality, having 2 quatrains in each. A quatrain is a stanza consisting of four lines. Besides, this poem is an elegy. An elegy is known as a mourning poem. Apart from that, Whitman uses the free verse form while writing this poem. For this reason, the lines of the poem do not rhyme at all...
Most of Walt Whitman’s poems use repetition and rhythm to render a spellbinding poetic beauty. He uses anaphora constantly, as several verses begin with the same word/ phrase. For instance, ‘When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomers’ uses ‘when’ 4 times to render a lyrical sound. Anaphora is generally used for joyous chants and rendering celebratory fee...
Whitman emphasizes the importance of self in the majority of his poems, ranging from ‘I Hear America Singing’ to others; he prizes the American populace to believe in themselves. More so, he even uses symbolical allusions to drive home a point. He may use inanimate objects for that end. Apart from that, Whitman uses the themes of victory, lamentati...
Stanza One
In the first stanza of ‘O Captain! My Captain!’the speaker shouts with sheer excitement to the ship’s captain about making it home safe and sound. The ship, after enduring tough storms and impenetrable winds, made it back on the dock. Jaded and exhausted after a tiresome journey, the mission has been a roaring success. Although the ship is yet to arrive safely in the harbor, ‘land ahoy,’ ‘land ahoy’ as the ship is close by and people are seemingly exulted by its sight. The church bells are ri...
Stanza Two
The sailor implores the now-dead captain to rise from the dead. The act of talking to the dead is known as an apostrophe. The reason is that the people ashore await their prized captain to lead the way and stamp his mark on history. The crowd is jubilant as they celebrate using some devices such as raising the flag in victory, holding flowers, and cheering for the captain. The crowd is getting restless as anticipation rises to catch a glimpse of their ship’s captain. Alas! He’s no longer with...
Stanza Three
In the last stanza of ‘O Captain! My Captain!’, the sailor looks sadly at the dead captain in pure agony. He observes his lips to have paled a la that of a corpse. The captain fails to respond to his cries of helplessness. The liveliness from the captain’s face has drained now. His pulse has stopped, and he’s unlikely to move from now on. The ship has landed safely in the harbor with its anchor thrown in. The voyage is now complete. The sailor reminisces about the trip to be extremely arduous...
‘O Captain! My Captain!’ was authored by famous American poet Walt Whitman(Bio | Poems). It alluded to President Abraham Lincoln’s death in 1865. The poem was a part of his controversially famous collection of poems, “Leaves of Grass.” The poetic collection was continuously revised to add new poetic pieces from Walt Whitman(Bio | Poems) as a result...
The following poems are similar to the themes and subject matter of Whitman’s lyric, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’. 1. Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight by Vachel Lindsay(Poems)– This poem portrays the spirit of Lincoln wandering in the streets, having awakened from his eternal sleep due to the devastation of World War I. 2. from The People, Yes by Carl...
Jan 1, 2023 · A poem by Walt Whitman mourning the death of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The speaker, a sailor, uses an extended metaphor to compare the ship's victory to the Union's triumph in the Civil War.
Summary. The poem is an elegy to the speaker's recently deceased Captain, at once celebrating the safe and successful return of their ship and mourning the loss of its great leader. In the first stanza, the speaker expresses his relief that the ship has reached its home port at last and describes hearing people cheering.
Overview. Walt Whitman wrote “O Captain! My Captain!” in 1865, at the end of the Civil War. Whitman presents the United States as a ship that’s finally sailing back into its home port after a long and dangerous ocean voyage.
My Captain! Summary & Analysis. Walt Whitman wrote “O Captain! My Captain!” in response to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, which occurred just five days after the Confederacy surrendered and the American Civil War was won.
Oct 7, 2023 · Learn how Walt Whitman's poem "O Captain! My Captain!" uses metaphors and imagery to express his grief over the death of Abraham Lincoln. The poem follows the speaker's emotional journey from denial to acceptance as he mourns his Captain, who represents the nation's father-figure.
