“O Captain! My Captain! ” is a poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865. The poem is classified as an elegy because it is a mourning poem that was written in the storage of someone. The poem was written to honor Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Walt Whitman was created in 1819 and died in 1892, so he lived through the American Municipal War. Getting born close to the starting of the region, he knew individuals who were a part of the American Revolution.
Through this he experienced the unification and split of the Usa. Walt Whitman was really patriotic and wrote many poems regarding the dominance of America. He also wrote poems about recommending people to fight for what is right. The poem was known as one of the greatest poetry written at the time of the Civil Battle. The main political and sociable issue during Whitman’s time was slavery as well as the rights of African Americans. Whitman was self-described as the poet of America and, during the Municipal War, the Union.
Whitman desired to see the end of slavery; it was his hope for America. Yet , it broke his heart to see the nation preventing. He admired Abraham Lincoln immensely because of his political perspective of universal equality as stated in the constitution.
The captain in the poem makes reference to Abraham Lincoln subsequently who is the captain of the ship; this represents the usa of America. The first range establishes a happy mood as it addresses the captain. The expression “our fearful trip is done” is talking regarding the end of the Civil Battle. The next series references the ship, America, and how it has “weathered every rack”, which means America provides braved the tough storm of the Civil Warfare, and “the prize we sought”, the end of slavery, “is won”. This line communicates a mood of jubilation of the Union winning the war as it says “the people all exulting”; however , the next line immediately shifts the mood once it talks of the grimness of the ship, plus the darker area of the conflict. Many shed their lives in the American Civil War, and even though the prize that was sought was earned, the hearts still ache amidst the exultation of the people.
The repetition of heart in line five calls attention to the poet’s vast grief and heartache because the Captain has bled and is still, cold, and dead (lines 6 through eight). This is no doubt referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Whitman’s misery, woe, anguish for the death of his idol. In the second stanza the speaker again cell phone calls out to the Captain in a light-hearted manner and dictates to “rise up and listen to the bells”, to join in on the celebration of the end of the war. The next three lines tell the captain to “rise up” and become a member of in on the revelries because it is for him. He is the reason for all their merriment: “for you the banner is flung—for the bugle trills; for you arrangements and ribbon’d wreaths—for the shores a-crowding; for you that they call, the swaying mass, their anxious faces turning”. Everyone is celebrating what Lincoln accomplished; this kind of is not only the abolishment of slavery but likewise the formation of the Union as well as the coming with each other of people. Again the poet calls to the Captain as if he had never dropped. The poet person does not would like to acknowledge the death of his beloved Chief, and he even asks if it is some dream (line 15) that the Chief has gone down “cold and dead”.
The 3rd stanza commences in a somber feelings as the poet has finally accepted that the Captain is dead and gone. Here there is vivid and darker symbolism such as “his lips are pale and still” plus the reader can picture the dead Captain lying generally there still and motionless with “no pulse neither will”. In line 17, the poet person calls away “My Captain, ” and in line 18, the poet person refers to the Captain as “My father”. This is referring to Lincoln as the father of the United States. Lines 19 and 20 are concluding claims that sum it up the entire poem. The United States is “anchor’d safe and sound”. It is safe now coming from war with “its journey closed and done, coming from fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with subject won”.
The has accomplished its aim of the abolishment of slavery as well as the unification of people after a fearful war. In line 21, the examples of apostrophe, buying “shores to exult, ” and “bells to ring” are once again referring to how the nation is celebrating while “I with mournful stand, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Decreased cold and dead”. Through the paper there is a distinct vocally mimic eachother scheme, which in turn is unusual intended for Whitman. The rhyme scheme in “O Captain! My Captain! ” is AABCDEFE, GGHIJEKE, and LLMNOEPE for every stanza correspondingly. Two examples of alliteration happen to be in line 10 “flag is flung”, as well as in line 19 “safe and sound”. Repetition happens many times in this poem, for example “O Captain! My Captain”, and “fallen cold and dead”.
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