Explication of “O Captain! My Captain!” “O Captain! My Captain!” is one of the most popular poems ever written by Walt Whitman. Upon the initial reading of this poem, one may perceive the poem to be about a loyal captain who leads his crew on a treacherous, but successful, voyage which ends in devastation. If interpreted literally this is the poem’s only meaning, but for those who look further there is an underlying story behind the words of Whitman. Whitman uses multiple literary elements throughout
Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" And Dickinson's "Hope is a Thing with Feathers" America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800’s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created
Journey Theme in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar The theme of a journey is a common metaphor used in poetry. This is no exception in two poems by famous poets of the 19th century: Walt Whitman and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!” from his collection Leaves of Grass, he writes of the sorrow over a fallen ship captain coming into the home harbor. Lord Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar” expresses the hopes on the departure of a journey
Journey Theme in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar A man’s journey at sea has always been romanticized as an individualistic struggle against the backdrop of the cruel elements of nature. Paradoxically, though, within that same journey, the sea possesses an innate sense of timelessness that can become a man’s quest for God. In “O Captain! My Captain!” Walt Whitman describes the narrator’s sense of aimlessness at sea after his beloved Captain dies. In Lord Alfred Tennyson’s
Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar Life and death are recurring topics in literature; they are not often referred to directly, but are inferred from figurative language. In Walt Whitman’s poem entitled “O Captain! My Captain” from his anthology of poems, Leaves of Grass, he describes the passing of Abraham Lincoln through the use of an extended metaphor. Similarly, “Crossing the Bar,” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, from his collection of poetry
“O captain! My Captain!” is written by Walt Whitman in 1865 in which is that the 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln, was shot to death. People at that time fell in deep sorrow for his death, Whitman also mourned the president Lincoln by writing a poem. So, overall mood in his work is very depressed, and have much esteem for the president in it. First of all, the poem is very exquisite and dramatic. It appeared imaginable as like I see the blood on the deck, a man crying. Also, from first
the incumbent. The shockwaves reverberated across the country in both the North and the South and offered a humbling reminder of a fact often forgotten: no one, man or woman, regardless of their accomplishments, is free from the sin of humanity. My Captain!” was published in the second edition of Drum-taps in September, 1865 and was quite the departure from the author’s usual style of writing. Recognized for his long, free-verse lines, this work contained regular rhyme and meter, highly uncharacteristic
Walt Whitman wrote many great poems, yet while I read through a list of poems to analyze, one of his most popular poems caught my eye. “O Captain! My Captain!” has so many hidden meanings, as well as sentence structure and imagery. This twenty-four line piece of literary art has made its mark on history by describing the feeling of losing a friend, as well as a leader. This work is a great poem to expose readers to exploring the depths of the words written to interpret the hidden messages among them
analysing the poetic devices used to explore the theme of death. O Captain! My Captain! Written in 1965 by one of America’s most important poets, Walt Whitman. Inspired by the death of American president Abraham Lincoln it is thought to be one of his most memorable and iconic poems. The second poem chosen is Funeral Blues written by WH Auden in 1940. Through the use of poetic techniques the poet of ‘Funeral Blues’ and ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ reflects upon the melancholic theme of death. The tone that
better place even if it might personally affect them in some way. Towards the end of the poem, O Captain! My Captain!, Abraham Lincoln demonstrates selflessness when the text states, “Rise up- for you the flag is flung- for you the bugle trills… The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done: From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won” (Whitman). In the poem, the captain represents Abraham Lincoln, the trip represents the war to end slavery, and the ship represents
interested in reading these two poems. Both have very emotional and sad tones with very interesting stories. The poems are O Captain! My Captain by Walt Whitman and The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward Howe. O Captain! My Captain is about a Captain who died in battle but won the battle for his men, and the person who talks in the poem is one of his men and he talks about the Captain lying dead on the floor of the ship. The Battle Hymn of the Republic is about a man who was driven by God to get himself
Martin Gutierrez Ms. Hedrick English 2nd Period May 16, 2014 Poetic Explication of “O Captain! My Captain!” The poem “O Captain! My Captain!” is a mourning poem or elegy and it was written by Walt Whitman in 1865 during the time of the Civil War. Whitman admired President Lincoln and this poem was written to honor him after he was assassinated and to also celebrate the victory for America in the Civil War. The poetic devices used are apostrophe, metaphors, repetition, and symbolism. This poem brings
Hunter Ratliff English 102 Mrs. Witt 12 February 14 "O Lincoln! My Lincoln!" In Walt Whitman’s “O captain! My captain!” the poet is trying to portray to the reader his respect and adoration for Abraham Lincoln, and the despair of his death. Whitman uses metaphors and symbolism throughout that tie to his life and his feelings as well as the poem. Lincoln was idolized in Walt’s eyes. In the poem he refers to him as “Father” because he is the father of his nation. The writer was very good at incorporating
Essay 11 March, 2014 O Captain! My Captain! Walt Whitman was a 19th century American poet who changed the rules for writing poetry. He is one of my favorite poets because he was bold enough to openly talk about sexuality and same sex couples in his works during a time where such things were looked down upon and even banned. He also aided the nation to understand and face the grief they felt after the loss of a respectable and loved authority figure. With O Captain My Captain, Walt Whitman captures
of the greatest poets in American history. He is an explicitly patriotic writer and believes poetry is a way of healing. His poem, “O Captain! My Captain!”, expresses his grief and the mourning of a nation in the loss of a great leader, President Abraham Lincoln. It became an elegy honoring Lincoln’s life and work, Whitman symbolically uses the image of a Captain to show the admiration, devotion, and love that he and the nation felt for Lincoln. Symbolism is used in works of literature to suggest
and “O Captain, My Captain!” Walt Whitman uses literary devices such as rhythm, syntax, imagery and diction. All of these devices take poems like “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “O Captain My Captain!” and add a splash of life, giving everything a meaning only for him to really understand but something for everyone to enjoy. Literary devices such as rhythm and syntax are the backbone of poetry, both devices are consequential in Whitman’s poem “O Captain My Captain!”. “O Captain My Captain!” is
Period 1 3-17-2015 O Captain My Captain Walt Whitman wrote the poem O Captain My Captain to honor the death of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. When the poem was published in the New York Saturday Press, the American public loved it. It became a national sensation overnight. Walt Whitman was asked to recite the poem so often, that he once said, “I’m almost sorry I ever wrote [it]” (Library of Congress) But this poem is not to be taken lightly. It speaks of a story about a captain, who returns with his
The poem, "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman re-imagines the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by using emotions filled with shock and regret of losing a father figure. Walt Whitman has a patriotic attitude towards this poem as he describes Abraham Lincoln and all that he did for America by using imagery to develop a scene similar to the reality. The poet conveys his deep admiration for the achievements of Abraham Lincoln. Whitman shares his form by using a physical way of laying out and his
The poem basically tells a story about the death of the captain of a ship men crew. The speaker of the poem is a sailor of the ship crew. He grieves mournfully about the death of his respectfully captain. Gloomy and dreary atmospheres are vividly sensed throughout the poem as the speaker lamenting the captain’s death. The poem begins with the speaker calling out his captain that they have finally made it home after their “fearful trip”. The boat is in sight of land and the people in the shore watch
about being O Captain! My Captain!, and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd. In the poetry world Whitman crossed new boundaries, revealing every inch of his mind in his works. He improved the way Americans wrote poetry by covering arguable topics, even though others were harshly criticizing his poems he continued to write, and encouraging American people to express themselves and not to be ashamed of who they are and what they have to offer the world. Although O Captain! My Captain! and When