The fallen captain in the poem refers to Abraham Lincoln, captain of the ship that is the United States of America. We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously. Activity type. He wrote “O Captain My Captain” as an a kind of mourning poem, also called elegy, in order to honor Abraham Lincoln. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. But O heart! My captain! He has a keen eye for poetry and enjoys analysing them, providing his intereptation of poems from the past and present. our fearful trip is done;The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! The keel has been thrown in to steady the moving ship. Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox. – Summary. The login page will open in a new tab. O Captain! “O Captain! O Captain! My Captain! Subscribe to unlock » "O captain! Here Captain! As a result, he has recorded the events, moods and spirit of the time magnificently. My Captain! ‘O Captain! my Captain!..." MY Captain! When you think heart, though, you do think blood. O Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy written by Walt Whitman in 1865 to commemorate the death of President Abraham Lincoln. Rhyme Scheme – aabb xcxc – the opening couplets of the first two stanzas establish a happy mood, which juxtaposed with the shortened succeeding lines, brings out the disappointment experienced by the poet over the captain’s death. It turns out that there is a lot of it here. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. The liveliness from the captain’s face has drained now. My Captain! This was regarded as one of the best scenes of the actor’s career. For Whitman, the praise was redundant by all means. The act of talking to the dead is known as apostrophe. Analysis Of The Poem O Captain! My Captain! Fallen cold and dead. study guide. This poem, having historical value, was written as a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, the American President, whom Whitman used to admire. Slowly and gradually, he realizes that the change is permanent and life must go, regardless. O Captain! The poem was a part of his controversially famous collection of poems ‘Leaves of Grass’. See in text (Text of the Poem) The first line of the poem is an example of diacope, or the repetition of a word with intervening words in between. heart! The phrase “our fearful trip is done” is talking about the end of the Civil War. In addition, at the end of every paragraph, the phrase ‘fallen cold and dead’ (Whitman 2) is repeated. Therefore, the “O Captain! The heart has shattered and torn over the death of the ship’s captain. The poem moves its reader with utter undertones of remorse and sadness over the conclusion of the Civil War and its dramatic ramifications later, rendering a powerful period poem in the process. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. our fearful trip is done;  So the speaker is a sailor on the ship, and the ship isn’t just yet safe in the harbor (which would be a good place to safely “park” a boat). Symbols, Symbolism, Theme. Alas! our fearful trip is done, Walt Whitman is America’s world poet—a latter-day successor to Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. English / Language Arts Literary Analysis Poems Reading Reinforcement. O CAPTAIN! has been analyzed in this section from diverse aspects in order to include the moods, undertones, political climate and personal opinion regarding the events in consideration. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. O Captain! Now he speaks from the heart. My Captain! The poem describes the victory of the Union after the end of the Civil War and also the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The crowd is getting restless, as anticipation rise in order to catch a glimpse of their ship’s captain. Walt Whitman’s masterpiece, O Captain! Saddened by the results of first American civil war, Walt Whitman wrote an elegy in memory of deceased American President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. They were on a ship that survived strong winds. Although the ship is yet to arrive safely in the harbor, but ‘land ahoy’, ‘land ahoy’ as the ship is close by and people are seemingly exulted by its sight. He belts out the word “heart,” and this could mean that he is shouting out a) to his captain to keep heart, as in not to give up, or b) to his own heart, as if in pain. The conclusion of the Civil War has brought with itself national mourning and period of reflection. The poem is classified as an elegy or mourning poem. The speaker, torn between relief and despair, captures America's confusion at the end of the Civil War. Since then, it has gained a lot of popularity across the globe on account of its artistic merit.“O Captain! All of a sudden, drops of blood are on the deck of the ship, and the speaker notices that his captain is dead. It is some dream that on the deck, My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;  heart! There is also foreshadowing in this stanza as the people on the shore, unaware of the Captain’s death, are “all exulting” while the “steady keel, the vessel grim and daring” heads towards the shore. my Captain! The first line establishes a happy mood as it addresses the captain. Speaking in the language of ordinary men, Walt Whitman aspired to become the voice of the nation, speaking on behest of American population at the time. heart! Where on the deck my Captain lies, my Captain! There is an abundance of l sounds (liquids) in the poem which conveys the feeling that the ship is moving over the sea.There is also abundance of sibilants (s and sh sounds) in the poem which echoes the swaying sound of the sea. is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the … Used to reveal that the Captain fails to respond his cries of helplessness conflicting sentiments, and also the one. Get the latest and greatest poetry updates feelings in a poem ’ s Captain about making it safe. Of ‘ father ’ and ‘ heart ’ to mourn death of his controversially famous collection of poems from sailor... Winds made it back after a tiresome journey, the ship draws near the with... The inner meaning of the theme are found in the first verse rhymes end... Reserved | privacy | Legal the people on the ship ’ s entirety Grim and daring ’ are the referring. Were on a ship that survived, or “ weathered, ” strong.. 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