Essay on O captain

Submitted By MikeZee

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Pages: 2

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In this poem, a sailor is singing a song that praises his captain for successfully leading their ship and all those aboard back into the harbour after an epic voyage, oblivious to their fallen leader. The first verse of this poem describes the happiness of the crew upon returning. In the second verse, the speaker notices that the captain of the ship has “fallen cold and dead.” The sailor and the rest of his crew verify that the captain is indeed deceased, and mourn their loss while walking the deck where the captain lies. “O Captain! My Captain!” is one of Walt Whitman’s most famous poems. It is classified as an elegy, because it is a poem that was written in mourning to memorialize someone. The “captain” that the title of the poem refers to is Abraham Lincoln, a man that Whitman greatly admired. Whitman decided to memorialize Lincoln’s death with O Captain! My Captain! The poem is meant to express Whitman’s appreciation for Lincoln’s actions as President, and to mourn his death as one of his biggest supporters.
The entire poem is an extended metaphor about Abraham Lincoln and his contributions to America, which is represented by the ship in the poem. The “fearful trip” that they are returning from refers to the Civil War, which ended during the same year that this poem was written. The prize that they sought and achieved is the preservation of the union, which is what the war was for.
Certain words and phrases are often repeated in this poem. In the second verse,

O Captain My Captain Analysis

Stevie L. Lowman II Dr. C. A. Blanco English Composition I April 22, 2013 The compelling literation of Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” speaks volumes that transcends many generations. His mysterious stanzas, although completely related on their own, was less than sly to elude the bigger focus of the time it was written. For me to take a honest grip as to what was actually being mentioned in the selected literature, I had to do both research the author, to know the mindset of the poet…

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O Captain My Captain Analysis

in the history of his college. His testimony, like Walt Whitman, demonstrates how ashes exchange themselves for beauty. In “O Captain! My Captain!,” Walt Whitman elucidates that one fighting for a noble cause must endure great sacrifice in order to reign victorious. Whitman’s deep respect for Abraham Lincoln surpassed all understanding. He referred to Lincoln as his “captain” multiple times throughout the poem, indicating Whitman’s deep admiration for him (Whitman 1). Lincoln also acted as a source…

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Comparing Abraham Lincoln And Frederick Douglass In O Captain, My Captain

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are heroic because they both have fought for freedom and liberty. Lincoln sacrificed himself to have America in a safe place where we won the Civil War. In the poem, “O Captain, My Captain”, had a line where “the victor shop comes in with object won” (SB p.69) This line means that the voyage represents America and having it to win an object representing liberty. Another text claims that “He is dead but he so ardently loved, so ably, patiently, faithfully represented…

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Comparing O Captain ! And Elegy For J. F. K.

In “O Captain! My captain!” by Walt Whitman and “Elegy for J.F.K.” by W.H. Auden, the two poets express the same feelings of shock, loss, and reverence; however, they do so in different ways. The two authors react to the sudden loss of a national leader and try to process their mixed feelings. Looking at the two poems, the authors use theme, tone, structure, and rhyme in both similar and different ways to express the same emotions. Both authors wrote their poems for a historical figure after an assassination…

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United States and Whitman Essay

The Use of Symbols in “O Captain! My Captain!” Authors apply numerous literary devices to their works because they hope these devices will engage their reader as well as convey an underlying message. The use of symbolism as a literary device is commonly used in literature. According to The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, a symbol is an entity that can stand by itself in a story, but is often meant to represent a larger and more abstract idea, attitude or practice (Murfin and Ray…

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Blokzyl Vs Whitman

Death in Perspective Death has two different perspectives, watching someone die and dying yourself. In the poem, "O Captain"(1868), by the famous Walt Whitman is about witnessing an important figure pass away, and on the other side, "Gone Away"(2008), by Diana Blokzyl, is about perishing in the first person. These poems show the two horrid sides of death and express how their lives change after it occurs. Both of these poems do a stellar job of using visual imagery as well as metaphors. Whitman…

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Walt Whitman Essay

displays were considered immoral. Despite declining health, he continued to travel, lecture on Abraham Lincoln, add, revise, rearrange and republish Leaves of Grass. Whitman has 8 revised versions, The Deathbed Edition being his final. Oh Captain! My Captain was known as one of the greatest poems written at the time of the Civil War. It’s a mourning poem that was written in the memory of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Whitman admired Lincoln immensely because of his political…

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Comparing W. H. Auden And Walt Whitman's

very similar almost 100 years apart? The two works of literature are called O Captain My Captain, and an Elegy for JFK. They have many similarities and also differences; such as, The poems tone, rhyme scheme, and repetition. First, O Captain My Captain’s tone is sad , because the poem is an extended metaphor for the Civil War. In the poem the captain's troops where are on their way home from the war, but suddenly the captain was found on the floor dead. This brought so much devastation because they…

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Poem: Thou and Gather ye Rosebuds Essay

O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAINO CAPTAIN! my Captain! 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! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up--for you the…

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Comparing Paine And Thomas Whitman

the authors for one use serious tones in all of the examples of writing. The authors used serious tone to persuade the reader into believing what the authors are saying and to support the authors opinion. In Common Sense the author said that his captain had fallen cold and dead which gives you a good example that there is a lot of death and hard time during the war. And that people fight over stupid reasons and get involved even though it was not their problem to begin with. Which is one reason why…

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