Walt Whitman, an American Patriot
O Captain, My Captain
O 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 flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
Walt Whitman
March 9, 1887
This poem contains a enormous amount of symbolism, in fact this poem has nothing to do with a real ship or a real captain. The ship is symbolic of the United States of America and the captain is President Abraham Lincoln. Why in the poem does it speak of the captain falling? Because this poem is about the assassination of one of our countries greatest leaders. When one starts diving into the many different literary works by Walt, it not long before you will begin to notice a theme present in almost every one of them. The theme that we start noticing is patriotism. This is very prevalent in "O Captain! My Captain!" This poem is full of mourning like when he says "The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won." Walt is morning the loss and praising the president and our country. Basically he is saying that Lincoln lead the ship through the fight and helped our ship win the prize. When the poem says, "The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage close and done," This explains that Lincoln set course of the future and left us safe and sound. These many different literary devises really show us how great of an author Walt Whitman was. I am proud that we have amazing patriots like him in our history.
Link to poem: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174742
I've never read this poem before! Walt Whitman had an amazing talent, I absolutely love reading his work. This poem, symbolizing the death of Abraham Lincoln, is one of my favorites now. This analogy and the powerful words Whitman uses sends chills through me. It really gives you a sense of how lost and sorrowful many people were feeling after Lincoln's sudden assassination. Great post, Bret! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tara on a great post Bret! Many people don't realize the connection Whitman is trying to make in this poem, and I will the first one to say that it was the same way for me too. One of the things I love about this poem though, is how tender he sounds about this ship, and more importantly his Captain, whom he calls his father. No doubt Whitman felt that Lincoln was more than just a president, and his ship for more than just a country. And yes...thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite poems because of the fact that it does refer to president Lincoln's death and patriotism. I love how he refers to the Captain as his "dear father". It makes me think the way that Walt regarded his president. He obviously was proud and admired Lincoln for his patriarchal leadership. He certainly cared a great deal for this country and may have even regarded its citizens as his children.
ReplyDeleteExtended analogy at its best! Good selection!
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