شرح قصيدة "O Captain! My Captain!"

Background Information on "O Captain! My Captain!"

Understanding the meaning of "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman means understanding Whitman's admiration for Abraham Lincoln, for he is the captain to whom Whitman refers.

David Reynolds of History Now - American History Online discusses the relationship between the master poet and the fearless leader. He asserts that Whitman looked for a “Redeemer President of These States,” who would come out of the real West, the log hut, the clearing, the woods, the prairie, the hillside.” This "Redeemer President" appeared six years later in the form of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln did not disappoint his poet admirer and gained stature as Lincoln's presidency progressed and as the North won the Civil War, preserving the Union.

It was Lincoln's death, however, that affected Whitman the most, who memorialized the greatest president in United States History with "O Captain! My Captain!"

(For more information on "O Captain! My Captain!" and Whitman's relationship with Lincoln, check out the History Now website, linked above. For an "O Captain! My Captain!" analysis and a discussion on the meaning of "O Captain! My Captain!" keep reading.

"O Captain! My Captain!" Analysis



Now that we have a little background information on "O Captain! My Captain!" we can continue with our "O Captain! My Captain!" analysis and explore the meaning of "O Captain! My Captain!"

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. Note the progression: Stanza 1 begins with two happy couplets; Stanza 2 begins with two celebrating couplets, but something isn't quite right as demonstrated by the off rhyme of "bells" and "trills." Stanza 3 reestablishes the rhyming couplet pattern, but the message is as clear as the rhyme: the captain is dead.
Meter and Rhythm - there is no fixed meter; there is, however, a pattern of four long lines followed by four short lines in each stanza. The shortened lines emphasize the personal grief experienced by the poet against the backdrop of a broader victory. The poem's rhythm is created by the varying line lengths.
Extended Metaphor - The captain is Abraham Lincoln. The fearful trip is the Civil War. The ship is the Union. The prize is the preservation of the union.
The repetition of "heart" in line 5 emphasizes the poet's grief at the death of his captain. "Fallen cold and dead" is repeated at the end of each stanza to emphasize the poet's deep loss.
Apostrophe - an apostrophe is a form of personification in which an individual addresses someone who is dead, someone who is not there, or an inanimate object. "O Captain! My Captain!" at the start of the first two stanzas are examples of apostrophe, as is "Exult O shores, and ring O bells!" in the third stanza.
The poet refers to the fallen captain as "father," representing his deep respect for president Lincoln and Lincoln's role as father of the Union.
Word Choice - words and phrases such as "grim and daring," "weathered every rack," "fearful trip," "flag is flung," "bugle trills," "ribboned wreaths," and "swaying mass" cast a shadow over the celebration, much in the same way the dead cast a shadow over any victory in war celebration.
I've taken the time to turn my notes into a paragraph analysis of "O Captain! My Captain!" on page 2, where you will find the poem in its entirety.

O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered 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 ribboned 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 anchored 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.
Paragraph Analysis of "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman pays tribute to Abraham Lincoln in "O Captain! My Captain!" The poem takes the form of an ode, characterized by sustained noble sentiment and appropriate dignity of style, and as with most odes begins with an apostrophe. The fallen captain, to whom the speaker alludes is Abraham Lincoln. The poem is an extended metaphor: (1) Lincoln is the captain who has "fallen cold and dead," having been assassinated shortly after the Civil War had ended; (2) the "fearful trip" is the Civil War; (3) "the prize we sought" is the preservation of the Union, something which both Whitman and Lincoln felt was the supreme reason for fighting the war; (4) "the ship" is the United States.

The poet's grief is accentuated by the contrasting celebrations of victory and lamentations of death. The poet recognizes the importance of victory, calling out "Exult O shores, and ring O bells!" (23), but his "mournful tread" prevents him from truly taking part in the festivities. The image of the dead captain, "O heart! heart! heart! / O bleeding drops of red" (5-6), haunts the poem and the reader is constantly reminded that he has "fallen cold and dead."

Summary: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman is about the captain of a ship that has been through the battles of war and has managed to get his ship back home, but he is dead.

Section One:
The narrator is exclaiming that the voyage is finished and the ship is safe coming into port
The people are waiting for the ship to dock, they are all happy
The captain is dead on the deck
Section Two:
The narrator calls for the captain to get up and hear the bells;
The narrator says that all the happiness and joy is for the captain
The narrator tries to say it is a dream that the captain is dead
The ship is probably pulling up to the dock now based off of the previous verse
Section Three:
The narrator says the captain is still dead, he will not feel anything
The narrator says the ship is safe now and the voyage is complete
The narrator must still mourn though because his captain is dead
Other Notes:
Whitman probably wrote this poem to Lincoln
Assuming this poem is for Lincoln we can see that everyone admires the captain and his ability to get the job finished; but now they must mourn his death
Our fearful trip - assuming the poem is about Lincoln probably refers to the civil war

“Oh Captain! My Captain!” is a poem written by the famous author Walt Whitman. This poem is about a ship and its crew that has finished some voyage or task. It is narrated by one of the crewmembers. The main point of “Oh Captain! My Captain!” is to show how the captain or leader of the ship is more than just an authority figure. Their captain becomes a father figure to them all and his death makes a major impact on all of the men. One of the main parts in the poem that suggest that the captain means more to the men than just someone to tell them what to do is when the speaker talks about the captain. Just the way he says “Oh Captain!” and “My Captain!” implies that he is speaking with enthusiasm and that his captain is very dear to him. The speaker always refers to the captain as “my Captain,” giving them a sort of personal relationship one would have with a father. In the second line of the poem, the speaker tells how the prize they sought has been won and the port is near. Yet even with the treacherous journey being over and the crew finally being home all they can talk about is their captain lying dead on the boat. The narrator notes how the ship was victorious and the town’s bells are ringing, but he still has a “mournful tread.” If these men were not very close to their captain they would just be happy that they completed their voyage and mission and not worried about their captain. Besides being so worried about their captain, often times during the poem the narrator actually refers to him as father. In the third line of the second stanza the narrator says “Here Captain! Dear Father!” showing that they consider them one and the same. Then again in the last stanza the first line starts with “My captain” while the second line begins with “My father.” This again shows how the crew feels about him. Throughout the poem very emotional words are used for their captain such as “dear,” and “O heart” showing the emotional connection they had with the captain. This poem demonstrates how a leader and captain can become more that just that. Throughout their journey this captain and his men formed a strong bond, and the captain has become more of a father figure to the men. This is shown by the crew’s opinions and the way they describe their fallen captain and by the way they feel even after a successful voyage.