O Captain! My Captain!

The central theme of "O Captain! My Captain!" is the profound grief experienced in the wake of a great loss, tempered by a bittersweet sense of triumph. The poem is an extended metaphor for the...

In "O Captain! My Captain!", "The vessel grim and daring" is a metaphor for the United States. Whitman portrays the country as a ship that has weathered many storms, particularly the American Civil...

In Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!", the speaker exclaims "Exult O shores, and ring O bells" near the end of the poem, urging the onshore crowds to celebrate a significant victory. However,...

In "O Captain! My Captain!" Whitman portrays Lincoln's loss as nationally significant by depicting him as the captain of a ship, symbolizing the United States. Lincoln steered the nation through the...

In "O Captain! My Captain!", "our fearful trip is done" figuratively represents the end of the Civil War, and "The ship has weather'd every rack" symbolizes the Union's survival through the conflict....

"O Captain! My Captain!" is considered an elegiac poem because it mourns the death of Abraham Lincoln. The poem reflects on Lincoln’s impact on the abolition of slavery and the end of the Civil War,...

By using the phrase "steady keel," Whitman suggests that Lincoln was a strong, determined leader who had courage and was steadfast in his convictions.

The "object" won in Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" represents the United States' continued Union after the successful conclusion of the Civil War. The poet uses the metaphor of a ship, with...

Through the metaphor of a ship and its dead Captain, Walt Whitman's poem “O Captain! My Captain” presents the aftermath of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the celebration of...

In "O Captain! My Captain!," the prize is the preservation of the Union after the Civil War, which is why the people are exulting. They celebrate the end of the war and the nation's survival through...

The people at the port are celebrating the survival of a ship and its return to port in victory. This stands for the Union victory that reunited the nation at the end of the Civil War.

In "O Captain! My Captain!" Whitman experiences a range of emotions including pride and joy for the captain's (Lincoln's) success in leading the nation through the Civil War, and deep grief and...

"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman is a metaphorical tribute to Abraham Lincoln, celebrating his leadership during the Civil War. The poem reflects on the end of the war, the nation's victory,...

In "O Captain! My Captain!", Lincoln's assassination symbolizes the loss of a great leader who guided the nation through the Civil War. The poem captures the emotional impact through the...

In "O Captain! My Captain!", the ship and its captain are greeted with the ringing of bells, exultant voices, and colorful flags as they approach the harbor. The crowd eagerly awaits the return of...

Walt Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" on his own initiative, inspired by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865. Living in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War, Whitman admired...

"O Captain! My Captain!" involves a literal journey of a ship reaching a safe harbor after a perilous voyage, with its captain dead upon arrival. Figuratively, the poem symbolizes the United States'...

In "O Captain! My Captain!" the speaker sees the Captain "fallen cold and dead" on the ship's deck. This image is repeated at the end of each stanza, contrasting the triumphant return of the ship...

Knowing that Whitman lived during the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation allows the extended metaphor in "O Captain! My Captain!" to become much clearer. The captain in this poem is a...

In "O Captain! My Captain!" the ship had been through the Civil War, symbolizing the United States under Lincoln's leadership. The "fearful trip" refers to the war's end, and the "prize" signifies...

We learn of the captain's death through the speaker's lamentation, stating, "Our fearful trip is done!" and describing "bleeding drops of red / where on the deck my Captain lies / Fallen cold and...