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
O, Captain! My Captain! was written by Walt Whitman closely following the end of the American Civil War. In a collection of 18 other poems, Whitman wrote in the same collection, O Captain! My Captain! is indeed the most iconic. At its most basic level, it is Whitman’s elegy for Abraham Lincoln, but as the reader digs deeper, whether it be into its metaphorical nature, personification, consonance, or alliteration, the greater themes that have allowed this poem to resonate into the modern-day begin to reveal themselves.
One of the most prominent and obvious first impressions that this poem instills is its use of apostrophe, a literary device that is used to call something or someone that is dead, inanimate, or not present. An easy way to spot this is the use of “Oh”, or in this case “O” which works as an endearing address to the speaker’s many subjects throughout the poem.
This poem works as an extended metaphor of sorts. More specifically, The poem includes three extended metaphors split across three stanzas. The first expanded metaphor is “Captain,” which is used in the first paragraph of the poem. Here the Captain portrays Abraham Lincoln who has lost his life in battle. The second metaphor is “Voyage,” which is part of the Civil War. The trip is full of checks and examinations, but now the ship’s route to the port is the timeline of the Civil War. The third metaphor, “ship,” is that of the United States that underwent the Civil War.
Whitman also uses multiple techniques to emphasize certain subjects or themes throughout his poem such as personification and repetition. Whitman personifies the speaker’s walk as a “mournful tread” as well as on the shores on line 21 where he states “Exult, O Shores!” In terms of repetition, Whitman’s rhythmic restatement of the phrases “fallen cold and dead” and “O Captain! My Captain!” have a similar effect.
However, the seemingly most glaring element of this poem is its employment of juxtapositions through poetic structure as well as diction to create a contrasting theme. The poem follows a rhythm in which each line alternates between a primary statement and a succeeding statement that either elaborates or expands on the primary one. For example, the first line of the poem introduces the idea of a journey “O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done”, and the succeeding line elaborates on the outcome of that journey “The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won”. Furthermore, the joyous scenes depicting “ringing bells”, “bouquets”, and “wreaths” directly juxtapose the description of the captain’s body as “cold”, “dead”, “pale”, and “still”. Even the rhyming patterns that the poem employs alternates between consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds like “flag is flung”, and assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds such “ship” and “trip”. The alternating patterns along with the contrasting diction construct an overarching theme of victory and loss throughout the poem. This theme of victory and loss works as a reflection of the history of Abraham Lincoln. Although they had triumphed in the war, that victory isn’t whole due to Lincoln’s eventual assassination. A yin and yang of sorts in which victory cannot exist without loss. While there is much to celebrate for the victory of the north, there is equally as much to mourn for the death of the Captain.
Hi Ethan!
This poem is pretty well known, and I was curious about what you had to say. I really like the idea that each stanza represents a portion of the Civil War, and the impact it has on the rest of the poem. I really like the parallelism in the last portion of each stanza as well. One thing I noticed is that despite being about a land war, this poem takes on a distinctly nautical theme, and it can be seen throughout. A part of me has to wonder whether that was a nod to the ironclad ships that were used during the war, and was an acknowledgment of the naval advancements made during the war despite the horrible cost. Overall great job on the analysis!
Ethan,
I was really interested in your interpretation of this poem; after reading the poem from the beginning of your essay, I had a lot of thoughts and wanted to see what you had to say. The reiteration of the Civil War idea throughout the poem resonated with me, as I think Whitman, after looking back on the poem, is definitely trying to say something about it. I was intrigued by the title and the idea of sea being brought up again and again throughout the poem; perhaps Whitman was trying to show recognition for the naval advancements that were facilitated by the war.
Hi Ethan, I though your analysis and poem choice were both really good! I think this poem is one that needs context to fully understand the author’s purpose, but I also think the lesson of with every victory comes a potential loss can apply to a lot of topics. The first thing that caught my eye was the structure of the poem, with the smaller, indented stanzas under the larger ones, and was wondering if they had any meaning?
Hi Ethan! Having already studied this poem in my APUSH class last year, I was curious about your take on it. To understand this poem, I think it is important to consider the context in which it was written. Studying this poem reminded me that it is crucial to consider the time period and events taking place at the time , as these elements can often serve as inspiration for the author. This is especially true for Walt Whitman’s “Oh Captain, My Captain.” In my first read, I primarily focused on the historical aspects of the poem, specifically in relation to the Civil War. However, your analysis brought the deeper meaning and enduring themes found throughout the poem to my attention. I found it interesting that you chose to examine the idea that victory and loss often go hand-in-hand. In the way history is taught, I think we often focus on telling the story of the victors while neglecting the theme of loss. Can think of other historical examples of victory and loss being intertwined? Great job with this!
Ethan,
I really liked your interpretation of this poem. I like how you defined this poem as three extended metaphors, split across three stanzas. The connection between this poem and the Civil War was something that I probably would not have picked up on unless I looked it up. Knowing that he wrote this poem pretty soon after the end of the Civil War definitely lends itself to back up the idea that he is making some sort of statement about the Civil war. Without knowing the context of the poem, I think it would be almost impossible to understand. I also really liked how you bring up the idea of yin and yang, and how victory cannot happen without loss. I think we can take that sentiment and apply it in our own lives. Maybe not to the same extent as it is shown in the Civil war, with assassination, but possibly in a smaller sense.
Hi Ethan! War poems are always incredibly metaphoric and I think you explained this really well and helped me understand the connections to it. Knowing Lincoln’s heavy role in the Civil War makes the poem more understandable as well. It is also ironic how the many metaphors of ‘ships’ were used in the poem considering how the Civil War was an inland battle, but it helps portray the symbolism of the timeline, as you mentioned, in another understandable manner through a boat’s course at sea. The contrast you showed in the diction when describing the victory of the war being flawed with the assassination of Lincoln was great too! Good job!