Home Walt Whitman O Captain! Interpret the poem Had I the Choice by Walt Whitman and discuss its use of similes, metaphors, personification, and so on. [81][82], The poem was set to music by David Broza and the song was released on his album Stone Doors. with revision notes by Whitman, 1888, Originally "Walk the spot my captain lies". PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the death of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. By beginning the poem in this manner, it becomes an ode or a tribute to one who has fallen. [40] The poem has imagery relating to the sea throughout. literary devices serve as a tool to project hidden meanings in the text. Summary of Walt Whitmans O Captain! Yet, unfortunately, the "Captain" of this process lies on the "deck," dead, not able to enjoy the victory celebrations that are being enjoyed by others and the success of his efforts to bring America through the Civil War. Get the entire guide to O Captain! 1O Captain! The poem's speaker places its "arm beneath [Lincoln's] head" in the same way that "Mary cradled Jesus" after his crucifixion. Lincoln was like a captain because he was the leader of the country in the same way that a captain leads his crew. He was shot while at the theater and died a few hours later. "victor ship" as an ode to President Abraham Lincoln after his assassination. Then, Lincoln is shot and dies. Here in the poem, Whitman has made a stark contrast between the cheerfulness and mourning in the last stanza when the speaker says exult O shores but I with mournful tread. [67], Critical opinion of the poem began to shift in the middle of the 20th century. [76][80] With this storyboard, students can demonstrate a solid understanding of the text and its metaphorical significance, which will provide a foundation for deeper analysis of the poem. O Captain! [74] Whitman himself had written a letter on March 19, 1863, that compared the head of state to a ship's captain. Our fearful trip is done, The ship has weatherd every rack, the prize we sought is won., Copyright 2023 Literary Devices. Walt Whitman calls the captain of the ship to tell him that the fearful trip of their voyage has come to an end. The apostrophe is a literary device that refers to a call by an individual to someone who is dead or not present there or an inanimate object. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Walt Whitmans masterpiece, O Captain! Figures of Speech: Figures of speech are when the word or phrase is used in a non-literal fashion to create a rhetorical effect. Here captain! Using elements of popular poetry enabled Whitman to create a poem that he felt would be understood by the general public. Though this poem concerns the theme of victory, it contains a sad note on the death of Lincoln. O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. [64] Author James O'Donnell Bennett echoed that, writing that the poem represented a perfect "threnody", or mourning poem. One of the more obvious examples of figurative language in this poem is its use of allusion. The poem is an ode to the president written after his assassination. My Captain! a renowned poem written by Walt Whitman, was one of the 18 poems written with the background of the Civil War in America. (9) Oh captain! It is famously featured in Dead Poets Society (1989) and is frequently associated with the star of that film, Robin Williams. Similarly, the prize is the preservation of the Union.
