In 'O Captain My Captain', Walt Whitman uses extended metaphor to illustrate Abraham Lincoln's admirable qualities while in 'Annabel Lee', Edgar Allan Poe is straightforward when talking about Annabel Lee, who symbolizes his wife; Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe that passed away 7 years before he wrote the poem. Another example of figurative language in this poem is the use of synecdoche. remains a staple of the American school curriculum and appears frequently in popular culture. 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. The crowd is cheering for their fallen leader ('For you they call'), which stands for the connection that Americans feel to Abraham Lincoln. O Captain! This is the major figure of speech that it is important that you analyse when discussing this excellent poem. (1-4) My Captain, we have sought our prize victoriously. "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman - Vocabulary List [75], "My Captain" begins by describing Lincoln as the captain of the nation. He informs his father that he sees the captain cold and dead lying on the deck of the ship as if in some dream. My Captain! consists of 3 stanzas in totality having 2 quatrains in each. [67], Critical opinion of the poem began to shift in the middle of the 20th century. It is famously featured in Dead Poets Society (1989) and is frequently associated with the star of that film, Robin Williams. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. The ship has weatherd every rack, the prize we sought is won. All rights reserved. Whitman, too, has enriched this poem, using following literary devices. [24] "My Captain" was first published in The Saturday Press on November 4, 1865. [76] Whitman encapsulates grief over Lincoln's death in one individual, the narrator of the poem. Drops of blood are flowing on the ships deck, the blood of Abraham Lincoln. He talks of a victory, which is also an allusion to Lincoln winning the Civil War. The crowd is getting restless, as anticipation rises to catch a glimpse of their ships captain. In 1980, Whitman's biographer Justin Kaplan called the poem "thoroughly conventional". [64] Author James O'Donnell Bennett echoed that, writing that the poem represented a perfect "threnody", or mourning poem. (6-8) My captain lies on the deck cold and dead. This monumental work chanted praises to the body as well as to the soul, and found beauty and O Captain! The civil war occurred during his lifetime with Whitman a staunch supporter of unionists. Although the ship is yet to arrive safely in the harbor, land ahoy, land ahoy as the ship is close by and people are seemingly exulted by its sight. See in text(Text of the Poem). For audio recordings of the poem, check out the free downloadable selection from LibriVox. He appeals directly to the loud jeers, cheers, and ringing bells for the much-awaited captain. The ship is a symbol for the United States, which had just emerged from the Civil War (18611865) at the time Whitman was writing. Clip from Dead Poets Society 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!
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