O Captain ! My Captain !
by Walter 'Walt' Whiteman
The Poem :
"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 eves 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 bell;
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.
Summary Of The Poem :
Walt Whiteman wrote the poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' as a tribute to the American President, Abraham Lincoln who was assassinated soon after his victory in the American Civil War. The Captain in the poem refers to Lincoln, the ship to the United States of America and the fearful voyage stands for the American Civil War.
In the first para, the poet is informing the Captain of the ship that their fearful voyage is complete. They have reached near the port. People on the shore are cheering for them and bells ringing for their victory. But the Captain is lying dead in blood after the hardship of the long grim and daring voyage.
In the second para, the poet invokes the Captain to rise up as the bells are ringing for him. The crowd on the shore are ready with bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths to hail him. The ship has reached the shore with new dream but the Captain is still dreaming dead with his arm beneath his head.
In the last para, the poet became more disappointed as the leader is dead. He has completed the fearful trip but could not taste the victory. The poet is walking around his dead body which has fallen cold, pale and still.
Making connections
1. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
a. "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"
i. A persona is the person who speaks in the poem. Who is the persona?
= Here the poet, as a crew of the said ship, is the persona in the poem.
ii. Who is the persona addressing in these lines?
= The persona is addressing to the Captain of the ship in these lines.
iii. Who is exulting, and where are they?
= The people are exulting. They are on the port.
b. "My Captain does no answer, his lips are pale
and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse
nor will;"
i. What is the relationship between the captain and the persona?
= The Captain is the father like figure to the persona in this poem. Actually the heroic deeds of the Captain for his nation made his the father like figure for all the men and women of the country.
ii. Why does the captain not answer?
= The Captain does not answer because he is dead due to the heavy toll of the fearful and daring journey.
iii. What words would you use to describe these lines?
= In these lines, the persona expresses his mournful sorrow of his heart. He is not being able to enjoy the joy of reaching the shore after a long hardship. He is rather repentant for the Captain. He is the pioneer of the ship and led it to the shore. But he could not taste the victory of reaching the port. This made the persona feel numb.
2. Contrast the mood on the shore to the mood on the ship.
= On the shore people are cheering and the bells are ringing. There was environment of celebration and merriment. People crowded on the shore with bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths to hail the Captain of the ship along with the crew. The flag has flung for them and the bugle was trilling. The mass was calling, they were swaying with eager faces.
On the other hand, the Captain of the ship lie dead in blood on the deck of the ship. He was the leader of the dreadful and daring voyage. He is the hero of the victory. But he was fatigued and surrendered to death with out tasting the win. His lips are pale and still. He is not answering to the call of the persona. The mood on the ship is mournful and gloomy.
3. Which is the most often repeated phrase in the second stanza of the poem? What effect does the poet wish to create through this repetition?
= 'For you' is the most repeated phrase in the second stanza of the poem.
The poet wishes to let the readers know that it is the Captain who is the only general for this victory. He was in the frontline and fought to his death for the win. He made it sure that the ship reaches to the shore without thinking twice for his own life. He dreamt of a better day but could not taste it. He is lying dead in blood while all are waiting for him eagerly.
4. An elegy is a poem that both honours and mourns a person. Illustrate how this poem is an elegy.
= Walt Whiteman wrote the poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' as a tribute to the American President, Abraham Lincoln who was assassinated soon after his victory in the American Civil War. The Captain in the poem refers to Lincoln, the ship to the United States of America and the fearful voyage stands for the American Civil War.
The poem respectively describes the hardship and struggle of the Captain of the ship to reach the ship to shore and the persona is equally mournful for the death of the Captain. People on the shore are eagerly waiting with bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths to hail the hero of the voyage. Flag is flung and bugles playing notes in honour of the Captain. The persona describes the bravery of the Captain and at the same time he is mourning for the death of the same. This has made the poem a perfect elegy.
About the Poet:
Walter 'Walt' Whiteman (1819-1892) was a famous American poet, his most significant poetic volume being The Leaves of Grass. He was also an essayist and philosopher. Walt Whiteman wrote the poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' as a tribute to the American President, Abraham Lincoln who was assassinated soon after his victory in the American Civil War. The Captain in the poem refers to Lincoln, the ship to the United States of America and the fearful voyage stands for the American Civil War.