Track One: Literal Level
Walt Whitman wrote “O Captain, My Captain!” as a
dedication to Abraham Lincoln. Although it seems like it is just a poem about a
sea captain who dies at the end of a victorious voyage, it really refers to
Paraphrased according to the actual meaning:
(Lines 1-8):
(Lines 9-16):
(Lines 17-24): Lincoln will not answer because his lips are
pale and still. Our Father will not feel my arm; he doesn’t have a pulse or a
will. The battle was won long ago; it has been over with and done. From a bloody
war, we have emerged victorious, but as the bells still ring, I slowly and sadly
trudge across the floor where
Track
Two: Personal Association
This poem, “O Captain, My Captain!” by Walt Whitman,
sort of reminds me of the time when my papaw died. It tells of how
The theme of this poem is that sometimes, to obtain something great, sacrifices have to be made. For instance, the citizens and soldiers have finally reached their goal and ended the war, but they lost a great leader and president shortly after. Whitman wrote about this in memorandum of Abraham Lincoln, and to caution the public about trying to hurry the process in which to obtain large goals, since sacrifices could be involved with victory. He was trying to tell us that, even though we accomplished our goal and won the war, we lost one of our country’s greatest presidents, and that triumph is sometimes overshadowed by despair.
Track
Four: Culture References
It was not long after Whitman wrote
this poem before references to it began popping up around the world. For
instance, according to Wikipedia’s online web site, “after
the assassination of Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, the famous
Israeli song writer Naomi Shemer translated the poem into Hebrew under the name
"הו רב חובל" ("O
RAV HOVEL" - "O Captain") and composed her own melody, making it
a popular song in memorial services.” One of the best-known instances, though,
is the allusion to it in the movie Dead
Poets Society. During this movie, English teacher John Keating
(played by Robin Williams) invites his students to call him "O Captain! My
Captain!" from Whitman’s poem on the first day of school. Wiki pedia also
states on its online website that “in the 1993 TV-series, Wild Palms,
[Whitman’s] poem ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ is repeatedly used as a prayer
by the ‘Friends’ faction.”
The story of Troy is a bit like this poem, in the way that not long after
Achilles led the successful invasion of Troy, he was killed. “O Captain! My
Captain!” is about Lincoln’s death shortly after his success in the Civil
War. They are alike because they both represent an unfortunate death that
follows an important victory.
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.
Key:
apostrophe
internal
rhyme anaphora
alliteration
repetition
Track
Six: Paragraph on Figurative Language
In the poem “O Captain, My Captain!,” Walt Whitman uses a variety of figurative language, including internal rhyme, apostrophes, anaphora, alliteration, and repetition. He uses a quite a bit of alliteration and internal rhyme to keep a steady rhythm. For instance, the lines “the port is near, the bells I hear” (line 3) and “from fearful trip, the victor ship” (line 20) have internal rhyme to make the rhythm seem quick, upbeat, and joyful, since they speak of exciting things. In contrast, the common use of apostrophes is present during the sad, sullen moments within the poem to interrupt the rhythm and to redirect the reader’s attention. Those types of figurative language also help to set the mood. He also uses anaphora and repetition in his poem to constantly emphasize certain points. “O Captain! My Captain!” (lines 1 and 9) is repeated to emphasize the narrator’s shock at the death of his “captain,” and the fact that he’s really dead is emphasized with repeating the phrase, “fallen cold and dead.” For the first four lines of each stanza, the rhyme scheme keeps a distinct pattern; however, in the last four lines of each stanza, the rhyme scheme changes to direct attention to the “captain’s” death and to change the mood as well. Whitman uses this figurative language to make his poem seem more complete and to keep the right rhythm and rhyme scheme for the right parts, yet at the same time, he is focusing the reader’s attention on what he wants, when he wants, to send across his intended message and theme.
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Walt Whitman wrote this poem in memorandum of
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In this poem by Walt Whitman, there are two definitely recognizable shifts: one in the mood, and the other in the rhythm. They are both found in the last four lines of each stanza. In these lines, the rhythm changes from a steady pace to a choppy beat, then back again to a steady pace. Also, at the beginning of the poem, the mood is cheerful and excited, but in the last four lines of that first stanza, it quickly changes to one of shock and despair, as the narrator finds the dead “captain.” Whitman uses these shifts to focus the reader’s attention on the sudden tragic death of the “captain.”
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