O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman
Summary: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman is about the captain of a ship that has been through the battles of war and has managed to get his ship back home, but he is dead.
Section One:
- The narrator is exclaiming that the voyage is finished and the ship is safe coming into port
- The people are waiting for the ship to dock, they are all happy
- The captain is dead on the deck
Section Two:
- The narrator calls for the captain to get up and hear the bells;
- The narrator says that all the happiness and joy is for the captain
- The narrator tries to say it is a dream that the captain is dead
- The ship is probably pulling up to the dock now based off of the previous verse
Section Three:
- The narrator says the captain is still dead, he will not feel anything
- The narrator says the ship is safe now and the voyage is complete
- The narrator must still mourn though because his captain is dead
Other Notes:
- Whitman probably wrote this poem to Lincoln
- Assuming this poem is for Lincoln we can see that everyone admires the captain and his ability to get the job finished; but now they must mourn his death
- Our fearful trip - assuming the poem is about Lincoln probably refers to the civil war
© 2009 copyright www.notes4free.com O Captain! My Captain! | Walt Whitman