Analysis of O Captain! My Captain
It is important to understand the full meaning of a poem such as “O Captain! My Captain!”, By Walt Whitman. A poem can have two different meanings, figuratively and literally. The poem is written in a first-person point of view. It begins with the narrator addressing their voyage “O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done” (1) The mood throughout the whole poem is celebratory, but also somber at the same time. As the crew have just came back from a journey, and have succeeded in it, but their captain has fallen dead. As they’re coming back to shore, the crowd is seen celebrating “For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding” (11). Although this is because the shore is not informed that the Captain is dead, confirming that the mood is celebratory for the people on the shore, but very somber for the people aboard the vessel. Upon further research into the novel, the literal meaning of the novel is about a captain who dies during their voyage, but the figurative meaning is about Abraham Lincolns assassination, and how much he did for America, such as abolishing slavery, but also causing the Civil War. The poem also uses poetic devices such as, Repetition and we see that a lot in the story with the narrator repeating “for you” (10-12) This is to emphasize that it is for “you” as in the Captain. We also see alliteration “But O heart! heart! heart!” (4) and finally, a metaphor “It is some dream that on the deck, you’ve fallen cold and dead.” (15-16). There are many poems such as “O Captain! My Captain” that have different meanings in them, so it is important to look deeper into poems to see if they can have another meaning, or you will miss out on understanding poems to the fullest potential.