"O Captain! My Captain!

" Questions
1. “O Captain! My Captain” is an extended metaphor, as Whitman symbolically connects the
death of the sea captain to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, just five
days after the end of the Civil War. Looking at the poem through the lens of the extended
metaphor, explain what Whitman intends each of the following items to represent:
a. “our fearful trip” (line 1)
The hard life of President Lincoln.

b. “the prize” (line 2)

c. “the vessel” (line 4)

d. “the swaying mass” (line 12)

The swaying crowd.

2. Explain the emotional contrast between the sailor and the people on the dock. What point is
Whitman trying to emphasize by presenting this contrast?

The people on the dock feel excited as seen in line 11 and 12 “For you bouquets and ribbon’d
wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces
turning;”
The sailor feels sad as seen in line 22 “But I, with mournful tread.”
The sailor is mournful, and the people feel celebratory.
3. Does Whitman think the country will heal from the wounds left by the Civil War and the
assassination of Lincoln? How do you know? Cite a line from the poem that supports your
stance.

I think Whitman thinks the country will heal from the wounds left by the Civil War and the
assassination of Lincoln because the Civil War ended, and Lincoln achieved his goals. Based on
that, it should take some time, but the country will heal. In line 2 “the prize we sought is won;”
means that President Lincoln achieved many of his goals.

4. Some experts have noted that the sailor in Whitman’s poem travels quickly through several
psychological stages of grief that people experience when someone they love dies suddenly.
Look closely at the last four lines of each of the three stanzas and explain the different reactions
that we see the sailor experience.
In the first stanza, the reactions that we see the sailor experience is second stage of grief anger.
It is because we can see that he is using exclamation marks many times. It shows the sailor’s
emotions. “But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red,”
In the second stanza, the reactions that we see the sailor experience is first stage of grief denial.
It is because we can see he is saying he is dreaming. It shows he doesn’t want to believe in the
Captain’s death. “It is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead.”

In the third stanza, the reactions that we see the sailor experience are depression and
acceptance. It is because we can see that the sailor accepts reality, and he is “mournful” of the
Captain’s death.

5. Whitman uses rhyming couplets, but he intentionally breaks the flow and pattern of the
couplets in the last four lines of each stanza. Notice that if you added line 6 to the end of line 5
and line 8 to the end of line 7 that you would have a regular rhyming couplet structure
throughout the entire poem. Notice, too, that rhymes are sometimes perfect (ex: “done” and
“won”), but other times the rhymes are slant or near (ex: “bells” and “trills”). Why, do you
suppose, Whitman decided to subtly break the traditional pattern?
Whitman decided to subtly break the traditional pattern because he was very sad, so he didn't
want to think about the pattern. He wanted to convey the sadness he felt. He broke the rhyme
so that the reader felt different stages of grief in every stanza. Like how the death of the
president was so sudden, Whitman changed the pattern and rhyme to match the suddenly
changing emotions.
6. In “Elegy for J.F.K.,” Auden presents a similar theme, but builds his poem with a leaner, more
sparse style. Can you find any pattern to the rhyme or meter he uses? How does this help
emphasize the poem’s theme?

In this poem, there is no rhyme or meter. This emphasizes the poem’s theme by not using
perfect rhyme and meter because the author intentionally wrote it unpredictably like the
unpredictable death of the president.

7. Auden mentions that both sorrow and joy are felt at the same time as people grieve. What
would be joyful about such a tragic time?
Many people who trusted and followed the president were saddened by the president's death.
But the reason why they were joyful about such a tragic time was because he was celebrating
his life. The author is happy for what the president achieved and succeeded in during his life.

8. Look at the last line of the first and last stanza in each poem. What technique is being used
here by both poets? What effect does this technique create for the reader?

The technique being used here by both poets is repetition. The effect this technique creates for
the reader is to emphasize the main point and leaves the reader memory of the main point.

9. Which poem did you find to be more effective in relaying the sorrow of the poet? Explain
why.

I find that “O Captain! My Captain” is more effective in relaying the sorrow of the poet because
it is more emotional, detailed, and shows the stages of grief. “But O heart! heart! heart! O the
bleeding drops of red,” shows the writer’s emotions of sorrow more effectively. The author
described the setting in detail “My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still.” The
author used the stages of grief to effectively relay the sorrow of the poet.