O Captain! My Captain!

I. Word meanings.

a. weather’d – withstood.

b. rack – wound.

c. exulting – celebrating victory.

d. keel – the central lengthwise structure at the base of a ship that supports the

framework.

e. bugle – a kind of small trumpet, used in the army for giving signals.

f. trills – sounds in a shrill manner.

g. tread – footstep.

II. Answer these questions.

1. Which ‘trip’ has the poet referred to and why is it fearful?

Ans: The trip that the poet referred to was the journey that Abraham Lincoln

and the citizens of America underwent during the civil war. The poem is an

extended metaphor that talks about how fearful this journey to attain victory

was, the many obstacles that had to be overcome. It was a journey that cost

the lives of many.

Ans: The prize was the establishment of the Union. The people were exulting

because they had reached the end of a very difficult journey and had been

victorious.

3. What is ‘grim’ and ‘daring’? Why do you think the poet has used these

words?

Ans: The ship is grim and daring. Here, the ship is a metaphor for the people

of America.

The poet refers to the situation of the country during a civil war as grim

beacuse a war is never pleasant. He refers to the people of the country who

led the civil war as daring as they dared to undertake such a perilous journey

to obtain their freedom.

4. Explain the metaphor of the ship and the captain.

Ans: The poet compares the ship to the people of America, the nation that is

going on a perilous journey and the captain to Abraham Lincoln who is leader

of that journey.
5. Bring out the essence of the first four lines of the second stanza.

Ans: In the first four lines of the second stanza, the poet is appealing to the

captain to rise up as the bells are being rung, the flag is being unfurled, the

bugle is being blown in honour of the victorious. The poet says that the people

have gathered to honour the captain on achieving a difficult win.

6. What conclusion can we derive from the poet’s reference to Abraham

Lincoln as ‘Father’?

Ans: A father figure is someone to look up to. He is a person who will guide

and protect. Abraham Lincoln played a pivotal role in the greatest political

crisis that America went through which was the Civil War. That is why the poet

refers to Abraham Lincoln as father.

7. Discuss the irony of the words ‘the victor ship comes in with object

won’.

Ans: The ship which signifies America is victorious in the Civil War. The

perilous journey is at an end. The goal has been reached after overcoming

innumerable obstacles. But the irony is that the captain who played a pivotal

role in the success of this journey is no longer there to enjoy the win.
8. Quote the two lines from the last stanza that establish contrasting

emotions.

Ans: The two lines are:

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

But I with mournful tread

9. What kind of celebrations awaited the captain? Why would the captain

deserve this and more?

Ans: As the ship sailed to shore, crowds of people waited for the arrival of the

victorious, the leader who played a pivotal role in getting them victory. Bells

were being rung, the flag was being unfurled, the bugle was being blown.

There were bouquets and ribboned wreaths.

The captain deserved this and more as he was the leader of the perilous

journey that the ship undertook. He was instrumental in guiding the ship

through difficult times and bringing it back to shore safely after achieving the

win.
10. Quote lines from the poem to prove the following:

a. The sailor could not believe that the captain was dead.

b. The ship is described as a ghost ship.

c. Many have turned up to receive the victorious captain.

Ans: a. It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead

b. The vessel grim and daring

c. For you the shores a-crowding

III. Answer these questions with reference to the context.

1. But O heart! Heart! Heart!

O the bleeding drops of red

a. What is suggested by the repetition of the word heart?

Ans: The repetition of the word suggests that the poet is lamenting.
 b. Which incident is referred to in these lines?

Ans: The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is referred to here.

c. How is the poet affected by this?

Ans: The poet is shattered by the death of the captain.

d. Which rhetorical device has been used here?

Ans: The rhetorical device used is repetition.

2. For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning

a. Who is calling whom?

Ans: The crowds of people are calling out to the captain of the ship.

b. What is being described in this line?

Ans: There is a huge crowd waiting at the shore to welcome the captain of

the ship who is returning home victorious at the end of a perilous journey.

c. Why are their faces ‘eager’?

Ans: Their faces are eager because they want to see the beloved captain

who is returning home victorious. They want to shower him with accolades
 for his pivotal role in winning the Civil War.

d. What does this convey to us?

Ans: This conveys to us that the captain was loved and respected by all.

3. But I will mournful tread

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

a. What does the poet mean by ‘mournful tread’?

Ans: The sailor is walking on the deck in a listless manner as he is grieving

the death of the captain.

b. How is the first line a contrast to the one just before it?

Ans: The line just before it shows the jubilation going on ashore by the

crowds of people. In contrast, the first line expresses the sailor’s grief at

having lost a great leader. He cannot be a part of the celebrations. He is

mourning.

c. How else has the poet addressed his captain earlier in the stanza?

What does this convey to us?

Ans: The poet has addressed his captain as his father earlier in the stanza.
 A father figure is someone to look up to. He is a person who will guide and

protect. Abraham Lincoln was a father to the entire nation.

d. What does the poet’s sadness tell us about Lincoln?

Ans: The poet’s sadness tells us that Lincoln was deeply revered and loved

by all. His death was a shattering blow to the people of the nation, a loss

that the entire nation mourned like losing one’s own father.