Meaning Of Walt Whitman's O Captain ! My Captain ! '

First of all, “O Captain, My Captain” uses extended metaphors, while “Shiloh: A Requiem” does not. Walt Whitman uses many extended metaphors, such as “Captain” referring to Abraham Lincoln, and “fearful trip” meaning the Civil War. This shows how “O Captain, My Captain” uses extended metaphors to give the poem a deeper meaning than it seems. Meanwhile, Herman Melville does not use extended metaphors in his poem. Additionally, “Shiloh: A Requiem” uses personification to convey the mood, and “O Captain, My Captain” does not. For example, Herman Melville uses the phrase “The church so lone” to help convey the mood. This shows personification because loneliness is an emotion, and an inanimate object cannot feel emotions. However, “O Captain, My Captain” does not use personification in the poem. In conclusion, this shows that the two authors use unique means to get their messages

How does Walt Whitman use figurative language in O Captain! My Captain! to impact the readers. One of the first examples of figurative language in O Captain! my Captain! is an allusion. Two allusions are located on the second line in the first stanza, it says “The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,”. Whitman's uses of allusions are easier to understand if you know history because the ship represents the nation and the prize was the win of the Civil War. Walt Whitman used allusions because if they are constructed well then, the reader may feel more apart of the story and it can capture their attention to keep them interested. Another example of figurative language in the poem is imagery. One use of imagery I found was

Captain Lincoln Steers the Ship to victory. “Where on the deck my captain lies Fallen cold and dead.”(7-8) This quote from the story refers to the assassination of President Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was President during the Civil War, and is considered to be one of the greatest presidents of all time. President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14,1865 and was in a coma for 9 hours before he died. With the death of the President the nation lost it’s most important man and a great father and husband. The elegy “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman is an extended metaphor about President Lincoln’s presidency because it compares Lincoln to a ships captain, the Union

America is a country that has been through many different times of trials. Wars and disease have spread across that nation several times. During times of depression, though, a group of people seems to always emerge from the destruction. That group of people are the poets and writers of America. Through trial and strife, writers are able to find inspiration for their works, and are able to give readers hope for a better day. Walt Whitman was an amazing writer who wrote several poems concerning the great United States of America, talking about the people that have built the nation up from the dust. But, a group of people that Whitman forgot to write about on most occasions were the slaves and black people of which America thrived. Langston Hughes was a black man in the 20th century that took note of Whitman's poems, and their lack of recognition towards his people. Whitman wrote a poem called, "I Hear America Singing," in which Hughes wrote the poem, "I, Too Sing America," in response. In the poem by Hughes, there are several different ways that the writing interlaces with Walt Whitman's.

Source One is about the journey of Lincoln in the Civil War and he’s trying to save America. In Source One it says “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.” In this poem Abraham Lincoln is the captain who is fighting through his trip, which is personified as the Civil War. The ship is the United States fighting through the brutal and dangerous war. Lincoln was the figure that most people followed, while some people hated him for giving rights to colored people. Even though he was said horrible things and the country divided for the freedom of slaves Lincoln still fought for what he thought was right. After Lincoln’s death and accomplishment of freeing slaves he didn’t get to see the happiness and and the honor he deserved. Furthermore, after the fearful trip was done, Lincoln was able to write the Emancipation Proclamation which gave everyone

In Lincoln’s speech he recognized the losses that the union suffered and honored the dead with his most famous speech, it was about the purpose of the soldier’s sacrifice, equality, freedom, and national unity. The speech didn’t have much effect during his lifetime, in many ways it was forgotten and lost to popular memory until the U.S. centennial in 1876, when its significance was reconsidered in light of the war’s

Walt Whitman’s essay, Death of Abraham Lincoln, explains what Lincoln brought to our nation through his life and what he left behind through his death. Whitman observes Lincoln from afar, noticing the reactions a crowd has to his presence. He expresses the importance of first impressions through the awkward silence of the streets and crowds when Lincoln walks out of his unprepossessing carriage on his way to the Astor House prior to his inauguration. Lincoln’s presence took over the moment unlike any figure had before. On the day of April 14, 1865, Whitman recalls his sight of beautiful lilacs at the time of the harrowing event and how this alluring flower became a symbol for him. The lilacs represented the great tragedy on that spring day with their sight or even just with the presence of their soft scent. Whitman was extremely inspired by both the life and death of Abraham Lincoln. Still to this day, Lincoln is known as one of the greatest Presidents to exist in our country and Whitman portrays him as more important than any other heroic figure in our past. In comparison, President Warren G. Harding is known as one of the worst presidents who corrupted our nation. Unlike Lincoln, who is responsible for the emancipation of three million slaves and known as the savior of our union, President Harding was involved in scandals across the nation and is known for his shady presidency. Although Lincoln’s death brought hardship and grief to our country, Harding’s death may

It is not news for anyone to hear that Lincoln changed America, but Whitman explains it a little differently. Looking closer at “Oh Captain! My Captain!” elements of American Romanticism pop out, and one of those major elements is political changes or events. The Event of this is very well known, Lincoln’s assassination. New york Times tells that Whitman was pushed to write this poem after Lincoln’s assassination as a tribute to him. “Generations of historians have described, and tried to interpret the meaning of, this unique funeral procession. But no author has probed the event more deeply than Walt Whitman”. (Griffin, New York Times). This can be shown through the detail of the poem to his assassination. It describes the captain falling cold and dead, which can be a direct correlation to him being shot. His assassination isn't the only thing discussed in this poem. Going back to the metaphors about the voyage, the voyage is described as done. This can show that the civil war was over recently, it ended on April 9th. Lincoln’s assassination took place on April 14th. The close relations of both of these events happening are described like a history lesson through the poem. The second stanza is describing the vents after the war, and the third is describing Lincoln's death. After the war ended the country was in a state of happiness and celebration, but Lincoln was assassinated only a few days later.

Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln are heroic people because they inspired many, went through physical and mental challenges and were memorable historical figures. The two articles, “White House Funeral Sermon for Abraham Lincoln” and “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave”, shows how they inspired many. In the text, “White House Funeral Serman for Abraham Lincoln, states “He is dead; but the cause he so ardently loved, so ably, patiently, faithfully, represented and defended-not for himself only, not for us only…….” shows that Lincoln inspired many by being dedicated to his cause. On the other hand, Douglas inspired many by his courage and dedication. They also went through physical and mental challenges. In

Within a short amount of time after the election of Abraham Lincoln to the office of presidency, the south had seceded from the Union and brought on the beginning of the American Civil War. In 1863, the third year of the war, Lincoln had given a speech of the sacred battle ground at Gettysburg, most notably called the Gettysburg Address. In it, he expressed sincerity for those who fought and died there and most of all, proclaimed his aims of war itself. Walt Whitman, a celebrated poet of the time, traveled from hospital to hospital witnessing the operations of wounded soldiers and also the horrific scenes of death and amputation. His views were very much different than those of Abraham Lincoln and though not evident, were still noticeable

The fifteenth President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, in his speech, the “Gettysburg Address”, addresses the hardship of war to a regime dwindling in spirit. Lincoln’s Address was presented as a way to rally a country ravaged and divided by war and political disagreements. He creates a tone of inspiration in order to relate to his audience, whom had been weary from the events of the Civil War.

In his essay “Death of Abraham Lincoln”, Walt Whitman recalls the first time he ever saw the future president elect when Lincoln silently passed through New York City on his way to Washington D. C. Then Whitman remarks on the rapid succession of the well-known, recent, and still yet painful events of the Civil War. The strata of session sympathizers, the assassination of Lincoln at Ford’s theatre by John Wilkes Booth five days after the end of the Civil War, and the effect Lincoln’s death will forever have on our nation. Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist-in addition to publishing his poetry- was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. The Civil war lasted from 1861 to 1865 and was the result of four

America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800’s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created similar poetry. Dickinson’s “Hope is a Thing with Feathers” and Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” share many qualities.

“O Captain! My Captain!” is one of the most popular poems ever written by Walt Whitman. Upon the initial reading of this poem, one may perceive the poem to be about a loyal captain who leads his crew on a treacherous, but successful, voyage which ends in devastation. If interpreted literally this is the poem’s only meaning, but for those who look further there is an underlying story behind the words of Whitman. Whitman uses multiple literary elements throughout this poem in order to unmask the story of Abraham Lincoln’s journey and ultimate death as a result of the Civil War and his fight to end slavery.

President Abraham Lincoln, admired by Walt Whitman, blossomed in “Whitman's writing and in American mythology”(Eiselein) for his leadership and nobility. Whitman hoped for a rugged, healthy, who knew what real, physical work was, to be the “[r]edeemer [p]resident of [t]hese [s]tates”(Whitman). His hopes came true “as in a dream”(Whitman) when “four years later, just such a beard-faced boatman”(Goodheart) entered the White House. Walt Whitman discovered the “comprehensive, all-directing soul he had long been seeking”(Reynolds) in Abraham Lincoln’s life. Therefore Whitman, a patriotic American, would see Lincoln’s death as not only a grave tragedy but also a “promise [of] ultimate purgation and unification for America.”(Reynolds).