Preview

Basic analysis of Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
802 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Basic analysis of Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!"
"The words of my books," said Walt Whitman, "are nothing, the drift of it everything." The various themes in Whitman's works are the most important, the actual erudite terms are only important in upholding these ideas. The main themes of his "O Captain! My captain!" are death of a hero, family, a journey, and defeat vs. victory. The themes are supported by a variety of concrete stylistic techniques, including tone, apostrophe, allusions, archetypes, and repetition.

Death of a hero is the first theme to consider. It's obvious the narrator has great respect for the Captain, rendered by tones of compassion, reverence, and ceremony in the poem. "Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!" exclaims the narrator, which shows the amount of esteem the Captain deserves. There are several ways the Captain (the hero) could be viewed; the more valid being Abraham Lincoln. In the actual book Leaves of Grass by Whitman, "O Captain! My Captain!" is headed under "President Lincoln's Burial Hymn.", and Whitman has written to Lincoln's memory before - for example, Abraham Lincoln by Whitman is featured in the Prose Forms: Journals section of The Norton Reader. This historical allusion in the poem contributes to the theme of Death of a hero, in which Lincoln is seen as the "father" of our country (symbolized by the ship) who has fallen dead, "bleeding drops of red."

Moving on to the sub-theme (if you will...) of family, The Captain could also be seen as the narrator's own father, with the ship symbolizing his deathbed. "Our fearful trip is done...the voyage closed and done," says the poem, signifying the trials and tribulations a family goes through. Whether the Captain represents Lincoln or the narrator's own father, the theme is applicable. Another stylistic technique demonstrating Death of a hero is apostrophe. Apostrophe is a style of personification in which the deceased or departed are spoken to as if they are still present: in the first stanza, the narrator calls out "O Captain! my

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    One of the most credited poets throughout the Civil War period was Walt Whitman, who wrote about the hardships of war in his work. In particular, two of his poems are not only heavily intertwined based on topic, but in structure and used literary techniques. “Beat! Beat! Drums!” and “O Captain! O Captain!” both share many similar qualities among figurative, sound and structural devices that Whitman uses to help further enhance the theme of how negatively war can impact individuals.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whitman was most likely inspired by the American Civil War, which was the bloodiest war in American history. The Southern states broke from the Union under the name “Confederate States of America” in an attempt to preserve slavery. However, during September…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The death of Lincoln and how Americans felt about the 16th present inspired Whitman to write “O Captain, My Captain!”. Not just the sadness but also peaceful fragment that the war had ended. He felt as if he headed…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Whitman used repetition of words and phrases and his word choice portrayed a seemingly optimistic way of life in America. Using words like “singing,” “partying,” and “strong melodious songs” all have a positive air about them, which helps develop the writer’s perspective of America. The numerous occupations named in the poem additionally give a sense of appreciation for the possibilities in America, and gratitude for the ability to work and support a family, and in a sense, accomplish the American dream.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the poem “When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer”, by Walt Whitman, the speaker “[becomes] tired and sick” of the learned astronomer's “proofs, [and] figures” used to observe the stars. While the others attending the lecture applaud the astronomer for his approach to the stars, the speaker, however, exits the lecture hall to enjoy the stars in his preferred method of going outside in the “perfect silence”. These contrasting scenes expose the dichotomous relationship of the speaker’s and the astronomer's approach to observing the stars. The use of structure, diction, and imagery reveal how the astronomer’s approach of observing the stars is far too mechanical and structured to truly see their beauty.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is our purpose in life? What makes our environment around us different than everywhere else? Walt Whitman answers this in his poem “Song of Myself” by analyzing the importance of all the small, inconspicuous details of our lives and the connection it has to our Earth. In “Song of Myself”, every small thing (down to the atom) makes up the world and all the people inside of it. Walt Whitman makes it known that the way we live here shapes the earth and everything around us.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whitman’s free verse poem “I hear America Singing” expresses the joy and pride he feels towards personal identity. The speaker uses “singing”(1) repeatedly to describe the “varied carols”(1) or the sounds of various people working in their professions in a positive connotation to indicate his joy. The speaker’s diction of portraying the sounds as “singing” and “carols” are commonly associated with a festive atmosphere indicating joyfulness. In addition, the narrator states that the work they do “belongs to him or her and none else”(9). His message is that each individual has a unique role only they can fulfill and individuality is something to take pride in. The poem’s conclusion of “strong melodious song”(11) represents both his joy and pride…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the last stanza he states that if the ship should “die” in a sense then it should sink, the ocean was its home and should be its grave.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson believed strongly in originality and personal expression;although the different tactics that they used to get their message across were nothing short of contrasting.In Emerson’s case, he was vehemently opposed to a society that he saw to be oppressive and unimaginative. Emerson was convinced that all of modern human civilization was in collaboration to crush his uniqueness and subjugate him to a life of a faceless cog. “Society is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members.” (P. 153) Conversely, Whitman regarded the common man with much esteem and favoritism. In his epic poem, “Song of Myself” Whitman spoke of the working class with an unusual favoring and support of their ways and lifestyle. “The sun falls on the crisply hair and mustache, falls on the black of his polish’d and perfect limbs, and I behold the picturesque giant and love him.” (P.173) Whitman encouraged the reader to lead an original and unconfirmed life. He celebrated the common man and tells the reader to be happy with their life and social stature.…

    • 736 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Charles Whitman was born June 24, 1941. The town he was born in is called Lake Worth, the state is Florida. In the early years of Charles Whitman he was taught at a young age how to properly handle a gun. Charles was a model student and an Eagle Scout who left home early to escape a violent father. When Charles joined the Marine Corps be became a sharpshooter which in other words a sniper. Charles did his time in the marines before he enrolled into the University of Texas. During his time at Texas University Charles met his future wife, Kathryn Leissner, they soon married in 1962. Charles suffered from mental illness and severe anger fits.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mecca Nelson Mrs. Balas & Ms. Delivuk Period 8 2/7/13 Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman show the effect the death of a great President has on the nation in their two pieces “O Captain! My Captain!” and “The Funeral Train.” They include significant details such as the amounts of people affected and the shock of the nation due to this tragic event. Whitman and the American people in Sandburg’s piece have two unique but somewhat similar responses to Lincoln’s assassination.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Analysis of Beach Burial

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Within the poem, the poet successfully illustrates the way that the sailors are being carried by the sea by using alliteration, shown by how the soldiers “wander in the waters far under,” (3) the ‘w” sound and assonance emphasizing the bodies being caressed and swaying without control in the ocean. It also portrays the dead soldiers to be…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Global Stratification

    • 1804 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Professors Douglas C. Dacy (Chair), J. K. (2004). Walt Whitman Rostow. Retrieved November 9, 2010, from The University of Texas at Austin- What Starts Here Changes the World: http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2003-2004/memorials/rostow/rostow.html…

    • 1804 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    This poem is telling a touching story of the decision to dismantle the Constitution. However, to truly understand this poem you must first learn background on the Constitution. The Constitution was a wooden ship, and heavy frigate of navy named after the written Constitution. The Constitution is famous for defeating five British ships in the war of 1812. This ship served as a symbol of peace and independence for the American people. While reading the poem you can infer that the speaker of the poem is an individual that was once aboard ship. Throughout this piece the tone of this poem shifts from admiration to angry near the end. This is established by the line twenty, “And there should be her grave”. This line was written to represent that the disagreement he had with the ship getting dismantle and rather would have it be damaged at sea.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    3.05 Fireside Poets

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    3.05 Fireside Poets 1. What metaphors does Holmes use to describe the ship in stanzas one and two of "Old Ironsides"?In the first stanza he says, "The meteor of the ocean air," which is likening the ships flag as a meteor. In stanza two he refers to the ship as an eagle of the sea to describe how magnificent the ship is on the water. 2. In 1830, the 44-gun American warship Constitution, the inspiration for "Old Ironsides," was scheduled to be scrapped - that is, stripped of everything valuable or reasonable. What proposal is put forth by Holmes, in the last stanza of his poem?In the last stanza of the poem he proposes that, since the ship was such a great warship, that it should be destroyed in combat and sink to the bottom of the ocean. 3. What do you think Holmes wants the ship to symbolize? I think he wants the ship to symbolize American pride and the ability to endure the hardships of the world. 4. The term, "Harpies," in line 15 of "Old Ironsides" is an allusion to predatory flying creatures in Greek mythology, which have bodies of vultures and heads of women. The name meant "snatchers" or "robbers." Why do you think that Holmes uses this allusion in his poem? I think he uses this allusion because he is referring to the people who want to dismantle the ship for spare parts. This shows that he does not look highly of them and calls them robbers for taking parts from such a beautiful vessel. 5. In Longfellow's "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls," how does the title foreshadow the fact the traveler will not return?The title of the poem foreshadows the traveler's inevitable death at the end of their life. Just as the tide comes and goes, so do we. 6. Do you think Longfellow's poem is about one specific traveler, or could it apply to all in general? Explain your answer.I feel that the poem applies to all in general because the traveler is referencing all human beings traveling their own life. The tide references the coming and going of such life.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays