Walt Whitman \'O Captain, My Captain\' SS PDF

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The objective of this course is to introduce the learners to American literature, a field that could be considered as comparatively recent in formulation, when compared to the literature of Britain and Continental Europe. It is a literature steeped in the reactionary philosophy of its Puritan forbea...

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Walt Whitman, Selections from Leaves of Grass: ‘O Captain, My Captain’      

About the writer Summary and Critical appreciation of ‘O Captain, My Captain’ Themes ‘O Captain! My Captain’ as an Elegy Reference to the context Probable Questions

About the writer Walt Whitman has been claimed as America’s first “poet of democracy”, a title meant to reflect his ability to write in a singularly American character. A British friend of Walt Whitman, Mary Smith Whitall Costelloe wrote, “You cannot understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass… He has expressed that civilization, “up to date”, as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him.” Ezra Pound, the modernist poet called Whitman “American’s poet…He is America.” Whitman had written in the Preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass , “The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.” His works are actually ground breakers of the poetic form which are almost prose like. The use of unusual images and symbols in Whitman’s poetry, his openness towards sexuality labeled him as the father of free verse. Leaves of Grass also reflected on the impact of the recent urbanization that America was going through. One of the influential poets in the American canon, Walt Whitman is often called as the father of free verse. His contribution towards the American literature forms the solid foundation. He founded a weekly newspaper, The Long-Islander, and later edited a number of Brooklyn and New York papers, including the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. In 1848, Whitman left the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to become editor of the New Orleans Crescent for three months. After witnessing the auctions of enslaved individuals in New Orleans, he returned to Brooklyn in the fall of 1848 and co-founded a “free soil” newspaper, the Brooklyn Freeman, which he edited through the next fall. Whitman’s attitudes about race have been described as “unstable and inconsistent.” He did not always side with the abolitionists, yet he celebrated human dignity. Probably the demise of Whitman’s parents and the cruelty of the Civil war provided him with an insight to feel the irreparable loss of life. Therefore, he had elaborated in his most of the works,

the ideas of loss, death, suffering in his poetry. The notable themes in most of his poems are love, freedom, beauty, man and the natural world. Regarding literary devices, Whitman plays very often with the imagery, similes, metaphors and sound devices. Besides these devices, he successfully used the cataloging technique in his texts to display his great insight into the consciousness of human thought. Whitman was deeply influenced by deism. Deism He denied any one faith was more important than another, and embraced all religions equally. In his famous work, "Song of Myself", Whitman gave an inventory of major religions and indicated he respected and accepted all of them—a sentiment he further emphasized in his poem "With Antecedents", affirming: "I adopt each theory, myth, god, and demi-god, / I see that the old accounts, bibles, genealogies, are true, without exception". In 1874, he was invited to write a poem about the Spiritualism movement, to which he responded, "It seems to me nearly altogether a poor, cheap, crude humbug." Whitman was a religious skeptic: though he accepted all churches, he believed in none.God, to Whitman, was both immanent and transcendent and the human soul was immortal and in a state of progressive development. In 1855, Walt Whitman had published his first edition of Leaves of Grass, a slim volume consisting of twelve untitled poems and a preface. He designed the cover, and typeset and paid for the printing of the book himself. Well-known poems in the 1855 edition include "I Sing the Body Electric," " The Sleepers," and "Song of Myself," a long poem in fifty-two sections, which is considered by many to be his masterpiece. It contains such notable lines as "I am large, I contain multitudes" and "I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love, / If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles."

Summary and Critical appreciation of ‘O Captain, My Captain’ “O Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy written by Walt Whitman in 1865 to commemorate the death of President Abraham Lincoln. It was first published in Sequel to Drum-Taps (1865), a collection of Whitman’s poems inspired by the events of the American Civil War. The poem was first published in the pamphlet Sequel to Drum-Taps which assembled eighteen poems regarding the American Civil war, including another Lincoln elegy, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” The poem is perhaps Whitman’s most famous—which is ironic, since it is far more

conventional in meter, form, and subject than much of Whitman’s other work. Although some critics have suggested that Whitman regretted ever writing “O Captain! My Captain!” it undeniably captured the mood of a nation in mourning and has remained one of Whitman’s bestloved and most-quoted poems. The first stanza marks a sense of positivity where Whitman calls upon the Captain, (here Lincoln) of the “Ship” (USA) that “fearful trip” has come to an end. By the phrase “fearful trip”, the poet perhaps means the devastating existence of the American Civil war. The stanza celebrates the end of the Civil war in the United States of America. The poet assures the Captain that he is very near to their “port” i.e home as the sounds of the temple bells and cries of the enthusiastic people are very clear. But the poet exclaimed “But O heart! heart! heart !” as the enthusiastic people are saddened to visualize their dead Captain, blood oozing from his body. The Captain’s dead bodytherefore, is “fallen cold.” In the second stanza, the poet asks the Captain to “rise up and hear the bells” because he wants his Captain to see how enthusiastically the flags are being flung, the musical instruments are being rung. Though the poet knew that his Captain is dead but still he says him that, “For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths---for you the shores a – crowding.”The people who were eagerly waiting to welcome their Captain are now devastated with the shocking news of their Captain’s death. Therefore, all the activities undertaken by the people as a part of the welcome ceremony are now turned in to mournful funeral services. The poet travels back in reminiscence and tried to regard death to be fancy but he had no other choice rather than to accept the sudden demise of his Captain. Whitman calls the captain as father probably because Lincoln was not only a political leader but he was the father figure of the nation. In the third stanza, the poet sadly says that his Captain’s “lips are pale and still.” The poet’s Captain who is also addressed as his father “does not feel” his arm and also “has no pulse nor will.” Amidst the melancholy, Whitman is successful in expressing his duality of emotions. Whitman experiences the euphoria of their victory of ending the American Civil war but at the same time laments over the death of Lincoln which was a major national loss. The poet “with mournful tread” walks to the “deck” which is the cemetery of his Captain to mourn over his Captain’s body “fallen cold and dead.”

Even as the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” celebrates the end of the American Civil War, it is also an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln. Victory and loss are thus closely intertwined throughout the poem. On the one hand, its mourning is tempered with joyful reminders that the war is won. Its celebrations, on the other hand, are haunted by melancholy. In this sense, Whitman’s poem illuminates the lingering pain and trauma of losses sustained in war—as well as the impossibility of ever separating the triumph of victory from its human costs. “O Captain! My Captain!” uses poetic form to model the close relationship between triumph and pain. At first, it seems as if this will be a poem celebrating the victory of the Union in the Civil War. The speaker congratulates President Lincoln on steering the metaphorical ship of state through “every wrack,” i.e. storm, and declares that “the prize we sought is won.” However, halfway through this triumphant first stanza, the speaker breaks off: “But O heart! heart! heart! ... my Captain lies, / Fallen cold and dead.” The sudden appearance of a qualification—" But O heart!”—reveals to the reader that not all is well. The poem scarcely has time to celebrate triumph before facing loss.

Themes Mourning and Death The overarching theme of Walt Whitman's poem "Oh Captain! My Captain" is the death of President Abraham Lincoln just as the Civil War ends. Thus, with the death of the nation’s leader, the theme of mourning follows.His death heralded not only the end of the Civil War (Whitman's original motivation for writing "Song of Myself" was, according to Whitman scholar Ed Folsom, an attempt to use poetry to keep the nation together) but also the end of a great presidency. The passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments attempted to make the nation more equal. Throughout the poem, the grim and heartbreaking visuals of President Abraham Lincoln’s death overpower the poem. The President is expected to arrive in a ship and when the ship is near, the people are all excited to welcome him but to their disbelief, “on the deck” their “Captain lies/ Fallen Cold and dead.”The people who were eagerly waiting to welcome their Captain are now devastated with the shocking news of their Captain’s death. Therefore, all the activities undertaken by the people as a part of the welcome ceremony are now turned in to mournful funeral services. The poet travels back in reminiscence and tried to regard death to be fancy but

he had no other choice rather than to accept the sudden demise of his Captain. Whitman calls the captain as father probably because Lincoln was not only a political leader but he was the father figure of the nation. Grief and Trauma “O Captain! O Captain!” depicts the overwhelming grief and trauma that followed one of the most notorious political assassinations in United States history. At the same time, it suggests that the nation will move on and even thrive after the loss of its leader. In doing so, the poem interrogates the relationship between the individual and the wider political community, ultimately suggesting that the United States as a nation is a political project that can and must transcend the life of any single person—even though individuals are still very important. Patriotism In “O Captain! My Captain!,” Whitman celebrates the bond that patriotism creates between the average citizen and the leader of the people. The captain is portrayed as a patriot who has risked his life in some mission for the people on shore. The masses on shore celebrate the captain's success, and the ship’s return, with all the trappings of patriotism: flags, bugles, and bells.It is not only Whitman who calls the captain as father but the whole nation regards him as the father probably because Lincoln was not only a political leader but he was the father figure of the nation. It is only for a patriot like Lincoln, for whom, “the flag is flung”, “bouquets and wreaths are kept ready.”The poem, therefore celebrates the essence of love for one’s own nation which is found in Whitman’s description of President Abraham Lincoln.

‘O Captain! My Captain’ as an Elegy Though the poem ‘O Captain! My Captain!’is a celebration of the end of the American Civil War, but, it is also an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln. Victory and loss are thus closely intertwined throughout the poem. On the one hand, its mourning is tempered with joyful reminders that the war is won. Its celebrations, on the other hand, are haunted by melancholy. In this sense, Whitman’s poem illuminates the lingering pain and trauma of losses sustained in war —as well as the impossibility of ever separating the triumph of victory from its human costs.

An elegy can be defined as “ameditative lyric poem lamenting the death of a public personage or of a friend or loved one; by extension, any reflective lyric on the broader theme of human mortality”. Beinga poem on mourning, generally an elegy would lament on the death of a person, probably someone who is close to the speaker. However, some elegies mourn a way of life that is gone forever. “O Captain! My Captain!” mourns the tragic death of President Abraham Lincoln. The poem was written in honor of President Lincoln following his assassination, and it also has celebratory passages that mark the end of the Civil War. The poem starts with a tone of praise and commendation, as "our fearful trip is done." Whitman praises Lincoln's efforts during the Civil War, stating that "the port is near." In other words, Lincoln led the ship of state through the war, and the ship is about to safely be led to port. Then, the poem has a more mournful tone in the second part of each stanza (the second half of each stanza is indented). For example, the second part of the first stanza reads, "But O heart! heart! heart!" The repetition of the word "heart" and the reference to "bleeding drops of red" refer to the nation's grief over Lincoln's assassination. In the second stanza, the poet asks the Captain to “rise up and hear the bells” because he wants his Captain to see how enthusiastically the flags are being flung, the musical instruments are being rung. Though the poet knew that his Captain is dead but still he says him that, “For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths---for you the shores a – crowding.” The people who were eagerly waiting to welcome their Captain are now devastated with the shocking news of their Captain’s death. Therefore, all the activities undertaken by the people as a part of the welcome ceremony are now turned in to mournful funeral services. The third stanza begins with an elegiac tone. It starts, "My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still." The second half of the stanza is both celebratory and somber. It begins, "Exult O shores, and ring O bells!" In other words, the poet wants the celebrations of the war's end to continue, but he says he will be in mourning: "But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies." This goes back to the metaphor of the ship of state, on whose deck Lincoln lies slain. This elegy used an extended metaphor. That means that a metaphor is stated, and the comparison is extended as far as the poet can take it. The Captain is Abraham Lincoln and the ship are the United States of America. Lincoln has steered his ship (country) safely into the

harbour after enduring the trials and tribulations of the Civil War. He has succeeded in putting an end to the inhuman practice of slavery, but unfortunately the Captain, Abraham Lincoln, has sacrificed his life in this noble endeavour.

Reference to the context 

Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills, For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding, … Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head! It is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead.

The above mentioned lines forms the second stanza of the poem, ‘O Captain! my Captain’ written by Walt Whitman. ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ is an elegy written by Walt Whitman in 1865 to commemorate the death of President Abraham Lincoln. It was first published in Sequel to Drum-Taps (1865), a collection of Whitman’s poems inspired by the events of the American Civil War.Whitman wrote this poem shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. It is an extended metaphor intended to memorialize Lincoln's life and work. The Captain represents the assassinated president; the ship represents the war-weathered nation following the Civil War; the "prize won" represents the salvaged union. The speaker, torn between relief and despair, captures America's confusion at the end of the Civil War. It was a time of many conflicting sentiments, and Whitman immortalizes this sense of uncertainty in "O Captain! My Captain!"The lines refer to the context where the poet asks the Captain to “rise up and hear the bells” because he wants his Captain to see how enthusiastically the flags are being flung, the musical instruments are being rung. Though the poet knew that his Captain is dead but still he says him that, “For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths---for you the shores a – crowding.” The people who were eagerly waiting to welcome their Captain are now devastated with the shocking news of their Captain’s death. Therefore, all the activities undertaken by the people as a part of the welcome ceremony are now turned in to mournful funeral services.The crewman refers to the Captain as their "dear father", which serves the propensity of the Captain’s affinity with his

nation’s people. The poet’s continuous denial of the Captain's death led him to express that the death must be a dream.As a metaphor, Lincoln is being called a "father"—he was more than a leader as well, as America looked to him as a father-figure. Many Americans would have found it hard to believe Lincoln was dead, thinking it must be a dream.

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My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won; Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

The above mentioned lines forms the third stanza of the poem, ‘O Captain! my Captain’ written by Walt Whitman. ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ is an elegy written by Walt Whitman in 1865 to commemorate the death of President Abraham Lincoln. In these lines, the poet sadly says that his Captain’s “lips are pale and still.” The poet’s Captain who is also addressed as his father “does not feel” his arm and also “has no pulse nor will.” Like most of the Americans, the poet feels as an orphan, fatherless. Amidst the melancholy, Whitman is successful in expressing his duality of emotions. Whitman experiences the euphoria of their victory of ending the American Civil war but at the same time laments over the death of Lincoln which was a major national loss. The crowd has been celebrating the ship's triumphant return but the speaker, however, mournfully walks the deck where his Captain died. The poet “with mournful tread” walks to the “deck” which is the cemetery of his Captain to mourn over his Captain’s body “fallen cold and dead.”The stanza formulates the actual paradox confronted by the Americans, the end of the long battled American Civil war and their beloved Captain’s death. At the end, the speaker seems to have gradually accepted the death of their Captain. As the ship reaches port safely, he reaffirms that they've completed their objective. Americans would eventually accept that Lincoln was dead. The fact remains that the Civil War was successfully fought.

Probable Questions

Q. Walt Whitman’s ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ mourns the tragic death of President Abraham Lincoln as well as celebrates the end of the American Civil war. Discuss how does the poet is able to showcase the two sides in the poem? Q. Discuss Whitman’s ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ as an elegy.

Q. Examine the recurring theme of patriotism as found in the poem, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’...