The repetition of the word cuts the sorrow in deeper than if he had said it just once. In the first stanza, the sailor calls “O Captain my Captain!” without knowledge that the fateful leader has fallen yet. As the second stanza comes along, an exclamation mark is added to the phrase, and he repeats “O Captain! my Captain!”.
What does the repetition in “O Captain my Captain” reveal?
The repetition in “O Captain! My Captain!” reveals intense sadness and a hidden wish, the wish that Lincoln was alive. As explained, all the major poetry concepts used by Whitman, including the sound of words, allusion, imagery, and rhyme, helps us to understand the poem better in the form of a poem based on an extended metaphor. Whitman, Walt.
What is the encyclopaedia entry for O Captain my Captain?
Encyclopedia.com Entry on "O Captain! My Captain!" — An extensive introduction to the poem and its context. The "Critical Overview" section is particularly comprehensive, including excerpts from the work of several prominent critics. Beat! Beat! Drums!
What is the rhyme scheme of O Captain my Captain?
Nevertheless, as the analysis essay on “O Captain! My Captain!” shows, in the second part of each section, the rhyme scheme changes and focuses on the mood that reveals that the captain, Lincoln, is dead. For instance, in the first paragraph, the rhyme is AABB.
What is the allusion in O Captain my Captain?
In essence, the allusion in “O Captain! My Captain!” refers to Abraham Lincoln. Whitman wrote the poem in the year 1865, the same year that Lincoln died. Captain is an allusion to the president, Abraham Lincoln, while the ‘ship’ (Whitman 1) is an illusion to the United States.
What phrase is repeated 5 times in O Captain My Captain?
“For you”“For you” is repeated 5 times. The focus here is all on the Captain and the pleading of the narrator for the captain to wake up and know the eagerness of the crowd. This effectively communicates the despair and the “hoping against hope” that the narrator is feeling.
What kind of figurative language is used in O Captain My Captain?
extended metaphorThe entire poem is an extended metaphor, or figurative language that implies comparison between seemingly unlike things, for the United States after the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's assassination. In the metaphor, the captain is Lincoln, the voyage is the war and the ship is the United States.
What is the rhyme scheme of O Captain My Captain?
Rhyme Scheme - aabb xcxc - the opening couplets of the first two stanzas establish a happy mood, which juxtaposed with the shortened succeeding lines, brings out the disappointment experienced by the poet over the captain's death.
What purpose does the repetition of the phrase Fallen cold and dead serve in this poem?
“Fallen cold and dead” is repeated at the end of each stanza to emphasize the poet's deep loss. Apostrophe - an apostrophe is a form of personification in which an individual addresses someone who is dead, someone who is not there, or an inanimate object.
What is the alliteration in O Captain My Captain?
The phrase, “O Captain! My Captain!” expresses love and attachment of the speaker with his captain. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of the poetry such as the use of /f/ in “flag is flung” and the sound of /s/ in “safe and sound.”
What does weathered every rack mean?
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The speaker is shouting out to his captain (“O Captain!”) that they've finally made it home after a frightening trip. They were on a ship that survived, or “weathered,” strong winds (a.k.a. “racks”).
What poetic devices are used in O Captain My Captain?
In the poem “O Captain, My Captain!,” Walt Whitman uses a variety of figurative language, including internal rhyme, apostrophes, anaphora, alliteration, and repetition. He uses a quite a bit of alliteration and internal rhyme to keep a steady rhythm.
What is internal rhyme?
In poetry, internal rhyme, or middle rhyme, is rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse, or between internal phrases across multiple lines. By contrast, rhyme between line endings is known as end rhyme.
In which poetic form O Captain My Captain !' Was written?
O Captain! My Captain!Printed copy of "O Captain! My Captain!" with revision notes by Whitman, 1888Written1865First published inThe Saturday PressSubject(s)Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War4 more rows
Which line is repeated in every stanza What is the importance of repeating this line?
In a poem or song, a refrain is a line or group of lines that regularly repeat, usually at the end of a stanza in a poem or at the end of a verse in a song. In a speech or other prose writing, a refrain can refer to any phrase that repeats a number of times within the text.
What is the best reason for the repetition of heart in the first stanza?
The repetition of heart in line five calls attention to the poet's vast grief and heartache because the Captain has bled and lies still, cold, and dead. This is referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Whitman's sorrow for the death of his idol.
Why is the death of the captain ironic?
The Captain death is, however, ironic because although the masses don't feel the personal loss that the speaker over the captain's death. In return, the crowd, which represents the American population is at the show to cheer the ships return.
O Captain! My Captain! Meaning
The title of the poem, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ refers to Abraham Lincoln as a captain of the ship. Here, the “ship” is a symbol of the civil war fought for liberating the slaves. According to the poet, the ship is sailing nearer to the shore, meaning the war is about to end. They have achieved their coveted goal.
Structure
The poem, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ consists of 3 stanzas in totality having 2 quatrains in each. A quatrain is a stanza consisting of four lines. Besides, this poem is an elegy. An elegy is known as a mourning poem. Apart from that, Whitman uses the free verse form while writing this poem. For this reason, the lines of the poem do not rhyme at all.
Literary Devices
Most of Walt Whitman’s poems use repetition and rhythm for rendering a spellbinding poetic beauty. He uses anaphora constantly as several verses begin with the same word/ phrase. For instance ‘When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomers’ uses ‘when’ 4 times to render a lyrical sound.
Themes
Whitman emphasizes the importance of self in the majority of his poems, ranging from ‘I Hear America Singing’ to others, he prizes the American populace to believe in themselves. More so, he even uses symbolical allusions to drive home a point. He may use inanimate objects for that end.
Similar Poetry
The following poems are similar to the themes and subject matter of Whitman’s lyric, ‘O Captain! My Captain!’.
In Short
Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” is an extended metaphor mourning the death of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 at the close of the American Civil War.
O Captain! My Captain! Explanation
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
O Captain! My Captain! – Into Details
Walt Whitman is regarded as one of America’s most significant 19 th century poets. He wrote the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” in 1865 after the death of Abraham Lincoln, the former American President. The poem is the poet’s tribute to Abraham Lincoln for his role in the American Civil War.
O Captain! My Captain! – Themes
As you already know, Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy, mourning the death of President Abraham Lincoln at the end of the American Civil War. Through this poem the poet pays a homage to his admired leader and it gives an expression to the nation’s collective grief after the President’s death.
O Captain! My Captain! – Symbols
The poem “O Captain! My Captain!” is an extended metaphor where the ship is the United States itself. Abraham Lincoln guided the nation’s ship as a captain through many storms in the Civil War. But the captain died when the ship returned home safely after accomplishing its mission, i.e., when the war ended and the Union emerged victorious.
O Captain! My Captain! – Literary Devices
An end-stopped line is a line of verse that ends with a punctuation. All 24 lines in this poem are end-stopped lines.
Analysis of The Literary Devices in “O Captain! My Captain!”
- literary devices serve as a tool to project hidden meanings in the text. With the help of literary devices, the authors equip their simple texts with powerful impacts on their readers. Whitman, too, has enriched this poem, using following literary devices. 1. Metaphor: There are three extended …
Analysis of Poetic Devices in “O Captain My Captain”
- Although most of the poetic devices share the same qualities with literary devices, there are some which can only be used in the poetry. The analysis of some of the poetic devices is given below. 1. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. In this poem, there are three stanzas with each stanza having eight verses. 2. Double Quatrain: Quatrain refers to four line stanza whereas Doub…
Quotations For Usage from “O Captain! My Captain!”
- These lines can be used to celebrate the victory to congratulate a captain, leader, or group leader to pay tributes for his leadership qualities.