O Captain My Captain by Walt Whitman

The sailor's dead captain

        "O Captain My Captain!" by Walt Whitman tells a story about the death of an adored sea Captain who was on a trying journey that was completed, and expresses a sailor's feelings that were on the ship and found out about the death of his captain. Whitman expressed this poem as a long metaphor. Following that, the poem works within the cultures disposition of the country by using an extended metaphor, rhyme scheme, tone, emotions, and symbolism.

        This poem was written by the end of the Civil War and is an extended metaphor of President Abraham Lincolns death. During the time, American citizens were able to respond and share their responses to his death.  The poems beginning tells the captains success of leading his ship through the long and trying journey. The speaker in the poem shouts at the delight of his captain's journey and how to close the happiness they were.  In the first lines of the poem "O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won!" explains how happy they are about going smoothly through the journey in a mournful tone.  but then, -----"O        heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, where on the deck, my captain lies, fallen cold and dead." The speaker now is explaining the loss of his captain or in other words how Abraham Lincoln got shot.  In the second line, he then tries to have his captain rise up as if he is hoping. "rise up and hear the bells!" but they now are sad and unhappy because he didn't come alive again. "My captain does not answer, his lips pale and still, my father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will." The lines 5-8 convey the sad news that Lincoln or the Captain had died. The usage of "But O heart! heart! heart!" symbolizes Lincolns or the Captains blood of red injuries.