Poetry Project

TPCAST
O Captain! My Captain!
T- O Captain! My Captain!
This title seems to be about a captain of a ship that is or was dear to the hearts
of the crew
P1-4 The sailor calls out to the Captain. Their trip is over and the ship is broken
but their prize is won.They are near the port and the people are rejoicing while they
watch the boat come in.
5-8 The sailor calls out to his heart because he notices the captain is dead on the
deck.
9-12 The sailor bags the captain to rise again because people are cheering for
him
13-16 The sailor takes the captain in his arms and says that he must be
dreaming. He cant accept the fact that they reached home without him
17-20 The dead captain doesn't respond to the sailor. The ship arrives safely at
harbor. The trip was difficult and dangerous. The ship is victorious, it has won its
goal
21-24 The speaker wants the shores to celebrate but he remains on the ship
pacing sadly next to the dead captain
CApostrophe- When the speaker addresses the captain. O Captain! My Captain!
(line1,9) because he is speaking to someone who is not there who can no longer
respond to him
When the speaker addresses his heart But O heart! heart! heart!
(line5) because his heart is not something that can actually speak
Repetition- The repetition of the word heart enforces the speakers personal grief
Synecdoche- The keel (line4) refers to the whole ship
The eager faces (line12) refer to their attitude as a whole
Exult O shores, and ring O bells (line21) the speaker uses the
celebrating shores to represent the whole country celebrating
Rhyme- by stanza AABBCDED the rhyme is slant rhyme where the words are
similar
A-

The speaker is both joyful and mournful. Joyful that the ship has arrived safely but
mournful that the captain is dead. The crowd is cheering and excited contradicting
the sadness of the speaker.
SThe speaker is in denial about the captain being dead untill line 16 when he says
Youve fallen cold and dead His mood shifts, realizing that the captain is dead and
there is nothing he can do about it.
TThe title is an urgent cry of sorrow for the death of a great leader. This leader
won which the people recognize. The extent of his triumph is more important to
them than his death.
T- Admiration-the speaker has a lot of admiration for the captain
Patriotism-the captain fought to protect the countries rights and freedoms
"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman is about patriotism and reveals that
one's love and sacrifice for their country can lead to triumph.

Essay
The Captain of America
Walt Whitman who lived in the 1800s was considered one of America's most
influential poets. Whitman aimed to reflect the nature of the American experience
and its democracy.In 1862, Whitman moved to Washington D.C. He spent much of
his time visiting wounded soldiers.The work took a toll physically, but also propelled
him to return to poetry. He published O Captain! My Captain! in a pamphlet,
Sequel to Drum-Taps, with 17 other poems regarding the Civil War. The poem O
Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman uses poetic devices and ever changing tone
to show that through patriotism, ones love and sacrifice for his country can lead to
triumph.
Walt Whitman uses poetic devices in his poem to accentuate the theme of
patriotism and the peoples love for their captain. Apostrophe is used in this poem
when the speaker addresses the captain, O Captain! My Captain!(1,9).This
enhances the seeming importance of the Captain because he is speaking to
someone who is not there, who can no longer reply to him. If the Captain was not
then it would not be imperative that the speaker talks to him. The Captains
importance is also emphasised by Repetition of O Captain! My Captain!(1,9). Over
and over the speaker addresses the captain, illustrating how influential and
paramount the captain was and still is. The words of O Captain! My Captain! have
become a reminder of patriotism because of the repetition of his words. Walt
Whitman also uses stanza to emphasise the importance of the poem, each stanza

except the last starts with O Captain! My Captain!(1,9). The last stanza does not
indicating the shift where the realization of his death is made. This part of the
stanza is important to show the tone of the poem. Poetic devices were used in O
Captain! My Captain! to highlight the tone and theme.
The tone in which Walt Whitman wrote the poem effectively reinforces the theme of
patriotism and sacrifice. The poem has a triumphant mood in the beginning, The
port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting(3). The words such as bells and
exulting have a positive connotation, reminding one of a celebration of a grand
accomplishment. This emphasise how Patriotism can lead to triumph. The poem
shifts to a tone of despair as he realizes the captain is dead,Where on the deck my
Captain lies. Fallen cold and dead(7-8). The words about death have a negative
connotation, enforcing the sacrifice. The captain sacrifice while patriotic is
ultimately very morose for the speaker. In the last stanza the speaker is both
triumphant and sullen, Exult O shores, and ring O! But I with mournful tread(2122). The speaker realizes that, without the captains sacrifice, they would not be
triumphant. This shows the theme of Patriotism. Walt Whitmans tone enhances the
theme of patriotism and sacrifice.
The mournful yet triumphant tone and the use of poetic devices enhances the
theme of patriotism in Walt Whitmans poem O Captain! My Captain! This poem
is a look into his soul regarding his thoughts on the civil war. Walt Whitman saw and
then wrote first hand what he experienced during the war. Through his poem, it can
be seen how the civil war effected the people of America.

Metaphorical Analysis
Reading the poem As the Time Draws Nigh by Walt Whitman was a terminal
patient support group. As I listened to the worries and fears of death around me I
couldn't help but feel them myself.Perhaps soon some day or night while I am
singing, my voice will suddenly cease(5). All the sick and dying surround me, filling
me with their fears. I have found all their worries they have about death and can
feel them seeping there way into my thoughts. The morose thoughts keep spilling
from there mouths. Is everyone supposed to feel this way, so afraid of death that
cant think of anything but death? They fear death because they know death is
close, but how can we know how close we are to the end?Must we barely arrive at
the beginning of us?(7).They believe they didn't even find the beginning of
themselves. The thoughts spill into my mind, a breach in the guarded wall of my
mind. How can the dying make you feel this way? Yes, death is inevitable. But , so is
life. I have to live before I can die, sowhy am i sitting and listening to the thoughts
of people who arent truly living? Thinking about death is not living. I should be
outside actually living my life. And yet it is enough, O soul! O soul! we have
positively appeard--that is enough(7-8). I am unable to rid my mind of the calm.
Even in death, I will know that while I was alive it was positive because I actually
lived. I leave the support group knowing full well that I want to live.

Interpersonal Response
O Me! O Life! by Walt Whitman is relatable to my feelings of myself and the
people around me. O myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than
I, and who more faithless?)(3). I am forever finding fault within myself because I
am always finding fault in others that is also in me. I will always find problems in
myself because I know I can be more and do better. Of the poor results of all, of the
plodding and sordid crowds I see around me(5). People are self-seeking but I am
too. We only try so hard. There is a point where everyone will inevitably give up.I
think this because of my sometimes high expectations of everything. Sometimes its
hard to see the good that people are doing, but only see the bad. Even though I see
people that arent contributing, I also see the people stepping up and adding to the
world, The question, O me! so sad, recurringWhat good amid these, O me, O life.
Answer. That you are herethat life exists and identity,That the powerful play goes
on, and you may contribute a verse(7-10). Even though I believe that people do
give up, people also do amazing things; I can do amazing things.If everyone pushes
themselves out of the self-seeking, unmotivated crowds, they can and will create
something unbelievable. Through reading this poem I realized that if I can break
through the crowds, I can follow my dreams and as Walt Whitman says, contribute
a verse(10).