“O Captain! My Captain” as an Elegy.

Answer

Examine “O Captain! My Captain!” as an elegy. [NU: 2016, 19, 21] ★★★

Walt Whitman’s (1819-1892) poem “O Captain! My Captain!” (1865) is a famous elegy. It was written after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. An elegy is a poem of sorrow that mourns the death of someone great. In this poem, Whitman expresses both the victory of the Civil War and the deep grief over the death of the leader who guided the nation. Let us discuss the poem as an elegy below.

The Captain and the Ship: Whitman uses the images of a ship and captain to describe the American Civil War and the death of Abraham Lincoln. The “Captain” of the ship is Abraham Lincoln. The “fearful trip” is the Civil War, which was long, dangerous, and full of suffering. The ship has finally reached the harbor. It means the war has ended and victory has been achieved. The poet says:

“…Our fearful trip is done,

…the prize we sought is won.” 

The people are happy, but the Captain lies dead on the deck. The image of the dead captain makes the poem a powerful elegy. The nation is celebrating the end of Civil War. The nation is united and slavery has ended. But Lincoln, who led the nation through the darkest time, has died. Whitman writes:

“But O heart! heart! heart!…

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.”

Here, the repetition of “heart” shows that the poet is in deep sorrow.

Shock and Disbelief: The poet is so shocked that he thinks it is a dream. He tells the captain to wake up and hear the victory bells.

“O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;”

He tells him that people are waving flags and bringing flowers to honor