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O Captain! My Captain! : Key info

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O Captain! My Captain! is a notable literary work by Walt Whitman. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of O Captain! My Captain!.

Key info

Key Facts

  • Full Title: O Captain! My Captain!
  • Author: Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
  • Title of the Author: Father of Free Verse, National Poet of America
  • Source: Written as an elegy mourning the death of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated in April 1865, shortly after the end of the American Civil War.
  • Written Time: 1865
  • First Published: 1865 in Sequel to Drum-Taps
  • Publisher: Peter Eckler (for Leaves of Grass)
  • Genre: Elegy, Public Mourning Poem
  • Form: Three stanzas, each with 8 lines; written in a more conventional meter and rhyme scheme than Whitman’s free verse style.
  • Rhyme Scheme: Regular rhyme (aabbcded in the first stanza) — unusual for Whitman, showing formal respect for Lincoln.
  • Tone: Mournful, sorrowful, tragic — yet also patriotic and reverent.
  • Point of View: First-Person (the poet as a grieving sailor addressing the fallen “Captain”).
  • Climax: The ship has safely reached port (symbolizing the Union’s victory in the Civil War), but the Captain (Lincoln) lies “fallen cold and dead.”
  • Setting:
  • Time Setting: Spring of 1865, after the Civil War ended and Lincoln’s assassination.
  • Place Setting: A metaphorical sea voyage — the victorious ship returns to harbor. It symbolizes the Union saved; yet mourning occurs on the ship’s deck where the Captain lies dead.
  • Captain: The Captain is actually a symbol of Abraham Lincoln. The poet addresses him as a leader who saved the nation. But at the end of the voyage, he lies dead. This expresses Lincoln’s sacrifice.
  • Ship: The ship is a symbol of America. It has safely reached the harbor after the Civil War. This means the nation has been preserved and its unity remains unbroken.
  • Voyage: The voyage represents the difficult path of the Civil War. The war is over, America has won. But along with victory comes deep sorrow.
  • Port: The port is a symbol of peace and safety. The nation, after successfully completing the war, has arrived at stability.
  • Fallen Captain: It refers to the dead Lincoln. He is “fallen cold and dead.” That means, even though the war was won, the pain of losing the leader breaks the nation’s heart.