Poem Analysis: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman

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The poem basically tells a story about the death of the captain of a ship men crew. The speaker of the poem is a sailor of the ship crew. He grieves mournfully about the death of his respectfully captain. Gloomy and dreary atmospheres are vividly sensed throughout the poem as the speaker lamenting the captain’s death. The poem begins with the speaker calling out his captain that they have finally made it home after their “fearful trip”. The boat is in sight of land and the people in the shore watch as it approaches, cheering and ringing church bells. However, as it approaches the shore, the boat is described as “grim and daring”, as if the speaker warns that something terrible is going to happen. And terrible as it is, the captain on deck is dead. The speaker knees on the captain’s side and begs him to rise again. He can’t seem to accept the fact that his captain is dead and feels like as if he is dreaming. The ship eventually arrives safely in the harbor and its dangerous and tough journey is done. Despite the dead captain, the speaker still wants the shore to keep celebrating for ...

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