Summary In Walt Whitman's Elegy To The President

The Civil War ravaged southern America and left property and residents in a state of disarray. A vast majority of the blame and frustrations to come would land on the federal government, particularly on President Abraham Lincoln. However, in the 150 years since this war ended, many people still forget that freeing slaves was never a priority for President Lincoln nor did he think he could legally decree such a thing. His primary goal had been to unify the succeeding states, which he would ultimately achieve, but at the cost of lives, property, social norms. Upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the United States was relieved the war was over and eager to find normalcy again. Walt Whitman’s elegy to the President captures the shift from

My Captain! is an undeniably articulate and timeless piece of literary work that captures the sentiments of a country that should have been celebrating the end of a tumultuous era, it captures an elegy’s rhythm effectively, and the metaphor of the captain, sea, and ship remain relatable. Additionally, this elegy is cleanly done so that every line reads exactly how Whitman wished it to be read and at a tempo appropriate for an elegy. The poem itself never strays far from familiar traditions of poetic rhythm and rhyme while managing to never become childish in its scheme or theme. More impressively, the text itself was structured to physically manipulate the reader’s comfort and gaze while, again, managing to still be clean and concise. Also, despite being an extended metaphor, the work never became overly dressed or a subject that disconnected with readers. In closing, upon closely rereading this poem, Walt Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! perfectly plays with metaphors, rhythm, and structure to encapsulate a pivotal moment in American