"O Captain! My Captain!" Analysis Sheet

Download the "O Captain! My Captain!" Analysis Sheet and then complete the following.

"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman is a poem about Abraham Lincoln that employs the extended metaphor of a captain and his ship. Complete the following exercise to discover the metaphor and how it works.

A. The Literal Meaning of the Poem

Summarize clearly what is happening in each stanza. If necessary, paraphrase the poem line-by-line. Do not attempt to read any "deeper" meaning into the poem at this point.

B. The Figurative (Metaphorical) Meaning of the Poem

1. Complete the Abraham Lincoln Research Guide.
2. Answer the following questions about "O Captain! My Captain!" to discover the metaphor.

Stanza 1

1. Who is the "Captain" the speaker is addressing in the poem?
2. What is the "fearful trip" that is mentioned in the first line of stanza 1?
3. What does the "ship" in line 2 represent? What does it mean that is has "weather'd every rack"?
4. What does "the prize we sought is won" refer to? How does that phrase relate to the phrase, "the port is near"?
5. What historical event do the first three lines of stanza 1 refer to?
6. What historical event is described in the last four lines of stanza 1?

Stanza 2

1. Why does the speaker exhort the "Captain" to "rise up and hear the bells"? List 6 phrases that indicate how the "swaying mass" feels about the "Captain" and his accomplishments.
2. What words does the speaker use to show that the "Captain" is more to him than just a leader?
3. What reaction to the death of the "Captain" do the last two lines of the stanza indicate? Explain.

Stanza 3

1. Examine the contrast between lines 1 and 2 and lines 3 and 4. What irony becomes evident through this analysis?
2. How is this irony reinforced in the last two lines of the stanza?

C. The Metaphor

Go back now and rewrite the poem by replacing the metaphorical images with the actual person and events they represent.

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