Introduction

In Peter Weir's film Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) requested that his students call him "Captain" in direct reference to Walt Whitman's poem, "O Captain! My Captain!".  You will examine, through a series of exercises and directed research, the parallels that exist among the poem, the events of Abraham Lincoln's presidency and Mr. Keating's character in Dead Poets Society.

The Task

You will first read Walt Whitman's poem, "O Captain! My Captain!" and answer several questions about the literal meaning of the poem.  You will then research the events of Abraham Lincoln's presidency, especially with regard to slavery and the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation and his assassination.  You will use this information in your guided analysis of Walt Whitman's poem.  Finally, you will write an essay in class that shows the parallels among the Captain of the poem, Abraham Lincoln, and the character of Mr. Keating.

Process and Resources

• Read "O Captain! My Captain" by Walt Whitman.  Complete Section A on the "O Captain! My Captain!" Analyisis Sheet.
  
  
• Research the events of Abraham Lincoln's presidency using the questions on the Abraham Lincoln Research Guide. 
  
  
• Complete Sections B and C on the "O Captain! My Captain!" Analyisis Sheet.
  
  
• You will now have the information you need to write your essay in class!
  

Evaluation

You will receive a homework grade for your analysis of the poem and your research on Abraham Lincoln.  You will receive a writing grade for your essay.

NYSED Learning Standards

• English/Language Arts 1 : Language for Information and Understanding
  Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
  
  
• English/Language Arts 2 : Language for Literary Response and Expression
  Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.
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• English/Language Arts 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
  Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
  
  
• Social Studies 1:   History of the United States and New York
  Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
  
  
• Arts 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
  Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.
  
  
• Technology 2: Information Systems
  Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Author

Carla Kurt English Department New Rochelle High School New Rochelle, NY

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