Oh Captain, My Captain

1. Poetic Meaning

1.1. Setting: A Ship coming into harbor

1.2. Speaker: A Sailor

1.3. Theme: Death of Abraham Lincoln

1.4. P.o.v First person the narrator was there to see the death of Abe

2. Poetic Structure

2.1. Rhyme "O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,"(Whitman 1 2)

2.2. Alliteration: “flag is flung” (Whitman 10)

2.3. Stanza: There are 3 stanza

3. Poetic Language

3.1. Imagery: " O the bleeding drops of red,"(Whitman 6)

3.2. Tone: The speaker struggles to process the death of his hero. He is overcome with shock and sorrow "Whitman 20-22" But I with mournful tread Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

3.3. Style: Each eight-line stanza is split into two distinct parts. The first four lines are long and praise Lincoln's achievements. The last four lines are short and give agitated descriptions of Lincoln's dying moments.