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

 

O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
      But O heart! heart! heart!
            O the bleeding drops of red,
                  Where on the deck my Captain lies,
                        Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
      Here captain! dear father!
            This arm beneath your head;
                  It is some dream that on the deck,
                        You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
      Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
            But I, with mournful tread,
                  Walk the deck my captain lies,
                        Fallen cold and dead.  

Summary

“O Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy written by Walt Whitman in 1865 to commemorate the death of American President Abraham Lincoln. Which was indeed Whitman’s best-loved and most-quoted poem.

He says Oh Captain, my Captain! Our tough times are  over as they survived the civil war. For a long time they were fighting for freedom and finally won.  Now they have almost reached in their destination and he can hear the tone of celebration. Their eyes were firm and their will was strong. After all the strong eyes are under the spell of a strong captain.

But, their captain lies fallen cold and dead. The speaker demands to the captain to listen the bells and get up as they are waving the flag for him. They are playing the bugle. They’ve brought bouquets and wreaths with ribbons for their captain. all the people are crowding on the shore. The crowd is shaking and their eager eyes searching for their captain for a final glance.

 The captain was their father and protector. So, people would like to put their arm on his head. Speaker can’t accept the death of the captain as he feels like everything is a dream.

Speaker laments and says : ‘My Captain isn’t answering me’ and his lips are pale and unmoving. He doesn’t feel speaker’s arm beneath his head. since he has neither pulse nor consciousness. The ship has anchored safely, and its journey is over. After this hard journey, the victorious ship has come having accomplished its goal. Let the crowds celebrate and the bells ring! Meanwhile the speaker, slowly and sadly, walk across the deck where his Captain has fallen cold and dead.

 

 

Analysis

The poet's grief is expressed through the use of a metaphor, The United States is compared to a ship whose captain is Abraham Lincoln. The civil war fought under Lincoln's leadership is called a dangerous voyage. As the captain is brave and skilful, he brings the ship home after the successful completion of the voyage. The people are naturally happy and they want to honour their captain. But, they cannot do so for their captain is assassinated at the very moment of victory. The people eagerly wait on the shore for their captain, but, unfortunately, he is dead. Finally, the poet is left alone on the
deck of the ship where his captain lies fallen and dead.