In the poem, "O Captain! My Captain!" written by Walt Whitman, describes Lincoln’s death through an analogy. The captain Whitman refers to is Abraham Lincoln. He is the head of a great ship, which represents America. The ship’s trip across sea corresponds to the Civil War, and the ship nearing the port illustrates how the time the poem takes place is the end of the Civil War, as the trip across sea is coming to an end. The port symbolizes the ultimate goal of the Union, to free the slaves. As the ship continues to approach port, the Captain suddenly falls dead on the deck this signifies Lincoln’s assassination. From this point on, Whitman repeatedly calls to Lincoln, begging him to get up and see the roaring crows of Union supporters waiting for him at shore. Whitman also begs Lincoln to rise up and witness his goal of emancipating slave be achieved. However, Lincoln lays motionless on the deck, and Whitman must accept the reality of Lincoln’s death.
Whitman not only uses images and metaphors to illustrate the mood of the elegy, but also sound through his diction. For instance, Whitman writes “O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the bells”. He makes the bells refer to the excitement of the roaring crowd at the port. Whitman asks Lincoln to look up and see the fruits of his labor waiting for him. The author continues to use sound by asking Lincoln to hear the “bugle trills”. These trills refer to the lively energy of the crowd, honoring and celebrating Lincoln’s arrival. The sounds ultimately serve to depict the sheer joy of the celebration at shore, as the Union has nearly won the Civil War. However, this is ironic because the crowd is unaware they have lost their essential leader. Therefore, the hopeful tone created by sound words changes to a sad tone, as Whitman, who is the only one aware of the captain's death, now focuses on his own somber emotions.
The tone Whitman creates in "O Captain! My Captain!" is mostly sad because of the depressed state Whitman is in as he describes death. For example, Whitman writes, “My Captain does not answer, hip lips are pale and still." This phrase is describing Lincoln’s cold lips as “pale and still," which implies he is truly dead, as Whitman finally accepts the truth. Furthermore, his lips no longer being able to move signifies the great speaker and leader will no longer be able to address and lead the Union. Such details alluding to death cause the audience to also feel depressed because of the loss of a powerful and well-respected leader. Therefore, they create a melancholy tone. Whitman continues by writing “My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will." The audience now envisions the limp and helpless body of Lincoln, as his soul has left him.
Whitman not only uses images and metaphors to illustrate the mood of the elegy, but also sound through his diction. For instance, Whitman writes “O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the bells”. He makes the bells refer to the excitement of the roaring crowd at the port. Whitman asks Lincoln to look up and see the fruits of his labor waiting for him. The author continues to use sound by asking Lincoln to hear the “bugle trills”. These trills refer to the lively energy of the crowd, honoring and celebrating Lincoln’s arrival. The sounds ultimately serve to depict the sheer joy of the celebration at shore, as the Union has nearly won the Civil War. However, this is ironic because the crowd is unaware they have lost their essential leader. Therefore, the hopeful tone created by sound words changes to a sad tone, as Whitman, who is the only one aware of the captain's death, now focuses on his own somber emotions.
The tone Whitman creates in "O Captain! My Captain!" is mostly sad because of the depressed state Whitman is in as he describes death. For example, Whitman writes, “My Captain does not answer, hip lips are pale and still." This phrase is describing Lincoln’s cold lips as “pale and still," which implies he is truly dead, as Whitman finally accepts the truth. Furthermore, his lips no longer being able to move signifies the great speaker and leader will no longer be able to address and lead the Union. Such details alluding to death cause the audience to also feel depressed because of the loss of a powerful and well-respected leader. Therefore, they create a melancholy tone. Whitman continues by writing “My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will." The audience now envisions the limp and helpless body of Lincoln, as his soul has left him.