O Captain! My Captain! BY WALT WHITMAN
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.

1) What is the tone of the poem? Explain and cite examples.
2) What does the poet mean figuratively when he says "our fearful trip is done"? What was the prize and why were the people exulting?
3) What does "The vessel grim and daring" mean?
4) Why would the poet refer to the subject of the poem as “Captain”? Why does the author refer to him as “father” at one point and place his hand behind his head?
5) What is the theme of the poem? Explain and cite examples.
6) Why do people feel as though they have such close, emotionally extreme relationships with their political leaders?
7) Research information about the poet Walt Whitman a list 3-5 facts about him.

1. My Captain!” as an Elegy: This poem is written in the form of an elegy meaning a funeral song. Whitman used very strong figurative language throughout the poem to express his respect and to mourn the loss of Abraham Lincoln. The expression of mourning and grief mark the center of the poem.

2. Our fearful trip is done; A ship's trip can be fearful because there are many natural and man-made dangers in the sea. But the "fearful trip" that Whitman is referring to is the Civil War, during which he'd volunteered as a nurse in the army hospitals.

3. The "vessel" could be both the ship that represents the nation and Lincoln as the means through which a new nation was formed.

4. A startling aspect of this poem is that the speaker shows such commitment to his fallen leader, referring to him as “my Captain” and even “my father.”

5. The major theme that runs throughout the poem is the death of Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War, which deprived the United States of the great president. Each stanza gives us a clue about the war. Although the fearful trip ends, bells ring, the captain is no more to enjoy the victory.

6. In my opinion, people have a personal connection to their political leaders for a few different reasons. First, our leaders represent us. It's our job to educate ourselves on their policies, their personal beliefs, and their methods of governance. In our modern age, we are consistently made aware of out leaders actions. Media brings what they say and do, how they act, what they ate for breakfast, and who they have dinner to our immediate attention for consumption. Because of this, we begin to feel as if we know them.

7.At age 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. Later, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. Whitman's major poetry collection, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money and became well known.

the right answer is 6