O Captain! My Captain!
Walt Whitman wrote this poem after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, just as the Civil War was coming to an end. Like his fellow countrymen, Whitman had deep love and respect for the beloved hero who held the nation together through such a time of crisis.
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:
5 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;
10 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;
15 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;
20 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.
-Public Domain
How does the imagery in the first stanza indicate the poet's intended impact?
A.
The poet uses imagery of a safely returned ship to build up a positive feeling before shifting the tone by using the image of the death of the ship's captain.
B.
The poet uses imagery of people celebrating with wreaths and flowers to build a sense of relief before shifting the tone by using the image of the war-wracked ship.
C.
The poet uses imagery of the captain with pale still lips to set a somber tone before shifting the image to bells and people cheering to celebrate a victory in battle.
D.
The poet uses imagery of a pristine ship returning from war to show their success in battle before shifting the tone with the image of a dead captain on the deck.