Argumentative Essay

9/23/13
Yellow Class Argumentative Essay

Imagine that you are celebrating a great victory, and suddenly you hear that the person who led you to victory is dead− does the poem, “O Captain, My Captain” really portray that feeling? Walt Whitman was the author of the poem “O Captain, My Captain”. The purpose of the poem was to express to the readers how Americans felt after President Abraham Lincoln’s death. The poem did express a feeling of loss, but did it really show how the entire country felt? No− Walt Whitman’s poem does portray the sorrow, to some extent, but doesn’t really describe the deep feelings that took place after Lincoln’s death. First of all, the poem does not focus on the feelings of the nation as a whole. The extended metaphor mostly depicts how happy the people felt after the war, like when it says
“…the prize we sought is won”, and, “…the bells I hear, the people all exulting”, but there is no description in the poem about how the people felt when they heard about Lincoln’s death. The poem is catchy and the metaphor is quite descriptive, but it focuses more on how the people felt before they fully understood that Lincoln was dead− which is shown in the lines “…for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying masses, their eager faces turning…”. As evidence from the article “Northerner’s Reaction to Lincoln’s Assassination” shows, many people were shocked, angry, and devastated, and strong men cried without shame after Lincoln’s death− does this poem represent those feelings? Some people would argue that the metaphor does give a sense of loss, and it even includes irony by saying that all of the people were eager to see him after the war’s end, but he wasn’t there anymore− another reason that the poem is good. Yes, the poem is well-written, but just because the poem is good doesn’t mean it accurately portrays the people’s sense of loss and sorrow. The metaphor doesn’t include the mixed feelings of the majority of the nation, because the poem is said from one person’s point of view− lines from the poem like “…Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, walk the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead”, give the impression that the narrator is the only one mourning the loss of Lincoln, and the nation doesn’t know it yet− which obviously conveys the wrong message, because many people felt the sorrow and not just any one person. The picture, “(Lincoln’s) Funeral Procession” gives clear evidence of the deep regret and sorrow felt by many Americans, along with their sense of reverence for him− this was the first ever assassination of a president, so the country was really put to the test. Does this poem display those feelings, or the deep gratitude and appreciation that people felt for Lincoln, even after his passing? Another big reason that the poem isn’t accurate enough is that it doesn’t take the other side of the nation’s feelings into perspective at all. The poem doesn’t mention that a good part of the country back then was actually happy that Lincoln was dead. The extended metaphor not only fails to give a thorough picture of the sorrow felt by a lot of the nation, it completely doesn’t add any details about the many people not so sad about Lincoln’s death. As evidence from the video clip, “Alleged Plots” proves, there were many plots to kill Lincoln before his actual death− people tried to poison him, kidnap him, and kill him while he was traveling− and quite a large portion of Americans celebrated his death! This poem totally leaves out those details. Even though the poem is very touching and nice, it doesn’t accurately portray what the nation felt after President Abraham Lincoln’s death. The poem mainly expresses the feelings of the nation after the war, before the news of Lincoln’s death has fully settled in. Also, the poem doesn’t focus on the deeper feelings of the nation as a whole− it is more said from one person’s viewpoint. Lastly, the poem doesn’t talk about the fact that a large portion of the nation felt happy about Lincoln’s death. All in all, the poem is definitely great, and also expresses a vague feeling of loss, but it doesn’t portray the deep sorrow and other intricate, complicated feelings of the nation, after Lincoln’s death. The poem is more original, and might be better understood if it wasn’t associated with Lincoln’s death.