Critical Analysis of Oh Captain my Captain

“O Captain! My Captain!” Critical Essay The poem “O Captain! My Captain!” written by Walt Whitman is a heart wrenching portrayal of a sailors loss at sea as he trembles in the sight of his dear fallen captain. One might ask; who is this captain? What has he accomplished? And why does the sailor feel so strongly for him? Whitman’s themes of masculinity and patriotism in this poem play well with these questions and show the authors true feelings behind his “Captain”. To properly analyze such a poem, one must look at the historical context as well as the authors personal beliefs associated with the poem. Walt Whitman wrote “O Captain! My Captain!” in 1865 in response to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, an event that left the whole country devastated. Aside from his patriotism and love for country, Whitman was an extreme admirer of Abraham Lincoln and portrays his fatherly love for him in this poem. He believed that President Lincoln had successfully held the country together through times of war and hardship and despite the grueling task at hand; Lincoln had accomplished his mission of preserving the union. As the war was coming to an end and the possibility of peace and prosperity grew closer and more realistic, Lincoln was abruptly assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. To start, one must recognize the speaker in this poem. The speaker is a sailor who, upon arriving to port after a long grueling journey, witnesses the unforeseen death of the captain of the ship. However, it is important to note that the emotions projected on the sailor are held within Walt Whitman himself. In the beginning lines, the speaker cries “O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done; /The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won” (Whitman 391, Line 1-2). It is at this point that the reader is informed about the grueling journey that the crew of this ship has gone through to bring home the prize they’ve fought for. In lines three and four of the first stanza, the