O Captain My Captain - Wings of Poesy - Class 7 - English

The prevailing mood in the poem is that of
i. joy and happiness
ii. sorrow and loss
iii. excitement and suspense
iv. universal rejoicing and personal sorrow

Has the ship completed its voyage or is it just leaving the harbour? Quote words or phrases that support your answer quote a phrase that describes the physical appearance of the ship. Does it appear to be damaged in any way? 

Where are the people referred to in the first stanza? Why are they there? Why are they exulting? Support your answer with two reasons. 

Which bells does the narrator hear? What is the significance of the sound of these bells? 

To whose heart do you think the narrator is referring? What effect is created by the repetition of the word heart three times? 

In the second stanza, the narrator refers directly to the dead captain. What does he want the captain to do? What are your feelings for the sailor here? 

Mention six things that the people at the port are doing. Why are they doing that? Why are they eager? 

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread, 
Walk the deck my Captain lies, 
Fallen cold and dead.

1. Who is the speaker of these lines? Where is he at this time? What does he intend to do?

2. In the stanza from which these lines have been taken, the speaker provides four details that convince him that his Captain is, indeed, dead. What are they?

3. How does the poet demonstrate the contrast between public celebration and personal grief in the lines? Which of these two moods dominates at the end of the poem?

Make two lists from the poem of:

1. words that convey joy, happiness, celebration, victory

2. Words that represent sorrow, loss, darkness:

Personification is a figure of speech where an inanimate object is referred to as if it has human qualities. When the personified object is spoken to directly, it is then referred to as an apostrophe. Find at least two examples of the apostrophe from the poem. 

Who is the narrator of the poem? Describe the depth of his relationship with the captain. What qualities of character does he display? 

What does the narrator's attitude tell us about the character of the captain? Do you think he was a great leader? 
You might want to consider the following words as you reflect on the questions above.

Poets often make comparisons in order to make a difficult point clear or to make their work more interesting. These comparisons are referred to as similes or metaphors. When the comparison is a very long one, we refer to it as an extended metaphor. Would you agree that the poem 'O Captain, My captain!' is an extended metaphor?
 Read the introduction to this poem again. Form pairs and find the points of comparison between the people and events in the poem and those in the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. You may consider the following points:
 •             Who represents Abraham Lincoln in the poem?
 •             What does the ship symbolise? What, therefore, was the fearful trip it had undertaken? What was the prize that had been won? 
 •             Who does the sailor represent? Who are the people on the shore? Why are they rejoicing when the sailor on the ship is full of grief? 

Write down your answer to the following question based on the discussion above. How does Walt Whitman present the historical event of Abraham Lincoln's death through his poem 'O Captain, My Captain!'?

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 ribboned wreaths-for you the shores accrowding, 
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. 

a. Who is the poet asking to rise? 
b. Lincoln’s popularity was at its peak when he won the Civil War. How is this popularity brought out in the poem? 
c. Explain ‘This arm beneath your head!’ 
d. Why does each stanza end with ‘fallen cold and dead’? what effect does this produce?