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War and Culture Poetry

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What do you think of this poem when it comes to explicating it in terms of the writer's views on the Civil War?

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
by Walt Whitman
(1819-1892)

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered 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 ribboned 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 anchored 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.

(From http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/lincoln/captain.html).

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Solution Summary

200 words with reference that reviews the poem O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! and the relevance it had to the author. Also discusses what the author meant by this poem.

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The poem written by Walt Whitman was based on his hearing of President Abraham Lincoln's death and many don't know it was actually recited at the president's funeral. Mr. Whitman eloquently explains that the death of the president impacted everyone. Additionally, this poem was written from the heart because Walt ...

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