O Captain My Captain Essay Example
O Captain My Captain Essay Example

O Captain My Captain Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (463 words)
  • Published: October 18, 2016
  • Type: Essay
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Walt Whitman’s poem entitled “O Captain, My Captain” is a depiction of journey. The persona and her Captain went on a journey in an unknown land. When they get back to where they came from, the persona is very happy recalling the beauty of all the parts of the vessel before they left. As the persona used to reminisce of those things, happy feelings transformed to sad emotions when she finally knew that her Captain died after the journey. The whole poem shows that the journey or purpose of the Captain is already done.

After he gave the persona her survival, he died with a feeling that he saved her life though his life was the sum of it all. Through this, it can be said that we all have our journey, every sing

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le has its own way – we just need to take the right way to be able to accomplish our mission. “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 (Whitman 3-6).

The happiness within the heart was seen directly through her excitement as the persona started to perceive the people where she belongs. She wanted her Captain to see and feel the same emotion that she has that is why she keeps of describing the situation. However, things fall apart after the character realized that everything turns out to become a fantasy because the Captain was already dead and she could not able to retrieve all the experiences that

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she and the Captain used to have.

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! (12-14). ” This part of the poem showed how the persona keeps on talking to the Captain. The Captain was seemed to be the father of the character in the poem. She wanted her father to feel the happiness that she had but as the end of it all, he would not be able to feel the emotions of the persona for he is lifeless but the goodness of fatherhood remains for he let his daughter survive despite of his tragic ending.

As a conclusion to this, it can be said that Whitman’s poem is a depiction of love, passion, fatherhood, and responsibility. The poet made a significant attack to demonstrate these aspects. Though the language is simple to make the readers understand the scenario of the poem, the poet constructs certain images and literary symbols to unravel the meaning of happiness, sadness, and social responsibility of fatherhood towards his child as the whole society as well.

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