Walt Whitman composed the poem “O Captain ! My Captain !” after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 . The poem is classified as an elegy or mourning poem, and was written to honour Abraham Lincoln , the 16th president of the United States.
O captain ! My captain is an elegy or mourning poem which was written to honour Abraham Lincoln,the sixteenth President of the United States of America.The captain in the poem refers to Abraham Lincoln and the ship represents the United States.Lincoln successfully led his nation through the turmoil of the civil war and brought an end to the slavery in America.The theme of the poem is that victory comes with a price.The speaker states that no matter the ship(United States) has braved the tough storm of civil war but it has lost its Captain (Abraham Lincoln).The speaker is torn between relief and despair.He captures America's confusion at the end of civil war and says that it is the time of conflicting sentiments. The theme of mourning the death of the one who was the captain of the ship (nation) and rejoicing over the victory interwine through out the poem.Everyone adored the Captain , and the speaker admits that his death feels like a horrible dream .
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