![]() Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was and American poet and journalist born in the town of Huntington on Long Island. “for you the flag is flung-for you the bugle trills, For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths-for you the shores a-crowding, For you they call,” giving readers a window into the poet’s longing to celebrate with his leader. He keeps mentioning “you” - calling Abraham Lincoln - as if as a reminder that all the celebration is for him, even if he’s not there. The poet juxtaposes the moments of vibrancy and happiness in ‘wreaths’, ‘bouquets’ and ‘bells’ with those of dismay and grief connoting Lincoln’s body in ‘cold’, ‘pale’ and ‘still’. The lack of time to celebrate their victory before being faced with a terrible and unnerving loss is evident from how immediately the tone of the poem changes. The “O Captain!” quickly changes to “O Heart!” leaving the readers with a sense of desperation as if to bring him back to life. The first stanza starts off at a very hopeful note, as if rejoicing the victory of the Union in the Civil war, but slowly turns cold and dim with the revelation of Lincoln’s death. While the crowd ‘exults shores and rings bells’, Whitman treads the deck, mourning the death of his leader ‘fallen cold and dead’. While the country rejoices in the Union, it also mourns for Lincoln. ![]() Written as an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln after what is considered one of the worst assassinations in the history of the United States, the poem explores the joy and sorrow of the American community as a whole as well as Whitman as an individual. ![]() But a deeper look into the original poem might just help you understand what makes the phrase even more iconic than you ever imagined! Every Robin Williams fan has watched and unwatched and revealed at the marvel of the “O Captain! My Captain!” scene in Dead Poets Society.
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