Oh CaptainA Writers AdaptaionAbout Me我的船长一个作家的变异约我.docVIP

PAGE 6 Joline Smith Professor Cureton Intro to Poetry Oh Captain! My Captain! There have been many definitions of freedom though none more true or simple than Walt Whitmans: “To walk free and own no superior.” Whitman was born in New York in 1819 during a critical period in American history. He became a voice for the country. His collection Leaves of Grass, though controversial in his day, became his most widely known work and made him one of the first famous American poets. In general, his style is experimental, and he is known as the father of free verse. His works include themes of transcendentalism and realism, often taking a humanist tone. Walt Whitman opposed slavery and believed wholly in the equality of mankind. In his works, he immortalized moments of American history, none more important than his poems about the Civil War, in particular, “Oh Captain! My Captain!” This poem serves as a elegy for one of Americas greatest heroes: however, relative time is largely missing from this poem, and it is centered more in cyclical and centrodial time. On a literal level, “Oh Captain! My Captain!” is about the return of a victorious ship from a perilous journey. In the first stanza the speaker calls out to his captain, rejoicing about the triumph as the ship nears port, only to find that his beloved captain is dead on the deck of the ship. In the second stanza, the speaker once again calls out to his leader. He explains to the dead captain the the people on the shores all celebrate in his name. It is with manic sadness that the speaker denies the death of his captain, calling it “some dream.. In the final stanza, the speaker accepts the death of the captain, realizing that he has no pulse, and thus, he cannot hear the words of happiness. The speaker then mourns the loss, reflecting that the success of the journey is not as sweet without the captain. On a metaphorical level, “Oh Captain! My Captain!” is about the United States Civil War. The entir