Walt Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!” is about a captain who falls dead on the deck of a ship after a victorious journey. In the poem, Whitman encourages the people to continue rejoicing while Whitman continues to mourn the death of the captain. The captain represents Abraham Lincoln who was assassinated after winning the American Civil War and the election for president for a second term.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14 1865. The nation was in complete shock. The American Civil War and the murder of the president was a huge blow for the nation. Grief engulfed the country. Many mourned his death, especially poets, authors, and song writers. A well-known poet, Walt Whitman wrote, “O Captain! My Captain!” after President Abraham Lincoln’s death. This poem became one of his most famous poems.
Whitman greatly admired Lincoln. A fun fact: Whitman was very particular about the appearance of his poems and paid attention to detail of spelling and punctuation. He even went as far as tearing out the page of an edition of his poem and mailed it back to the publishers with his corrections!
Submitted by Shelley Hun
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