Whitman’s Use of Extended Metaphor in O Captain! My Captain!

Whitman’s Use of Extended Metaphor in â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Captain Lincoln Steers the Ship to victory. â€Å"Where on the deck my captain lies Fallen cold and dead.†(7-8) This quote from the story refers to the assassination of President Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was President during the Civil War, and is considered to be one of the greatest presidents of all time. President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14,1865 and was in a coma for 9 hours before he died. With the death of the President the nation lost it’s most important man and a great father and husband. The elegy â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† by Walt Whitman is an extended metaphor about President Lincoln’s presidency because it compares Lincoln to a ships captain, the Union†¦show more content†¦Although they lost the first battle of the war at Fort Sumter the Union army’s spirit was unconquerable. A great example of this is the Battle of Gettysburg a lso known as the turning point of the civil war. The confederate states marched to Gettysburg and intended to defeat the union there and then take the union capitol in Washington D.C. Although they intended to do this the union with the hearts of lions took the battle head on and weather’d it and eventually won just like they had done in previous battles. This was the bloodiest battle of the trip otherwise known as the Civil War. In the poem â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Whitman compares the Civil War to a trip. â€Å"...our fearful trip is done† (1). The Civil War was one of the nations scariest wars. It was scary to the nation because no matter who won we were losing as a unit. During the war no matter who won the country was losing lives because every single soldier in the war was from the U.S.A. If the south won the nation hurt because they would secede and slavery was still intact, if the north won the nation was not as badly hurt but we still lost countless lives but ended slavery and secession. It could also be compared to a trip because what people thought was going to last a day if that lasted almost 5 years. In conclusion Whitman’s metaphor depicted the Civil War exceptionally. Walt Whitman’s elegy â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† is an extended metaphor due to theShow MoreRelated Whitmans O Captain! My Captain! And Dickinsons Hope is a Thing with Feathers86 0 Words   |  4 PagesWhitmans O Captain! My Captain! And Dickinsons Hope is a Thing with Feathers America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800’s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman createdRead More Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! 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However, looking at the historical context when this was written, and Whitmans position as a staunch Unionist, one can decipher the true meaning of the poem. Through the use of extendedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem O Captain ! My Captain 1846 Words   |  8 PagesWhitman’s â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† was written about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln which gives the poem a strong sense of historical context. The context of the poem gives it the emotional connection and remembrance that so many Americans know and honor each year. When it comes to remembering and honoring him, Walt Whitman was a very good poet that wrote very good poems about Lincoln. Walt Whitman was alive when Abe was assassinated so that gives Whitman a real time view of the effects ofRead MoreA Rose For Emily Analysis1822 Words   |  8 PagesRose for Emily†? It reveals that it was not long ago that Miss Emily had laid her head on the pillow next to the decaying Homer Barron. When this man was last seen, Miss Emily took on characteristics of a woman of youth. It is not until after an extended period of time that Homer Barron is not seen, all the while Miss Emily’s her character begins to take on a more elderly traits. The narrator describes that her hair â€Å"grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper-and-salt iron gray, when