The end of the Civil War was an exciting time for American citizens. After years of tumultuous feelings between the North and the South, an end to the chaos was finally imminent. But this excitement would not last long, as the captain of the victors, Abraham Lincoln, was shot shortly after. One could say that Walt Whitman was infatuated with Lincoln. Whitman had never met Lincoln in his life, only regularly would see him pass by in his carriage in Washington D.C. It is apparent that Lincoln’s death would strike Whitman as a tragedy, as the man whom he regarded so highly and led his country to peace has passed. A great poet he was, Whitman included themes of politics, sexuality, and war, to reflect the common American’s view on events, often
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In “O Captain! My Captain!”, allusion served as Whitman’s primary outlet to insert his emotional voice and express why he felt so connected to President Lincoln. Much of Whitman’s poetry addresses the erotic nature of mankind. In Whitman’s lifetime, sexuality was a taboo topic, and especially homosexuality. Whitman was neither “uniformly homosexual nor uniformly heterosexual but flexibly “omnisexual” (Miller 87). Also, it was proposed that Whitman had a crush on Lincoln (Reynolds 199). In the summer of 1863, Whitman wrote in his journal, that when he saw him riding through the city in a carriage, Lincoln requited one of Whitman’s long friendly stares, and that “his face was so beautiful, with its strange mouth, deep cut, criss-cross lines, and its doughnut complexion” (Whitman 11). If Whitman was in fact hopelessly in love with Lincoln, this provides further explanation as to why he would have wrote about his captain in such a positive connotation. Throughout the entirety of the poem, the author calls out to his captain by exclaiming, “O”. He wishes Lincoln would hear him and answer his calls, showing his resurgence. In line 9, Whitman expresses how he wishes …show more content…
Whitman worked as a nurse to ill and wounded soldiers, and gained inspiration for his poetry under these circumstances (Reef 83). It is then when he realized that the Civil War was a monumental event, and it was his duty as a poet to portray this in his works. Whitman was obviously a member of the Union, fighting against the South, or Confederates, and their quest to become their own country to perpetuate slavery. “O Captain! My Captain!” designates deeper meanings to objects such as the ship, a prize, and a trip. “The ship has weathered every rack” (line 2) refers to the difficulty the Union army has faced, with the ship referring to the North. “Fearful trip,” in line 11, refers to the uncertainty and worry the people felt during the war. They did not know what the outcome would be- and if the United States would stay intact. These are indirect praises to Lincoln, and his grace and excellence in commanding the troops through the toughest of battles and keeping the people’s spirits hopeful. The kinship between Lincoln and Whitman in this can be discerned when knowing that they shared these similar views. Whitman admired Lincoln from the beginning, and even was amongst many spectators when the president-elect arrived in New York City on a tour of the country (Reynolds 69). His admiration increased over time, as
In “O Captain! My Captain!”, allusion served as Whitman’s primary outlet to insert his emotional voice and express why he felt so connected to President Lincoln. Much of Whitman’s poetry addresses the erotic nature of mankind. In Whitman’s lifetime, sexuality was a taboo topic, and especially homosexuality. Whitman was neither “uniformly homosexual nor uniformly heterosexual but flexibly “omnisexual” (Miller 87). Also, it was proposed that Whitman had a crush on Lincoln (Reynolds 199). In the summer of 1863, Whitman wrote in his journal, that when he saw him riding through the city in a carriage, Lincoln requited one of Whitman’s long friendly stares, and that “his face was so beautiful, with its strange mouth, deep cut, criss-cross lines, and its doughnut complexion” (Whitman 11). If Whitman was in fact hopelessly in love with Lincoln, this provides further explanation as to why he would have wrote about his captain in such a positive connotation. Throughout the entirety of the poem, the author calls out to his captain by exclaiming, “O”. He wishes Lincoln would hear him and answer his calls, showing his resurgence. In line 9, Whitman expresses how he wishes …show more content…
Whitman worked as a nurse to ill and wounded soldiers, and gained inspiration for his poetry under these circumstances (Reef 83). It is then when he realized that the Civil War was a monumental event, and it was his duty as a poet to portray this in his works. Whitman was obviously a member of the Union, fighting against the South, or Confederates, and their quest to become their own country to perpetuate slavery. “O Captain! My Captain!” designates deeper meanings to objects such as the ship, a prize, and a trip. “The ship has weathered every rack” (line 2) refers to the difficulty the Union army has faced, with the ship referring to the North. “Fearful trip,” in line 11, refers to the uncertainty and worry the people felt during the war. They did not know what the outcome would be- and if the United States would stay intact. These are indirect praises to Lincoln, and his grace and excellence in commanding the troops through the toughest of battles and keeping the people’s spirits hopeful. The kinship between Lincoln and Whitman in this can be discerned when knowing that they shared these similar views. Whitman admired Lincoln from the beginning, and even was amongst many spectators when the president-elect arrived in New York City on a tour of the country (Reynolds 69). His admiration increased over time, as