Walt Whitman's Influence On O Captain My Captain

Walter (Walt) Whitman was born on May 31, 1819. Whitman first worked as a teacher, then as a journalist and proceeded to open his own newspaper company. He got his first copy right on his poem “Leaves of Grass.” This is said to be the poem that Abraham Lincoln read that entranced him so much, he started to read it to his colleagues. Whitman was always in such awe of Lincoln and always imagined seeing him. When Whitman was able to see him, it was a friendly glare from across the room; however, it was all Whitman had hoped for. Since Whitman looked up to Lincoln in such a way, it seems to be the reason he was inspired to write the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” about his death. Whitman was also said to be influenced by his experiences as a war …show more content…
Whitman clearly shows that the Captain is Lincoln. Due to the fact that Whitman was so influenced by him, calling him Captain and father is something that just seemed second nature to him. The Captain is someone who steers the ship back to shore; in this case, it is someone who is steering the nation in the right direction. Whitman always thought that Lincoln always had the best for the country at hand. He states, in lines 5 through 8, that he sees red blood all over the deck where the Captain is dead. This is the first words that really shows us that the Captain, Abraham Lincoln, is dead. In the following lines, 9 and 10, he writes, “O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills.” This is showing us that people are proud of the Captain and tankful he got them through the fearful trip; but unfortunately, he is unable to see it due to the fact that he is dead. This resembles how people praised Lincoln for bring the country through the war but still having it as one nation. It also resembles how Whitman doesn’t want him to be dead, but there isn’t any way to fix the past. Also, in lines 13 and 18, Whitman refers to the Captain as his father. This shows that Whitman and the Captain were so close and that he cared about the Captain in such a way, he feels like it’s the bond between a son and a father. He also uses the word “my” in lines 17 and 18 showing the relationship mentioned above in another sense. Whitman feels very close and a special bond with the Captain, who is presumed to be Lincoln. Lastly, in line 22, it reads, “But I with mournful tread.” This shows that the speaker, Whitman, is very emotionally torn because of the Captain, Lincolns,