OCaptain!MyCaptain!“OCaptain!MyCaptain!”isanextendedmetaphorpoemwrittenin1865byWaltWhitman,aboutthedeathofAmericanpresidentAbrahamLincoln.ThepoemwasfirstpublishedinthepamphletSequeltoDrum-Tapswhichassembled18poemsregardingtheAmericanCivilWar.TextOCaptain!MyCaptain!ourfearfultripisdone;Theshiphasweather'deveryrack,theprizewesoughtiswon;Theportisnear,thebellsIhear,thepeopleallexulting,Whilefolloweyesthesteadykeel,thevesselgrimanddaring:ButOheart!heart!heart!Othebleedingdropsofred,WhereonthedeckmyCaptainlies,Fallencoldanddead.OCaptain!MyCaptain!riseupandhearthebells;Riseup—foryoutheflagisflung—foryouthebugletrills;Foryoubouquetsandribbon'dwreaths—foryoutheshoresa-crowding;Foryoutheycall,theswayingmass,theireagerfacesturning;Herecaptain!dearfather!Thisarmbeneathyourhead;Itissomedreamthatonthedeck,You'vefallencoldanddead.MyCaptaindoesnotanswer,hislipsarepaleandstill;Myfatherdoesnotfeelmyarm,hehasnopulsenorwill;Theshipisanchor'dsafeandsound,itsvoyageclosedanddone;Fromfearfultrip,thevictorship,comesinwithobjectwon;Exult,Oshores,andring,Obells!ButI,withmournfultread,Walkthedeckmycaptainlies,Fallencoldanddead.AnalysisThefallencaptaininthepoemreferstoAbrahamLincoln,captainoftheshipthatistheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thefirstlineestablishesthepoem'smood,oneofreliefthattheCivilWarhasended,"ourfearfultripisdone."Thenextlinereferencestheship,America,andhowithas"weatheredeveryrack",meaningAmericahasbravedthetoughstormoftheCivilWar,and"theprizewesought",thepreservationoftheUnion,"iswon".Inthesecondstanzathespeakeragaincallsouttothecaptainto"riseupandhearthebells,"tojoininthecelebrationoftheendofthewar.Thenextthreelinestellthecaptainto"riseup"andjoininontherevelriesbecauseitisforhim.ThethirdstanzabeginsinasombermoodasthepoethasfinallyacceptedthattheCaptainisdeadandgone.Herethereisvividanddarkerimagerysuchas"hislipsarepaleandstill"andthereadercanpicturethedeadCaptainlyingtherestillandmotionlesswith"nopulsenorwill".“OCaptain!MyCaptain!”becameoneofWhitman’smostfamouspoems,onethathewouldreadattheendofhisfamouslectureabouttheLincolnassassination.Whitmanbecamesoidentifiedwiththepoemthatlateinlifeheremarked,“DamnMyCaptain...I’malmostsorryIeverwrotethepoem.”InpopularcultureThe1989filmDeadPoetsSocietyalsomakesrepeatedreferencestothepoem.Attheendofthefilm,thestudentsshowt