American poets Essay

Argued to be the greatest of alone the Statesn poets (Gale 71), Walt Whit pragmatism is regarded by twain topical anaesthetic and foreign critics as one of the well-nigh influential literary minds in the floor of the United States. His poem O overlord My master copy which he revised thrice in his lifetime (Gale 72) was one of the some published works during his time. The poem was written shortly after the end of the American civilised war which was won by President Abraham capital of Nebraska against the secessionists known as the Confederate States of America. However, President capital of Nebraska was kill shortly after the victory.Whitman wrote the poem as a tribute to the late prexy who he revered as the man responsible for keeping America unneurotic through the troubled times of civil war. Lines 1-8 The poems first lines realise the controlling fictions that build up the placidity of the selection. The first line introduces the illustration of the master ke y which is actually Whitmans representation of Abraham capital of Nebraska and the second line introduces the ship which is the metaphor for the United States of America. The fearful trip is the metaphor that Whitman utilize for the American Civil state of war.both lines express the end of a cope (the Civil War), with the second line describing the victory as hard won by saying that the ship weathered all rack(Whitman). The second and third lines fence joy and relief, with people exulting as the ship finally move intos. This line is followed by sudden surprise. Whitman makes use of the repetition of the banter heart to denote that something shocking had happened. What happened is detailed upon by the succeeding three lines at varying degrees of disclosure.The 6th line is subtle, wholly hinting some act of violence with the expel drops of red(Whitman) that denote the drawing of blood. The 7th line gives a victim for the rampageous act described in the sixth by mentionin g that the police chief had fallen on the floor and it is only on the octonary line that the captains final stage is confirmed. Lines 9-16 The 9th and 10th lines both express Whitmans bereavement at the irony of his sea captain dying just after they had achieved victory. In desperation, he asks the impossible of the dead lord such(prenominal) as to Rise up or hear the bells. and entices the corpse with the scene of fanf atomic number 18. This continues through the 11th and 12th lines where Whitman blends both the publics celebration of Abraham Lincolns military victory and their lamentation for his assassination, with bouquets being more commonly used on events such as the causation and black ribboned wreaths on the latter. There are also various descriptions of a monolithic crowd with words like shores a-crowding and the swaying megabucks which sends the notion that the entire nation are celebrating and mourning the late president.The thirteenth to sixteenth lines detail an expression of denial on Whitmans part to accept the wipeout of his passkey. The speaker dismisses the Captains death as a dream. Whitman describes himself assisting his Captain by offering his arm. In the 13th line, the speaker also refers to the Captain as Father, perhaps to emphasize how Whitman perceives Abraham Lincoln as the man who kept America together. Its Father so to speak. Lines 16-24 In the 16th line, the speaker is brought back to the reality of the Captain, his Fathers demise.The Captains lips are described as pale and still and in the seventeenth line, the more definite signs of death such as not feeling anything and having no pulse are given. The speaker again makes reference to the ships proceeding because of the Captain from the 18th to 19th lines. He describes the ship as having been able to dock safely with its object won. This is pertaining to the Civil War waged by secessionists who the American government had triumphed against nether President Lincolns leadership.The uttermost(a) four lines present the speakers point of view regarding the victory. While he commands the shores to exult his captains honor, he himself decides to continue mourning his loss. In the coating two lines, the speaker finally faces the reality of the Captain has indeed fallen frigorific and dead.Works CitedWhitman, W. O Captain My Captain. Poetry-Online. 20 July 2007. <http//www. poetry-online. org/whitman_o_captain_my_captain. htm> Gale, Thomas. Exploring Poetry. Gale Group, 1997.