O Captain My Caption

"O Captain! My Captain!" is a realism writing by Walt Whitman that describes his reaction to the end of the Civil War that resulted in the death of Abraham Lincoln who he his the captain of the ship. Whitman's belief in the government and the success of the country to win against the South. Whitman is devoted to Abraham Lincoln in such a way that he refers to him as his captain and his father. The use of a ship and the description of the elements affecting his ships gives the nature element to the poem that is similar to the writings of Thoreau and Emerson. Thoreau and Emerson were also abolitionists and against slavery so they were most likely pro Lincoln and his ideas for the freedom of people (Wayne).

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up -- for you the flag is flung -- for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths -- for you the shores a-crowding,( Whitman)

Whitman describes the day after the war has been won but is sad that their leader cannot celebrate as well. The day they raised the flag and he wants his captain to rise up too and to hear the bugle. The people are filling the streets in excitement with the win of the war and the freedom of the slaves. Thoreau and Emerson wanted to get away from the government and the idea of the materialistic lifestyle of America. Walt Whitman was very for the government and the way the government was influencing the the people and the lifestyle of the people. Whereas Thoreau and Emerson would not be as excited as Whitman with the job of the president. The president fell to his death and this destroy Whitman but Thoreau and Emerson would not have felt the same as Whitman because they were against the government influencing the people. This is the difference between Emerson, Thoreau and Walt Whitman.

Wayne, Tiffany K., ed. "Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson." Critical Companion to

Ralph Waldo Emerson: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc

"O Captain! My Captain!, by Walt Whitman." Poetry Archive. Web. 09 Mar. 2012.