Walt Whitman O Captain My Captain Extended Metaphor
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LITERAL TEXT
HISTORICAL CONNECTION
O Captain! my Captain!
The captain is a metaphor for Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States from 1861-1865. Lincoln was like a captain because he was the leader of the country in the same way that a captain leads his crew.
The ship
The ship signifies the nation, or the United States. The term ship of state is often used to refer to a nation's government.
The ship has weathered every rack
The rack, or storm, signifies the Civil War between the Union and Confederacy which threatened to destroy the United States and tear it in two. Weathering the storm means that the United States has survived despite the war.
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done
The ship arriving safely means the war has ended. The Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865. This meant that the southern states would remain in the union and the United States would continue to exist as a nation.
on the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead
The captain's death refers to the assassination of Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865. He was shot while at the theater and died a few hours later.