O Captain! My Captain! Walt Whitman Page 667 YOU NEED YOUR NOTEBOOKS

Poetic Elements TYPE OF POEM: ELEGY – Poem of mourning. – About someone who has died. – The purpose is remember the person who died and mourn a way of life that is gone forever. Extended Metaphor: a direct comparison that as extended as far as the poet can take it (usually for a stanza or more, sometimes even the entire poem).

Literature and Real Life Page 666 in your text. Walt Whitman lived in Washington, DC during the Civil War. The Civil War ended April 9, 1865 After Lincoln’s second inauguration, which Whitman attended, he noted that Lincoln looked “very much worn and tired; the lines, indeed of vast responsibilities, intricate questions, and demands of life and death, cut deeper than ever upon his dark brown face; yet all the goodness, tenderness, sadness, and canny shrewdness, underneath the furrows.”

Literature and Real Life Lincoln was assassinated a month later on April 14, He died the following day. BEFORE YOU READ: How do you think people reacted to and/or felt after Lincoln’s death?

Answer in Your Notebook: 1.In the poem, Whitman uses metaphors. a.The Captain is _________. b.The ship is ___________. c.The prize is _________. d.The rack is _________. 2.What is the mood of the poem? Find 2 lines to support your opinion. 3.What is the tone? That is, how do you think Whitman feels about Lincoln and his death? Find 2 lines to support your opinion. 4.What is the refrain of the poem?