Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question. "Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead." In about one hundred words, discuss the symbolism and emotional effect of the metaphor in bold in the stanza. Cite specific words and lines to support your analysis. Please help.

Answer 1

Answer:

The voyage of the ship is symbolic of the Civil War that President Lincoln took the American nation through. And with his death, the whole nation mourns the loss of their beloved leader who had weathered all opposition to get his people the freedom they so wanted and deserve.

Explanation:

The poem "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman is a poem written in memory of President Abraham Lincoln and the "victory" in the Civil War. This tribute paid homage to the long war fought for the freedom of the American nation from the British colonialist power.

In the poem, the poet talks of his admiration and respect for the "father" who's gone "cold and dead". The lines in bold "This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck" means the arm that's supporting the dying captain's head. The use of the "deck" as being aboard a ship is a metaphor for the whole duration of the war as some kind of sea voyage that they've undertaken. The voyage may also be symbolic of the president's life. The poet talks of the president's death as if it is all a dream. The death of Lincoln shattered the people, grieving for their lost leader who had safely brought them to shore after a turbulent 'voyage'. And the father-figure he is for the whole nation.

Answer 2

This captain would be Abe Lincoln, after his assasination and the "prize we sought" would be the liberation of slaves bringing after the civil war.