Question

Read the following poem and answer the question that follows. "O Captain! my Captain!" by Walt Whitman O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. 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; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead. (this is the bold stanza) My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. Examine the imagery in the stanza in bold. What is the significance of the two different images? a) The speaker does not feel the joy everyone else is experiencing. b) The speaker does not feel the misery everyone else is experiencing. c) The speaker does not want anyone to know how unhappy he truly is. d)The speaker does not want anyone to know how happy he truly is.

Answer 1

Answer:

The speaker and the captain are not happy; the captain is dead and the speaker sad because of this.

Yet, other people are happy about the end of the trip ("the people all exulting"). Those two images are being contrasted here-  so the answer is:

The poet is trying to show that there are people celebrating, but they do not feel the pain of the speaker.