This is an excerpt from<em> "O Captain! My Captain!",</em> a poem written by Walt Whitman. In this poem, Whitman addresses the death of Abraham Lincoln. The speaker of the poem is a sailor who is talking to his captain. This is, clearly, a metaphor for Whitman's conversation with the late Lincoln. The captain represents the president, while the ship represents the United States of America. The sailor refers to 'captain' as his father, which demonstrates Whitman's respect for Lincoln. The trip mentioned in the poem represents the Civil war. Although the poet expresses his relief that the war is over, the tone of the poem is dark. At the beginning of the poem, Whitman writes that<em> "our fearful trip is done" </em>and<em> "the prize we sought is won"</em>, but the mood is quickly changed with the line<em> "You've fallen cold and dead" , </em>which symbolizes Whitman's sadness and grief over Lincoln's death.
