Answer:
1. My Captain!” as an Elegy: This poem is written in the form of an elegy meaning a funeral song. Whitman used very strong figurative language throughout the poem to express his respect and to mourn the loss of Abraham Lincoln. The expression of mourning and grief mark the center of the poem.
2. Our fearful trip is done; A ship's trip can be fearful because there are many natural and man-made dangers in the sea. But the "fearful trip" that Whitman is referring to is the Civil War, during which he'd volunteered as a nurse in the army hospitals.
3. The "vessel" could be both the ship that represents the nation and Lincoln as the means through which a new nation was formed.
4. A startling aspect of this poem is that the speaker shows such commitment to his fallen leader, referring to him as “my Captain” and even “my father.”
5. The major theme that runs throughout the poem is the death of Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War, which deprived the United States of the great president. Each stanza gives us a clue about the war. Although the fearful trip ends, bells ring, the captain is no more to enjoy the victory.
6. In my opinion, people have a personal connection to their political leaders for a few different reasons. First, our leaders represent us. It's our job to educate ourselves on their policies, their personal beliefs, and their methods of governance. In our modern age, we are consistently made aware of out leaders actions. Media brings what they say and do, how they act, what they ate for breakfast, and who they have dinner to our immediate attention for consumption. Because of this, we begin to feel as if we know them.
7.At age 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. Later, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. Whitman's major poetry collection, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money and became well known.
