Walt Whitman Walt Whitman is a famous American poet who lived from , during the same time period as Frederick Douglass. This includes the American Civil War and the period after the war, known as Reconstruction.

Walt Whitman In 1873, Whitman moved to nearby Camden, NJ, where he lived for 19 years until his death; this is where he some much of his now famous poetry. Today, there is a museum open to the public there called The Walt Whitman House.

Walt Whitman One of his most famous works is his 1865 poem “O Captain! My Captain!”

O Captain! My Captain! “O Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy. An elegy is a poem (or song) expressing sorrow, especially for someone who has died. It is typically nostalgic or melancholy in its mood. (Do not confuse this with a eulogy, which is a praiseful speech for someone who has died.)

Extended Metaphors = Conceit These comparisons last throughout the entire poem, and are called a conceit. A conceit is a metaphor that extends throughout several lines or even an entire poem. We’ve seen conceit before in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost – the two roads in the poem are a conceit for the choices we make in our lives.

“The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people.”

In the poem, Whitman uses extended metaphors to compare four things: America > Abraham Lincoln------> “fearful trip”------> “prize”------> O Captain! My Captain!

In the poem, Whitman uses extended metaphors to compare four things: America > Ship Abraham Lincoln------> Ship’s Captain “fearful trip”------> Civil War “prize”------> Ending Slavery and the preservation of the Union