O Captain By Walt Whitman

I thought the poem was an excellent poem to demonstrate how important other people can be in your life. The way Walt Whitman worded the poem it brings to life this statement, " Exult O shores, and ring O bells! But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead." I believe this to be the strongest point to what I said. It shows just how much the man cared for and loved his captain, he didn't celebrate with the others, he didn't rejoice, he only mourned the loss of his captain. There were many excellent literary devices that I found very meaningful to the poem, especially the extended metaphor of the captain being the man's father. I found that to be very simple to understand and see, but at the same time genius because Walt Whitman demonstrated it so well and clearly. All the description, metaphors, and the other literary devices make the poem flow superbly. " 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 description of this passage creates such and excellent mental image and brings a feeling of disbelief and sadness that the man would be feeling. The repetition of the line "fallen cold and dead," creates a feeling of almost disbelief that the man feels, it's almost as if he's asking it as a question... fallen cold and dead? with disbelief that he is dead. I found that to be simply genius. I enjoyed this poem greatly and enjoyed analyzing it to further understand it and it's meanings. Walt Whitman is definitely an excellent poet.