Under Fire Everyone’s been through tough times. Whether someone close passes away , or a parent loses a job, or a separation of a family, misfortunes happen to all. After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, a poet and Abraham Lincoln fan, wrote “O Captain, My Captain,” an elegy, to express his grief of his beloved president’s passing. “Maryland, My Maryland,” however, expresses the author’s distaste in Union troops marching through Maryland, his home. Both authors use imagery and allusion in their poems to express their differing tones.
Randall and Whitman use imagery to transfer emotions that they feel to the reader. Randall uses descriptive words such as “beaming sword” (19), “beauteous limbs with steel” (15), and “shields bright and strong” (33) to convey a defiant tone in his poem. Each term describes weaponry to be used against Union forces, so the reader can conclude that Randall supports using violence to defend his “Maryland.” Whitman describes his Captain as a “dear father” (13), indicating that the “Captain” of his poem was dear to him.
Walt Whitman uses imagery to portray his captain’s death, using words such as: “cold and dead’ (8), “pale and still” (17), and “heart/… bleeding drops of red” (6).
Whitman selects these certain words to accentuate his realization of Lincoln’s death. He later describes himself as “mournful,” (22), indicating that he felt sorrowful in response to the passing of Abe Lincoln. While both authors use imagery, Randall paints a defiant picture in the reader’s mind, while Whitman expresses grief and sorrow.
The Essay on Lines Of The Last Stanza Whitman Captain Lincoln Poem
A Close Reading of "Oh Captain! My Captain! E Walt Whitman's poem, "Oh Captain! My Captain! Eis easily taken at face value. There are young sailors coming back from a long, hard journey, to find a pier full of excited bystanders to greet their return. The narrator goes on to tell the captain the good news and finds him dead, and not able to celebrate with the rest of the population. There is an ...
Allusion is used by both authors to describe the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. Randall compares Lincoln to a “tyrant” (41) and also a “despot” (1), indicating that he dislikes Lincoln’s command to the Union army, stating to invade Baltimore. Randall expresses his distaste for Lincoln by describing him as a devil and a dictator. He is being defiant towards his former president, wishing that Lincoln would be defeated. His whole poem is about the Civil War, but he never writes those exact words. Instead, he describes it as a battle, using terms such as “meet her sisters on the plain” (44), and “panoplied array” (27).
Glorifying battle, Randall encourages Southern troops to attack with “Ringgold’s spirit for the fray” (29), and “Howard’s warlike thrust” (22).
Whitman compares Abraham Lincoln to his “Captain” (1), showing that he is a follower of Lincoln. Walt Whitman uses the term “prize” (2) to depict the freeing of slaves in America. Whitman was from the North, so he was aiming for this certain “prize.” The Civil War is called the “ship” (19), since the Civil War was a voyage for the Americans. He also describes America as “a-crowding,” (11) since many Americans were joyful with the outcome of the war. Yet the “Captain” was “pale and still” (17) and unable to see the celebration. Whitman’s grief shows through these words, since he was pleased with the freeing of the slaves, but depressed that his captain was unable to be with him at a time of celebration. Both authors use allusion in their poems to describe the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln to further convey their tones.
“O Captain! My Captain!” had a tone of depression, while “Maryland, My Maryland” was a defiant poem. Both authors used allusion to communicate their tones to the reader. Whitman and Randall used poetry to express their troubles.
