Explanation of “O Captain! My Captain! » “O Captain! My captain! is one of the most popular poems ever written by Walt Whitman. When first reading this poem, one can perceive that it is about a loyal captain who leads his crew on a perilous but successful journey that ends in devastation. If interpreted literally, that is the only meaning of the poem, but for those who look further, there is an underlying story behind Whitman's words. Whitman uses several literary elements throughout this poem in order to unmask the story of Abraham Lincoln's journey and ultimate death following the Civil War and his fight to end slavery. The title of the poem, “O Captain! My captain! , insinuates that the poem will focus on a leader and possibly someone shouting at that leader. The opening lines of the poem declare: “O Captain! my captain! our fearful journey is over, / The ship has withstood all odds, the prize we sought is won” (lines 1-2). This reveals to the reader that an important voyage took place and resulted in some type of victory for the captain and his crew. The capitalization of the word “captain” shows the reader the importance of this number to the speaker. Lines three through four maintain the cheerful atmosphere as the excitement of the people in the port is shown at the ship's return. This description is relevant to the enthusiasm of civilians as their loved ones returned home after the Civil War. The stanza ends in a tone opposite to that in which it began when the speaker states: "O the bloody drops of red, / Where my captain lies on deck, / Fell cold and dead" (lines 6-8) . This is the first in a long series where the death of the Captain, in the middle of paper ......repetition, emphasizes the fact that the Captain is really dead. It also demonstrates how the captain's death was an extremely devastating price to pay for the great social achievement that followed. “O Captain! My captain! succeeds in telling the story of a much-loved leader whose great efforts enabled him and those who followed him to achieve a huge victory. The happiness that should have surrounded this situation was quickly masked by the assassination of the country's leader who had little time to enjoy what he had accomplished. Had the captain lived long enough to receive his due recognition, Lincoln would have been more inspired to make greater changes for the overall prosperity of the country. Captain's loss leads to uncertainty about America's future and its progress on human rights..