134. 301- O Captain! My Captain! (20)

1. "O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting" 
a) Who is the persona?    
Ans. The poet himself is the persona here.

b) Who is the persona addressing here?
Ans. The great Captain Abraham Lincoln is the persona addressing here.

c) Who is exulting and where are they?
A. The common mass who are eagerly waiting for the Captain to return for his "fearful trip", are exulting upon the port.

2. "My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;"
a) What is the relationship between the captain and the persona? 
A. There is no personal relationship between them. The captain is here the American President Abraham Lincoln and the persona is the poet, who is just a common people of Lincoln's state. Even these two never meet with each other.      

b) Why does the captain not answer?
A: The captain does not answer because he is no more. He is assassinated in 1865 after the American Civil War.

c)What words would you use to describe the mood of these lines?
A. These lines reflect the tragic mood of the persona. The words like "pale", " still", "does not feel", " no pulse", "nor will" describe the mood of the lines. 

3. Contrast the mood on the shore to the mood on the ship.
A: In the poem, "O Captain! My Captain!", the two different moods are described very clearly. The mood on the shore is completely different from the mood on the ship. The people on the shore are exulted, eagerly waiting for the return of the Captain from the fearful voyage. They decorated the shore with flowers, plays music with the use of trumpet and all. 
    On the other hand, the ship is gloomy and mournful. The captain lies dead, there is no sound, no voice. Only the crying is heard. The deck is becoming red with blood.

4.Which is the most often repeated phrase in the second stanza of the poem? What effect does the poet wish to create through this repetition.
A: The most often repeated phrase in the second stanza of the poem is " for you".
   The poet Walt Whitman wishes to create a fantastic though mournful scenario to pay a homage to the great American President,  who was put to death in 1865.

5. What is the location of the battle ship?
A: The location of the battle ship is near the port, anchored safe and sound.

6. How are the people waiting to welcome the captain of the ship?
A: The people are waiting with bouquets and ribboned wreaths to welcome the captain of the ship. The people have crowded on the shores with flags and bugles in honour of the captain.

7. Why is the speaker filled with grief?
A: The speaker is filled with grief because even though the nation is celebrating the victory of the battle, his captain is now dead and will not be part of the people’s celebration. He mourns the loss of his great leader who battled till the end to ensure victory. However, now the captain himself will not be able to enjoy the victory while others celebrate.

8. In what state does the captain lie on the deck?
A: The captain lies fallen, cold and dead on the deck.

9. Give an example of Personification.
Ans: While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

10. Give an example of Alliteration
A: The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting

11. Give an example of Repetition.
A: But O heart! heart! heart!

12. Give an example of Exclamation.
A: But O heart! heart! heart!

13. Give an example of Tautology.
Ans: Here Captain! dear father!

14. Give an example of Antithesis.
A: While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

15. What are the signs of the people celebrating victory?
A: The signs that the people are celebrating victory are as follows:
   The people have all gathered on the shores and are cheering with joy and eagerness.
i) The bells are all ringing.
ii) The people are exulting.
iii) The flags have been flung.
iv) The bugles have been trilling.
v) People are waiting with bouquets and ribboned wreathes.

16. The crowds on the shore are eagerly waiting to felicitate the Captain. How?
A: The crowds on the shore are eagerly waiting to felicitate the captain with bouquets and ribboned wreathes. They all call for the captain and have flung flags and are playing the bugle.

17. What are the signs that the Captain has passed away?
A: The signs that the Captain has passed away are as follows:
i) The captain’s lips are pale and still.
ii) He does not move his arm and does not have a pulse.
iii) He lies fallen on the deck, cold and dead.

18. ‘...dear father ! This arm beneath your head…’
Why do you think the speaker in the poem puts his arm under the Captain’s head?
A: The speaker in the poem puts his arms under the Captain’s head as initially he wants to support his captain and help him get up. He wants him to see how all the people are calling his name and waiting to felicitate him after victory in the long war. However, he also puts his arms under the Captain’s head as he realize he is no more and the speaker is then filled with grief. He feels as if he is dreaming. He so desperately wanted his captain to be part of the celebration. After all, it was because of the captain that the battle was won.

19. Describe the grief that the speaker in the poem feels at the death of his Captain.
A: The speaker in the poem is overcome by grief at the death of his captain. His heart beats and bleeds for his captain as he see’s him lie on the deck, cold and dead. He mourns for his captain and feels as if he is dreaming that his captain is no more. He keeps asking for his captain to rise and witness how everyone is cheering for him. The speaker is absolutely heart-broken that while the nation celebrates the victory in the battle, his captain and great leader has passed away and will not be part of all the celebration.

20. Glance through the poem again to find who the speaker addresses in the first two stanzas and the last stanza.
A: In the poem, during the first two stanzas, the speaker addresses his captain. He desperately wants his captain to rise up and witness how people are celebrating the victory in the battle and how they are waiting to felicitate the captain.
   In the third stanza, as the speaker realizes the captain is dead, he speaks about his own grief. He is not just addressing himself, trying to cope with the death of his great leader but he is also addressing everyone else to let them know that the great captain has passed away.

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