Throughout the history of poetry and literature, many works have been published which had some success then faded away. These works of literature were either not powerful or meaningful enough to resonate in the minds of society. "O Captain! My Captain!" by the great Walt Whitman, a touching and emotional poem, is still read and studied by many students, professors and everyday people throughout the world. "O Captain! My Captain!" not only helped an entire society heal after the death of a beloved leader, but also grew to become one of the most popular poems in the history of American literature. Through imagery, shifts in tone and repetition, Whitman is able to pinpoint the mindset and attitudes of the American people leading up to and following the death of President Lincoln.

The images and metaphors in "O Captain! My Captain!" are clear and concise, and are used to explain the events leading up to and following the death of President Lincoln. Both imagery and metaphors are essential tools used by Whitman in this poem. Whitman uses many metaphors in "O Captain! My Captain" beginning in the first line. The captain is President Abraham Lincoln and the "fearful trip" (1) represents the Civil War. While the war wasn't extremely long, as the use of the word trip suggests, it caused fear in the lives of every American wishing for the preservation of the Union. The Union is represented as a ship as seen in line 2, "The ship has weathered every rack, the prize is sought and won" (Whitman 2). The Union has been battered by the south, but has not sunk. It has prevailed and the prizes of freedom and unity have been won. The port in line three represents peace. Whitman states that, "The port is near" (Whitman 3) meaning that peace is near, and people are rejoicing over this fact. Following these metaphors, Whitman uses imagery to describe the death of President Lincoln, "But O heart! heart! heart! / O the bleeding drops of red!" (Whitman 5-6). The immediate shock felt by America when President Lincoln died was devastating. The assassination, while successful, was unexpected. Even though Lincoln was not liked by many people in the country, no one expected him to be assassinated. After the death of President Lincoln, even though people were devastated they people his life and remembered all the great things he did. The author describes the celebration of Lincoln's life throughout the country, "For you bouquets and wreaths for you the shores a-crowding / For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning." (Whitman 11-12). The use of the phrase "for you" suggests that for anyone else these things would not be done. It emphasizes how important of a figure Lincoln was to the American people. He not only saved the Union from destruction, but freed and entire group of people who had been enslaved for over 2 centuries. The image and metaphor of a ship and a trip are once again brought up by the author later in the poem, "The ship is safe and sound, its voyage closed and done / From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won." (Whitman 19-20). Alluding to the first stanza, Whitman tells the audience that the ship is safe and has now reached the port. Peace has been maintained despite the assassination of Lincoln and the Union is now safe. The metaphors and imagery in "O Captain! My Captain!" are used throughout the poem and perfectly explain the events leading up to the death of President Lincoln. 

In "O Captain! My Captain!" rapid shifts in tone throughout the poem identify the underlying attitudes held by the author and American society following the death of President Lincoln. Identifying these shifts is essential in order to fully comprehend the attitude expressed in the poem. An effective way to reveal these shifts of tone in the poem is by identifying the physical shift. Whitman's poem physically shifts following the 4th, 12th and 20th lines by indenting the last four lines of the respective stanzas. When this physical shift occurs, a shift in tone and word choice follows. The word choice used by Whitman in the beginning of each of the three stanzas conjures positive feelings such as joy, acceptance and thankfulness, while the word choice in the latter part of the stanzas express grief, disbelief and mourning. This back and forth tone uncovers the two different attitudes buried within the poem. The poem begins with word choice that conjures joyous feelings which represent how America felt immediately prior to the death of President Lincoln. This is illustrated in line 3, "The Port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting" (Whitman 3). Bells and people celebrating are all consistent with joy. Due to the end of the war people everywhere are celebrating. Although this is a joyous time, it will not last. A shift then takes place in the poem, signifying the assassination of the president, "O the bleeding drops of red! / Where on the deck my captain lies / Fallen cold and dead." (Whitman 6-8). Using "O" at the beginning of line 6 signifies shock while the images conveyed in lines 7 and 8 are ones of pure and intense grief. The author then moves on and states "O captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells / Rise up for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills" (Whitman 9-10). Here the people are celebrating more than just the end of the war, they are also celebrating Lincoln's life. Bells are sounded as celebration for the end of the war, while a flag being flung and the trill of a bugle are done to honor Lincoln. While honoring Lincoln is important, America is still extremely relieved war is over. Society and our author are slowly beginning to accept Lincoln's death, but before he can fully accept the already sealed fate of the late president, the author has a moment of disbelief, "Is it some dream that on the deck / You've fallen cold and dead." (Whitman 15-16). Lincoln was killed so quickly that the author finds himself questioning the situation at hand. He rhetorically asks if the captain's death is a bad dream, hoping this awful situation will simply fade away with the sunrise. After working through his state of disbelief, the author comes to grips with the death of Lincoln and is even able to be thankful for the end of the war. In lines 18-20 Whitman states, "My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will / The ship is safe and sound, its voyage closed and done / From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won" (Whitman 18-20). Tones of acceptance and thankfulness are evident, although the author still feels torn. While he is thankful and happy for the end of the war, once again he is struck with grief in the final shift after line 21, "But I, with silent tread / Walk the spot my captain lies / Fallen cold and dead." (Whitman 22-24). These lines, while they are the last, are the most significant and touching. While the majority of the country has accepted the death of the president, the author is still extremely upset. He silently honors Lincoln and leaves the reader with the somber line of "Fallen cold and dead" (24). This final tone change is last step Whitman uses to reveal his attitudes. While he feels joyous that the war is over, the death of President Lincoln still haunts him and leaves him with intense feelings of grief. He, like much of the country, is torn between rejoicing for the end of the war and grieving for their leader. Lincoln was so beloved and admired that Whitman can not hide his emotions. He must grieve the death of his leader, even if some have moved on.   

The repetition of certain phrases in "O Captain! My Captain!", emphasizes the overall theme of respect and admiration for a beloved leader. In order to convey the theme of "O Captain! My Captain!" Whitman uses repetition as a tool to highlight important clues, allowing the audience to discover the meaning of the poem for themselves. The first use of repetition comes in lines 1 and 9.  Whitman begins with the phrase "O Captain! My Captain!" (1), and then repeats the phrase in line nine. This phrase is important because it is also the title of the work, and is used in both sad and joyous times in the poem. The first time it is used is in the very beginning of stanza one, a happy time in which people are celebrating the end of the war. Then, it is used immediately after the assassination of Lincoln, in the first line of stanza two. This shows that the same level of admiration is held for the captain in both good times and bad. No matter the circumstances, the author will give the captain respect. The second phrase that is repeated comes at the end of each stanza, "Fallen cold and dead." (Whitman 8). This phrase is used to switch the tone at the end of each stanza and remind the audience of the gravity of the situation at hand. Despite joyous undertones in the beginning of each stanza, Lincoln is still dead, and this phrase serves to remind the audience of that fact. The next repeated phrase comes in the second stanza and only repeats itself in that stanza. Whitman uses the phrase "for you" (Whitman 10), in order to show all that is done for and how much respect is held for the captain. The poem describes all the things done in order to honor Lincoln, from simply flying flags to enormous crowds described as "the swaying mass" (Whitman 12). Simply put, the amount of pure admiration and respect for Lincoln is incredible. Lastly, Whitman repeats one more phrase, "My captain lies" (Whitman 7). This, like "Fallen cold and dead.", is used so that the audience does not forget the situation at hand, and the difficulties that will follow rebuilding from this tragedy. While there are moments of joy and happiness in the poem, repeating this phrase allows the poet to ensure the audience will not forget what has happened. This use of repetition emphasizes the overall theme and keeps the audience in the mindset the author wants them to be. 

In conclusion, the use of literary tools throughout the poem allows Whitman to control the audience and ensure his attitude, the theme and the mindset of people at that time are expressed. Whitman brilliantly uses literary tools like metaphors and imagery to create a timeline of events parallel to the death of President Lincoln. Doing so, gives the audience a better understanding of the time period in which the poem takes place. This allows Whitman to truly show the emotions and feelings of people at this time. People are torn between celebrating the end of a horrific war, and grieving the loss of a beloved leader. The shifting of tone is clearly reveals the two attitudes held by Whitman. By shifting from happy to sad tones throughout each stanza, Whitman clearly reveals two attitudes of joy and grief. This reiterates that the nation is torn between joy and grief, and has never had to deal with something this difficult. Lastly, the repetition of specific phrases allows the author to convey the poem's theme. Repeating certain phrases or words signifies importance to the audience. By examining which phrases and words are repeated, the theme of love and admiration for President Lincoln, becomes clear. 

