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This document provides an analysis of Walt Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!”. It guides the reader on how to derive meaning from the poem through direct quotations, and it also provides examples of inferences about these quotations.

POEM INCLUDED

The theme of the poem is identified as ‘Grief or Loss of a Loved One’.
In the poem, an example quotation is: “A tinkling sound came to our ears as the first pearls of heaven dropped onto the leaves.” The inference from this is that it expresses the sound of rain as it falls from the sky, hitting the leaves.

Another prominent quotation from the poem is: “Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won.” The inference from this quotation is that it expresses joy and relief at the end of a long and tiring journey, symbolized by the ship’s safe arrival at the port.

The poem also reflects mourning for the loss of the captain with quotes like: “Exult O shores, and ring O bells! But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.” The inference from this quotation is the expression of mourning for the loss of the captain, with the speaker calling out in despair and sadness with the realization that the leader is gone forever.