O Captain! My Captain!
How does Whitman use symbolism in the poem, O Captain! My Captain!?
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Asked by
Jill W
Last updated by
Jill W
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The ship in Whitman's, O Captain! My Captain!, famously symbolizes the United States of America. Much like how the ship in the poem is triumphantly arriving back to port with “the prize we sought … won” following a “fearful trip,” the United States had survived the bloody Civil War that threatened to split the State permanently into North and South.
O Captain! My Captain!