This is an analysis of the poem O Captain! My Captain! that begins with:

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: aabbXcdC dXbbXcXc eeaXdcdC
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 110110110101 011101001011101 010101110101010 110101010101110 11111 1010101 11011101 10111 110110111101 111101011101011 1101110011101010 111101011101010 110110 010111 00111101 110111 1101110011111 11011111111110 01010111010111 010101011001011 01111111 110101 1011101 10111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 411
  • Average number of words per stanza: 68
  • Amount of lines: 26
  • Average number of symbols per line: 47 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; heart, for, you, my, and are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words the, for, my are repeated.

    The author used the same word o at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word dead at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of O Captain! My Captain!;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Walt Whitman