O Captain My Captain?

Question:explain how the poetic techniques used help the poet convey the theme/purpose [3 examples]

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: explain how the poetic techniques used help the poet convey the theme/purpose [3 examples]

1. Imagery - Words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combination of senses. It has a bittersweet feel. It evokes emotions. You can almost hear the celebration and yet see that something isn't quite right.

according to http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/O_Captain! _My_Captain! " Walt Whitman wrote the poem after Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Lincoln is represented by the captain in the poem and the Ship is the United States itself. The ship has endured all the obstacles such as Civil War; everything is over, and there is peace. The speaker is feeling bittersweet about this event.

The poem begins with an image of a ship returning safely to port. Crying out for his captain, the speaker realizes the captain has died at sea. The onlookers onshore celebrate the ship's safe return, but the speaker mourns the death of his captain. As the voyage ends, so does the captain's life."

2. It is a concrete poem. To me, it resembles a broken ship hull, but others say it is supposed to be in the shape of a gun.

3. It uses sybolism: The ship represents the United States and the Captain is Abraham Lincoln.

4. Repetition - the repeating of words, phrases, lines, or stanzas. Hammers home the reality that his captain is dead.

Hope this helps.