Question 2: What is the location of the battleship?

Answer: The location of the battleship is near the port.

Question 3: Why is the speaker filled with grief?

Answer: The speaker is filled with grief because the Captain of the ship is dead.

Question 4: How are the people waiting to welcome the captain of the
ship?

Answer: The people are waiting to welcome the captain of the ship with bouquets and
garlands of flowers.

Question 5: The crowds on the shore are eagerly waiting to felicitate

the Captain. How?

Answer: People have brought bouquets, ribboned garlands to felicitate the Captain and they
are also calling him.

Question 6: What are the signs that the Captain has passed away?

Answer: There are blood drops, the Captain has fallen cold, motionless and his lips are pale and
still. These signs indicate the Captain has passed away.

O Captain My Captain Questions & Answers

Question 7: ‘……..dear father! This arm beneath your head…..’

Why do you think the speaker in the poem put his arm under the
Captain’s head?

Answer: The Captain is lying cold. The speaker puts his arms under the captain’s head hoping
that the captain would get up. The speaker is hoping against hope.

Question 8: Describe the grief that the speaker in the poem feels at the
death of his Captain.

Answer: The speaker in the poem addresses the captain ardently. He appeals to the captain to
rise up. He puts his arms beneath the head of the dead captain. He also tells the captain to see the
flinging flags, colourful bouquets, ringing bells brought for him. At the end, the speaker
understands that the captain wouldn’t get up, so he mournfully walks away from him.

Question 9: Find out who the speaker addresses in the first two
stanzas and the last stanza.

Answer: In the first two stanzas, the speaker addresses the ‘Captain’ and to the ‘heart’.

In the last stanza, the speaker addresses the shores and the bells.
Question 10: “Exult O shores, and ring O bells!” Who says this? Who
exult and why?

Answer: The poet Walt Whitman says this. The people of America express their joy as their
country has triumphed over the violent Civil War under the able leadership of Abraham Lincoln.
The system of slavery which was curse for them has been done away with.

Question 11: Read and answer the questions:

“The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won.”
(a) Who is the speaker?

Answer: The poet, Walt Whitman is the speaker.

(b) What do you mean by “The ship has weathered every rack”?

Answer: “The ship has weathered every rack” means that the ship has overcome all the dangers
and the captain has come out triumphant through the trip which further means that Abraham
Lincoln who is imagined as the captain has controlled the Civil War in America.

Question 12: Read and answer the questions:

(a) Who is ‘you’ here?

Answer: ‘You’ refers to the captain.

(b) Where are ‘they’?

Answer: They are at the shore of the sea.

(c) Why is there a crowd?

Answer: There is a crowd because they want to welcome their captain.

Question 13: Read and answer the questions:

Exult O shores, and rings, O bells!

(a) When and why does the speaker say this?

Answer: The speaker says this when they are returning home because they got the victory in
civil war.

(b) What bells are being referred to here?

Answer: The bells of victory are referred here.

(c) What has happened on the deck?

Answer: The dead body of the captain has been laid on the deck.

O Captain My Captain Questions & Answers

Question 14: Describe the mixed feelings expressed in stanza I?

Answer: In the stanza I, the speaker shows his happiness on the victory of the civil war in the
USA. At the same time, he laments over the death of his captain Abraham Lincoln.

Question 15: What does the speaker want the captain to hear and see
in stanza 2?

Answer: The speaker wants the captain to hear the bells and the bugle and to see the flag which
is flung for him.

Question 16: In what two ways is the voyage ‘closed and done’?

Answer: Firstly, the ship has arrived safe and sound on the port and secondly, its captain is
dead. In this way, the voyage is ‘closed and done’.

Question 17: While everyone is celebrating on the shore what is the

speaker doing?

Answer: While everyone is celebrating on the shore, the speaker/poet is mournful on the deck
where the dead body of the captain is laid.

Question 18: What do ‘the bleeding drops of red’ mean figuratively

and literally?

Answer: ‘The bleeding drops of red’ means the captain is dead, his body is laid on the deck and
the blood is oozing from his body.

Question 19: How does the speaker react to the whole situation?

Answer: The speaker is very sad about the death of his captain but he asked his countrymen to
enjoy and celebrate the victory while he himself is lamenting over the death of his captain.

Question 20: What does the way the speaker addresses the captain in
the poem reveal about his feelings towards the captain?

Answer: The way the speaker addresses the captain shows that he has a huge love and respect in
his heart for the captain.

Question 21: The poem ends with the refrain ‘fallen cold and dead’.
How does this refrain contribute to the mood of the poem?

Answer: The refrain ‘fallen cold and dead’ changes the happy mood of the poem into the sorrow
one. The speaker becomes sad at the end of the poem because his captain is dead.

Question 22: Name the figure of speech used in: O Captain! My

Captain!

Answer: Metaphor

O Captain My Captain Questions & Answers

Question 23: Who is the Captain? Why is he called so?

Answer: The poet imagines Abraham Lincoln as the Captain of the ship. He is called so because
just like an expert captain of a ship, President Abraham Lincoln brought down the Civil War and
protected and preserved the integrity of the country.

Question 24: “It is some dream on the deck.” What is the ‘dream’
referred to here and why does the poet call it ‘some dream’?

Answer: The poet could not believe the stern reality of the President’s death as he had deep love
and respect for him. Such heart-rending news was unbelievable to him and he thought his death
as a dream as this was the only source of consolation. So, he thinks that Abraham Lincoln lying in
a pool of blood on the deck was a dream.

Question 25: Read and answer the questions:

“The ship is anchored safe and sound….”.

(a) What does the ship refer to?

Answer: The ship refers to America.

(b) Explain briefly the meaning of this line.

Answer: The poet says that the ship (America) whose captain was Abraham Lincoln had to face
the stormy and turbulent sea. However, the Captain was an expert and he brought the ship safely
ashore. It has now been anchored well and is safe from storms which means under the effective
leadership of Lincoln, the Civil War was successfully brought down and thus, the unity and
integrity of the country was protected and preserved.

Question 26: Read and answer the questions:

(a) Who is ‘I’ referred to here?

Answer: ‘I’ is referred to the poet Walt Whitman.

(b) Why does the poet mourn?

Answer: The poet is extremely shocked at the death of the President who shed his blood to
strengthen the unity of the country. Such a heart-rending news was unbelievable to him and he is
heavy with grief. Instead of joining the people who were celebrating the victory, he was lamenting
the leader’s death which is an irreparable loss for the whole nation.

Question 27: Read and answer the questions:

(a) Who is addressed as ‘Captain’?

Answer: The President of America, Abraham Lincoln is addressed as ‘Captain’.

(b) Why does the poet address him as ‘dear father’?

Answer: The poet addresses him as ‘dear father’ because to him, Lincoln was the guide and
guardian of the whole nation who brought down the Civil War and protected and preserved the
integrity of the country. So, he is worthy to become father of the nation and that I why, he
addresses him as ‘dear father’.

(c) Why does the poet place his hand under the Captain’s head?
Answer: The poet could not believe that the President was dead and he wanted him to stand up
and give response to his call. So, he places his hand under his head to enable him to stand up.

Question 28: “Our fearful trip is done.” What is the meaning of ‘trip’
and why is it called ‘fearful’?

Answer: Here, the ‘trip’ means journey by sea and it actually refers to the Civil War. It is called
fearful because the Civil War was violent and bloody and it threatened the integrity of America.

Question 29: Comment on the title of the poem, O Captain! My

Captain!

Or

Write the central idea of the poem.

Answer: The poem is an elegy mourning the tragic death of the President, Abraham Lincoln. He
is imagined as a captain of the ship which represents America. Just like an expert captain of a
ship, President Abraham Lincoln brought down the Civil War and protected and preserved the
integrity of the country. The poet is overwhelmed with grief and is lamenting the leader’s death
which is an irreparable loss for the whole nation.

Question 30: Do you think that this poem is an elegy?

Answer: The elegy is a poem of mournfulness. In this poem, the features of an elegy are present
as the poem opens with the note of sadness of the death of the President. However, it ends on a
note of joy of the leader’s victory. The poet laments the leader’s death so, the poem can be called
an elegy.