Question

Where an how does Whitman address each of the three stages of loss commonto an elegy in ocaptain my captain

Answer 1

Explanation:

In the first stanza, the speaker expresses his relief that the ship has reached its home port at last and describes hearing people cheering.

In the second stanza, the speaker implores the Captain to "rise up and hear the bells," wishing the dead man could witness the elation.

In the final stanza, the speaker juxtaposes his feelings of mourning and pride.

These lines reflect the speaker’s grief over the death of the “Captain,” who represents President Abraham Lincoln. The repetition of the word heart, followed by exclamation points, signals the speaker’s horror and sadness over the captain’s death. The phrase “the bleeding drops of red” also conveys a feeling of horror and heartbreak. In the final lines of the stanza, the speaker leaves us with a vivid image of the captain lying “cold” and lifeless on the deck of the ship. This image communicates the speaker’s mournful and disturbed state of mind at the death of the captain.