Poetry Slam!: "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman's famous "O Captain! My Captain!" is a tribute to Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War and a mournful remembrance after the President's assassination. Read the full poem here.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. weather
    face and withstand with courage
    The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won
    The ship has weathered every kind of weather and severe damage ("rack" is a variation of "wrack"); the ship of State and its people have weathered both physical storms and intense emotional anguish ("rack" can also be a verb or noun that's connected to torture).
  2. steady
    securely in position; not shaky
    The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
    While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring
  3. keel
    one of the main longitudinal beams of the hull of a vessel
    The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
    While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring
  4. vessel
    a craft designed for water transportation
    The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
    While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring
  5. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
    While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring
    The "vessel" could be both the ship that represents the nation and Lincoln as the means through which a new nation was formed. The adjective "grim" could describe Lincoln's physical appearance (although often pictured that way, he enjoyed telling dirty and inappropriate jokes); it also means "not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty" and this could describe the manner he had to take to keep the Union together.
  6. trill
    sing or play alternating with the half note above or below
    Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills
  7. bouquet
    an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
    For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding
  8. wreath
    a circular band of flowers or other foliage
    For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding
  9. sway
    move back and forth
    For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning
  10. eager
    having or showing keen interest or intense desire
    For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning
  11. anchor
    secure a vessel with a mechanical device
    The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done
  12. victor
    a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
    From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won
  13. exult
    feel extreme happiness or elation
    Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
  14. mournful
    filled with or evoking sadness
    But I, with mournful tread,
    Walk the deck my Captain lies,
    Fallen cold and dead.
  15. tread
    a step in walking or running
    But I, with mournful tread,
    Walk the deck my Captain lies,
    Fallen cold and dead.
Created on Tue Jun 04 19:01:49 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Jul 07 13:24:48 EDT 2022)

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