Available Answers

1. 1.

   O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
   The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
   The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting

   1. A persona is the person who speaks in a poem. Who is the persona?
   2. Who is the persona addressing in these lines?
   3. Who is exulting, and where are they?
2. 2.

   My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
   My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;

   1. What is the relationship between the captain and the persona?
   2. Why does the captain not answer?
   3. What words would you use to describe the mood of these lines?
3. 3.

   Contrast the mood on the shore to the mood on the ship.
4. 4.

   Which is the most often repeated phrase in the second stanza of the poem? What effect does the poet wish to create through this repetition?
5. 5.

   An elegy is a poem that both honours and mourns a person. Illustrate how this poem is an elegy.