O Captain! My Captain

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O Captain! My Captain

• Reflecting on President Lincoln

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Lets Review

• What do you remember about Abraham Lincoln from
  our last selection?

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The Captain of our Nation

• Background
• Walt Whitman, a famous American poet, wrote this
  poem about Abraham Lincoln shortly after his
  assassination. Whitman wanted to capture the
  sense of tragedy that suddenly overwhelmed the
  nation.

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Essential Question

• How do writers use poetry to teach us about the
  past?
• After we read the poem, be prepared to answer
  this essential question.

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Lincolns Death

• He was assassinated on April 14, 1865, only five
  days after the end of the Civil War.
• It was the first murder of a president in the
  history of the United States.
• What would have happened if Lincoln didnt die?

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Create a WordSplash

• On a sheet of notebook paper, list any words that
  relate to captain. Try to think of a least
  eight (8) words.
• Now, try to group those words into categories.

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Create an Acrostic

• Think about the word admire. Create an
  acrostic in your notes using words that relate to
  admire.
• You can use qualities that we admire in people or
  synonyms for the word.
• A
• D
• M
• I
• R
• E

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Essential Question 2

• What can we learn from extended metaphors in
  poetry?
• Extended metaphors compare two people, places, or
  things at some length and in several ways without
  using like or as. We learn more about a subject
  and understand it better when it is compared to
  something else.
• In this poem, Whitman compares Lincoln to the
  captain of a ship.

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As We Read . . .

• Look for descriptions that illustrate the
  extended metaphors used throughout the poem.
• Also, think about the tone presented through
  those same descriptions.

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Literary Analysis

• Look on page 781 of your textbook.
• With a partner, complete the Paired Activity.
  Try to think of all the comparisons between
  Lincoln and a ships captain.

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More Literary Analysis

• Based on your knowledge of poetry, make a list of
  all the literary techniques used in this poem.
• Think back to our grid sheet.