Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain!...

Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar Life and death are recurring topics in literature; they are not often referred to directly, but are inferred from figurative language. In Walt Whitman’s poem entitled â€Å"O Captain! My Captain† from his anthology of poems, Leaves of Grass, he describes the passing of Abraham Lincoln through the use of an extended metaphor. Similarly, â€Å"Crossing the Bar,† by Lord Alfred Tennyson, from his collection of poetry, Demeter and Other Poems, alludes to one’s preparation for his or her own death. At times, the two authors utilize similar techniques, employing various figurative language devices such as extended metaphors, diction and format, which all work†¦show more content†¦Both Tennyson and Whitman utilize extended metaphors involving nautical references to discuss issues regarding death. In Tennyson’s poem, at the end of three of the four stanzas, the speaker refers to the times, â€Å"When I put out to sea† (4), â€Å"When I embark†(12) and â€Å"When I have crost the bar† (16), which all are alluding to a time in the future when he will reach the end of his time on earth. The focus of Tennyson’s journey is a specific point in the future, when the speaker will face death. This is opposite of Whitman’s poem, as the speaker proclaims â€Å"our fearful trip is done† (1) to the Captain. The Captain’s life is over, as he has â€Å"fallen cold and dead† (8) on the deck of the tattered ship. It is an elegiac remembrance of the fallen leader of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and his experiences leading the country. The poets utilize the sea as a means of expressing the separate journeys, as Whitman’s â€Å"Captain† (1) died after a long time at sea, and the speaker in Tennyson’s poem is preparing to embark on his journey at sea, to face God and the end of his time. The diction in the two poems invokes various images and emotions, which involve the poets’ expressions of two different journeys at sea. In Whitman’s poem, the descriptions of completed journey invoke happiness, as the ship