Based on the preview, what is the overall tone of the poem? Brainstorm as many words as possible that could be used to describe the tone or mood that this preview elicits in its description of O Captain! My Captain! b. After viewing, use the following questions to spur a discussion: a. As a group, watch the video preview of the premium lesson. Close inspection of the poem will allow students to note its use of poetic devices as they prepare to think, discuss, and write textually-rooted responses to the piece, consistent with the Common Core Standards for the middle school grades. The poem captures rich themes of national mourning and patriotism. Whitman s poem is an extended metaphor positing the assassinated president as a fallen captain of a sea vessel. Practice and reinforce the following Grade 8 ELA Common Core Standards for reading literature, writing, and speaking and listening: Time READING: LITERATURE RL.8.1-5, 7, 10 WRITING W SPEAKING AND LISTENING SL minutes (with up to an additional 250 minutes of extension possibilities) Materials SyncTV Premium Lesson on Walt Whitman s O Captain! My Captain! Overview Considered by many to be the grandfather of American poetry, O Captain! My Captain is Whitman s famous eulogy to President Abraham Lincoln, assassinated at Ford s Theatre in April of 1865, mere days after the end of the U.S Civil War.
Engage students in the figurative language, imagery, diction, sounds and themes of O Captain! My Captain! so they may develop an understanding of the poem s meaning and are prepared to discuss and write, both critically and creatively, about the poem s suggestions regarding the nature of mourning. The speaker’s emotional mourning is proof of that.1 StudySync Lesson Plan O Captain! My Captain! Objectives 1. It is a real, human tragedy that we should all be deeply affected by. The captain’s death is not just some abstract political event. In that way, the speaker’s affection is a model for us, the audience. He’s a person who is loved and mourned by the speaker. He’s not just some talking head, a leader with whom we can’t connect. More importantly, his love makes this captain seem more human. His love for the captain strikes us as genuine. Still, this speaker does not come across as the type to rifle through the captain’s garbage or try to chase him through the streets for a cheap photo. We know there are people out there who get way too wrapped up in celebrities, and frankly we would cross the street if we saw these folks coming our way.
Of course, we’re kidding here, but the point is that this speaker has a very strong connection to the captain, just as Walt Whitman felt strongly about Abraham Lincoln.īy today’s standards, such unbridled attraction to a public figure is (a) kind of common ( for example) and (b) kind of creepy. He’s got all the trading cards, is president of the fan club, and even has an old piece of gum that the captain once chewed. The speaker of “O Captain! My Captain” is super-fanboy #1.
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