Whitman's work received significant attention following praise for Leaves of Grass by American transcendentalist lecturer and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. The brief volume, first released in 1855, was considered controversial by some, with critics particularly objecting to Whitman's blunt depictions of sexuality and the poem's "homoerotic overtones". Whitman intended to write a distinctly American epic and developed a free verse style inspired by the cadences of the King James Bible. Walt Whitman established his reputation as a poet in the late 1850s to early 1860s with the 1855 release of Leaves of Grass. It is famously featured in Dead Poets Society (1989) and is frequently associated with the star of that film, Robin Williams. The poem has made several appearances in popular culture as it never mentions Lincoln, it has been invoked upon the death of several other heads of state. Critical opinion has shifted since the mid-20th century, with some scholars deriding it as conventional and unoriginal. These elements likely contributed to the poem's initial positive reception and popularity, with many celebrating it as one of the greatest American works of poetry. Stylistically, the poem is uncharacteristic of Whitman's poetry because of its rhyming, song-like flow, and simple " ship of state" metaphor. He later included it in the collection Leaves of Grass and recited the poem at several lectures on Lincoln's death. "My Captain" was first published in The Saturday Press on November 4, 1865, and appeared in Sequel to Drum-Taps later that year. Although he never met Lincoln, Whitman felt a connection to him and was greatly moved by Lincoln's assassination. Together with " When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", " Hush'd Be the Camps To-day", and " This Dust was Once the Man", it is one of four poems written by Whitman about the death of Lincoln.ĭuring the American Civil War, Whitman moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the government and volunteered at hospitals. Well received upon publication, the poem was Whitman's first to be anthologized and the most popular during his lifetime. " O Captain! My Captain!" is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the death of U.S. She lives in Cork with her husband and three school-going children.Printed copy of "O Captain! My Captain!" with revision notes by Whitman, 1888 She teaches English and has had creative work published in The Honest Ulsterman, The Blue Nib and Crossways. As a journalist, she has written for the Evening Echo and writes a weekly column on education in Ireland for the Irish Examiner entitled ‘The Secret Diary of an Irish Teacher’. Jennifer Horgan is a teacher and journalist who has spent the last fifteen years in classrooms in Ireland and abroad. The book closes where it began, in considering the role of the teacher – what the parameters of that role should be in a classroom devoted to helping children find their own individual paths and encouraging them to tell their own stories. The writer believes that a removal of a rigid, academic approach to education would allow more time to discuss the physical and social realities of young people’s lives and bodies. In the later chapters the author places much focus on the importance of objective sex education in Irish schools, referring to rising rates of harassment and violence in our universities. There is a deep concern for social justice throughout. The book makes the claim that removing the stress and the singularity of the Leaving Cert could liberate Irish students. Our competitive drive in education is presented as yet another form of oppression in our country – following on from the abuses of the Church and colonialism. The author suggests a breakdown in this respect, linked to the classrooms of the past and a growing pressure on students to perform well in a market-run system. In the opening chapters the author considers attitudes towards teachers in Ireland. It suggests that our students and our broader society might be more fulfilled and safer as a result. It considers the type of learning that might happen in our classrooms without the demands of a single set of high-stakes exams. The book imagines what our education system might look like without the Leaving Cert and the CAO system. It aims to reach anyone interested in education, from teachers and academics to parents and young people. It is written in an engaging style that draws on personal experience as well as research. ‘O Captain, My Captain’ is a book about one teacher’s hope for change in the Irish education system.
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