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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 5 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which technique is evident in the phrase "for you the flag is flung" (line 10)?

2. Line 4, "While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring," contains examples of which techniques?

3. What feature of the Captain's face does line 17 focus on?

4. Which is the best interpretation of line 9, when the speaker urges "O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells"?

5. What does it mean that the people are "exulting"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What elements of the poem's diction establish a warm and personal relationship between the speaker and the captain?

2. What ironic contrast do the poem's images highlight?

3. Explain the allegorical nature of the poem's central conceit.

4. What evidence is there that the speaker is struggling to understand and process the captain's death?

5. Describe the form of "O Captain! My Captain!"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Go online and read Whitman's poem "Each Has His Grief." Then, write an essay in which you compare and contrast messages about death and the isolating nature of grief in this poem and in "O Captain! My Captain!" Use quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems in support of your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Go online and read Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Autumn: A Dirge." Write an essay comparing and contrasting the mournful and song-like features of this poem with those in "O Captain! My Captain!" Offer both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems in defense of your observations.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that analyzes Whitman's use of synecdoche and metonymy in "O Captain! My Captain!" Identify where these techniques are used in the poem and explain the meaning of each instance. Then, explore the relationship these techniques assert between individuals and groups and tie this to the poem's overall meaning.

(see the answer keys)

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