SAINT PAUL’S SCHOOL, RAJKOT

Subject: ENGLISH

Std. VIII Div. _____ Name: ________________________ Roll No.: _____ Date: ____________

Poem - 4
O Captain! My Captain
By Walt Whitman
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The American Civil War of 1861 that took place between the northern and southern
states of what is now the USA left a deep impression on the poet’s mind. Abraham
Lincoln steered the northern states to victory and succeeded in abolishing slavery of
black people four years later in 1865. Lincoln was assassinated in the same year,
leaving behind a country that was mournful and despairing.
Whitman uses the metaphor of a victorious ship and its dead captain to represent his
country at the death of their leader, Abraham Lincoln. This poem describes the
sorrow felt by the poet at their leader’s death.
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Walt Whitman (1819-92) was an American poet and journalist. He is often

called the father of free verse. He was adept at using literary devices in a simple
yet clever way that made his words come alive in the minds of the readers. ‘O
Captain! My Captain!’ is one of his best known poems. His most important
work is his collection of poems Leaves of Grass, which he kept expanding and
revising until his death.
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 O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Word Meanings
1) Despairing - feeling extremely hopeless
2) Fearful trip - terrible and dangerous journey.
3) Weather’d (here) - withstood
4) Rack (here) - adversity, a cluster or group of dark clouds.
5) Exulting - rejoicing
6) Keel - a long piece of timber or metal along the bottom of
a boat to keep it steady.
7) Bugle - a small brass instrument like a trumpet.
8) Grim - serious, formidable, severe.
9) Wreath - a circular arrangement of flowers and leaves put on
graves and monuments for the dead.
 10) Mass - a crowd of people gathered together.
11) Sway - swinging from side to side.
12) Mournful - sorrowful.
13) Tread - step.

Listen to the poem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMuZ50QMG-w

COMPREHENSION
A. Write whether the following statements are true or false.
1. The poet describes his feelings of joy in the poem.
2. The Captain dies after the victory.
3. The people feel sentiments of joy.
4. The poet is clearly mournful about the death of their leader.
5. The Captain is a father figure for the poet.

B. Answer the following questions.

1. What does the ship signify in the poem? Explain the line The ship has
weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won.’
2. The poet places his arm beneath his Captain's head. What does this signify?
3. Do you think that the Captain is more than just a leader to the poet? Give
reasons for your answer.
4. What does the poet wish to imply with the line 'The ship is anchor'd safe and
sound, its voyage closed and done?
5. What does the poet do while others exult?

C. Reflect and answer.

1. The first two of the three stanzas are addressed to the Captain. How and
what does it add to the meaning of the poem?
2. The poet writes,... for you the shores a-crowding/For you they call, the
swaying mass: What does this imply?
3. Do you think that this poem adequately expresses both joy and grief?
Elaborate with reasons.
4. On what note does the poem end? What feeling does it leave the readers
with?

GRAMMAR

FINITE AND NON FINITE VERBS

Finite verbs
A finite verb is the main verb in a sentence. It’s the root word that drives the rest of the
sentence. Almost every verb in the English language can be used as a finite verb as long as it
has these qualities in a sentence:

● a subject

● agreement with the subject

● Show the tense

Examples of Finite Verbs

It’s easier to find finite verbs in a sentence than it seems. No matter how long or short the
sentence is, there is always at least one finite verb.

● Orlando swims three times a week.

● I cooked dinner last Thursday.

● Shawna is a teacher.

● We had a chemistry lesson yesterday.

● Our study group worked really late last night.

The rest of the sentence depends on the finite verb. Finite verbs can be action verbs or helping
verbs. They can appear in both dependent and independent clauses, as long as they have a
subject, agree with that subject, and are set in either present or past tense.

Non Finite Verbs

A non-finite verb cannot serve as the main verb in an independent clause. In practical terms,
this means that they don’t serve as the action of a sentence. They also don’t have a tense.
While the sentence around them may be past, present, or future tense, the non-finite verbs
themselves are neutral.

There are three types of non-finite verbs: gerunds, participles, and infinitives.
Gerunds

Gerunds all end in -ing: skiing, reading, dancing, singing, etc. Gerunds act like nouns and can
serve as subjects or objects of sentences. They can be created using active or helping verbs:
Look at these sentences. Notice how the -ing words are used in these sentences.
 ● Wrestling is popular in India. (Subject of the sentence)

● I enjoy reading English poetry. (Object of the sentence)

● He is fond of drinking cold coffee. (Object of the preposition)

● What I quite detest is lying. (Complement of the verb)

Participles

A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb,
or verb phrase, and then plays a role similar to an adjective or adverb. It is one of the types of
nonfinite verb forms.

The two types of participle in English are traditionally called the present participle (forms such
as writing, singing and raising) and the past participle (forms such as written, sung and raised).

Present participle forms of verbs always end in -ing. Such words represent actions that are
going on, or are incomplete.

For example,

● We saw a man polishing his shoes.

● Noticing a strange animal, we moved away.

The highlighted words are present participles that have been used as verbs and as adjectives
connected to the underlined noun or pronoun.

Past participle forms of verbs usually end in -ed/-t/-n. They describe actions that have been
completed.

For example,

● Duped by our tour guide, we returned to the hotel.

● We saw a few women bent by the weight of heavy sacks.

The highlighted words are past participles that have been used as verbs and as adjectives
modifying the underlined noun and pronoun.

Infinitives

The infinitive is the basic dictionary form of a verb, usually preceded by to (when it’s not, it’s
called the bare infinitive, which we’ll discuss more later). Thus to go is an infinitive. There are
several different uses of the infinitive. They can be used alongside verbs, as a noun phrase, as a
modifier, or in a question.

An infinitive can be used-

● As the subject of the verbin a sentence. For example, To lie is bad.

● As the object of the verb in a sentence. For example, I want to dance.

● As the subject of the verb, but it also takes an object of its own. For example, to
respect our parents is our duty.

● As the object of the verb, but it also takes an object of its own. For example, I
expect to complete the task.

● As the object of the verb, and also be modified by an adverb. For example, Many of
the singers preferred to sing softly.

● To qualify an adjective or a noun. For example,

This is not the time to laze.

Quinine is bitter to taste.

● As the object of a preposition. For example, The concert is about to end.

● As the complement of a verb. For example, This is to ensure your safety.

We usually use to with the infinitive. However it is not essential. Look at these instances where
we do not use to.

● With modals. For example, The child may go.

● After verbs of perception like see, hear, watch, know and feel. For example, I saw
the clouds gather in the sky.
 ● After verbs like make and let. For example, 1. Paula made him cry. 2. Let me do
this now

● After the conjunction but. For example, The child did nothing but sleep.

● After had better, had rather, sooner than, etc. For example, She had better leave
now.

A. Replace the underlined words as directed:

1. He loves to dance and to sing. (gerund)

2. It is no good to get upset. (gerund)

3. The teacher told him that he should study hard. She further advised him that
he should revise all the work done. (suitable infinitive construction)

4. Jim has decided that he is going to buy a car this summer. (suitable infinitive
construction)

B. Fill in the blanks with the infinitive form of the verb given in the brackets:

1. Do you want…………(come) to the shop with me.

2. You don’t need…………(leave) yet-it’s not late.

3. Don’t forget……….(take) your umbrella with you.

4. My parents are planning………..(go) abroad.

5. How long do you expect………..(stay) in Chandigarh?

6. ……….(learn) English quickly is not an easy thing.

7. Nita’s apprehensive of……….(hurt) her.

8. She promised…………(give) it as soon as possible.

C. Pick out the participle in each of these sentences and state whether it is participial
adjective, present participle, past participle or perfect participle:

1. The long journey is tiring.

2. Learned men will never agree.

 3. I met a girl weeping inconsolably.

4. The selected articles are in this folder.

5. Beaten by the enemy, the soldiers retreated.

6. Drawing out his sword, the prince advanced.

7. Having finished the painting, the artist relaxed.

8. The delightful song echoed across the valley.

9. The inspector transferred to this district is a close friend.

10. Having borrowed some books, he is now ready for the exams.

D. Join these pairs of sentences by using participles:

1. The money is collected easily. It has no value.

2. They travelled the whole day. They felt very tired.

3. He was irritated by the discussion. He walked out.

4. The lion attacked the hunter. He was driven by rage.

5. I found the door wide open. I entered the precincts of the temple.

6. He took a picture of the bird. The bird was flying overhead.

E. Identify the participles and gerunds in these sentences:

1. I prefer walking.

2. Being satisfied, we agreed to buy the car.

3. Hearing the sound, the bird flew away.

4. Children love building castles in the sand and decorating them.

5. We insisted on complaining to the police about the disturbing incidents.

6. We have succeeded in convincing the authorities about the need to protect the
tribes living in remote villages.

7. Noticing the clouds gathering in the distant sky, we decided to leave in the vehicle
parked near the gate.
F. A daughter has written a letter to her mother describing the journey that she and her
younger brother undertook to see their uncle. Complete the letter using appropriate non-
finites: (-ing, -ed, ‘to’ verb forms)

Dear Mother,

It would perhaps interest you a)............. that we mostly b)............. The time of our journey in
c)............out of the windows of the carriage. We saw sheep and cows d)...........fields. We both
e).............count each flock, but f).............is our attempt. When the journey was over we were
g).............by our uncle at the railway station.

Love

Reema

G. Pick out the non-finite verbs in the following text:

KAFFOL

Your best protection against heart trouble!

Make kaffol part of your family’s total health care plan,

together with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Light and easy to digest, kaffol can be used for cooking,

frying, baking and in salad dressing to prepare all kinds of

tasty dishes.

Start your family on Kaffol, Today!

Good for your heart

Good for your family’s health

 APPRECIATION - Extended Metaphor
You are familiar with the concept of metaphors. It is a figure of speech in which we
call one thing by another name, even if they are unrelated.
Ameena is a night owl.
In this sentence, by calling Ameena a night owl we mean that she stays up
late at night. It is not meant literally. This is an example of a metaphor.
In an extended metaphor, the metaphor is continued and developed over
several lines or even an entire literary piece. The literary piece may be a poem
or a prose text.

The poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' is an example of an extended metaphor.

The poem appears to be about the grief of a sailor mourning the death of his ship's
captain who led a victorious campaign. The captain dies just as the ship returns to
its homeland.

However, the Captain is a metaphor for Abraham Lincoln. His ship is his country,
America. The prize won under his leadership is the abolition of slavery. Lincoln died
just when he had achieved a long-awaited victory. Whitman is the sailor who mourns
the death of his leader. This metaphor is developed throughout the poem and
continues till the end.