S Language AS 8 &
4 (ST 2019-20) UPDATED
The keel is the part of a ship that provides stability
What is Whitman referring to with the phrase "the
steady keel"?
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!"
Walt Whitman
O Lincoln's re-election as president
O the president's death
O the horrific injuries the soldiers suffered during the
war
O the idea of freedom that the United States stands
for