O Captain! My Captain! Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. Why do people feel as though they have such close, emotionally extreme relationships with their political leaders?
  2. Who guides the nation, the people or its leaders?
  3. Can art help heal the wounds of a nation after a tremendous loss?
  4. How important is the historical context (i.e., knowing about Lincoln and the Civil War) to a poem like “O Captain! My Captain!”?
  5. How do we react to the suffering of one person compared to the suffering of a nation of people?