Journal of English Language and Education
Vol 10, No 3 (2025)

A Pragmatic Stylistic Analysis of the poem‘O Captain! My Captain!’ by Walt Whitman

Murtias, Latifa Nanda (Unknown)
Silpandi, Neviya (Unknown)
Batubara, Vinjellina (Unknown)
Ahmad, Sophie Meilatifah (Unknown)
Rangkuti, Rahmadsyah (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
23 May 2025

Abstract

This study analyzes the poem O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman using pragmatic stylistic analysis based on speech acts, deixis, and implicature. It adopts a qualitative descriptive analytic model and seeks to answer the question of how Whitman’s linguistic choices affect the emotional and communicative dimensions of the poem. It’s found that expressive, directive, and commission speech acts create feelings of grief, admiration, and a promise of remembrance. Personal, temporal, and spatial deixes emphasize the relationship between the speaker, the deceased leader, and the historical context. The message of the poem, the irony of victory hidden in deep loss, is revealed through implicature. This study shows that Whitman’s choice of language in the elegy touches the hearts of the nation. The study reveals the importance of carrying out a pragmatic stylistic analysis of poetry to discover more meanings behind the text.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jele

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Other

Description

Journal of English Language and Education (pISSN: 2597-6850 and eISSN: 2502-4132) is a journal that focuses on researching or documenting issues in education, language education, applied linguistics, English education, English language teaching, English Literature, language assessment and ...