What does the poet mean by Our fearful trip is done NU In O Captain My Captain Walt Whitman - mourns the death of Abraham Lincoln Lincoln was assassinated just after the victory in the American Civil War - In this poem the captain represents Abraham Lincoln The ship represents America So fearful trip means the terrible American Civil War The Fearful Trip The Civil War was a very hard and painful time for the country Thousands of people died and the nation was broken into two parts But finally the war ended The then president Abraham Lincoln led the nation to victory and to be united The war ended the slavery system So when Whitman says Our fearful trip is done he means that the war is over and America has reached safety The Ship and the Captain In the poem Whitman compares America to a ship The ship