who said we have nothing to lose but our chains
Workers of the world, unite! The political slogan "Workers of the world, unite!" is one of the most famous rallying cries from The Communist Manifesto (1848)[1][2][3][self-published source][4][5] by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (German: Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch!, literally "Proletarians of all countries, unite!",[6] but soon popularised in English as "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!").[6][a] A variation of this phrase ("Workers of all lands, unite") is also inscribed on Marx's tombstone.[8] The essence of the slogan is that members of the working classes throughout the world should cooperate to achieve victory in class conflict.
O Captain! My Captain! The fallen captain in the poem refers to Abraham Lincoln, captain of the ship that is the United States of America. The first line establishes the poem's mood, one of relief that the Civil War has ended, "our fearful trip is done." The next line references the ship, America, and how it has "weathered every rack", meaning America has braved the tough storm of the Civil War, and "the prize we sought", the preservation of the Union, "is won". The following line expresses a mood of jubilation of the Union winning the war as it says "the people all exulting;" however, the next line swiftly shifts the mood when it talks of the grimness of the ship, and the darker side of the war. Many lost their lives in the American Civil War, and although the prize that was sought was won, the hearts still ache amidst the exultation of the people. The repetition of heart in line five calls attention to the poet's vast grief and heartache because the Captain has bled and lies still, cold, and dead (lines six through eight). This is no doubt referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and Whitman's sorrow for the death of his idol.