O Captain! My Captain and Elegy for JFK, poems that reflect feelings of dealing with death, in their case the death of a president. President Lincoln and John F. Kennedy respectively. The stronger of the two poems is the Elegy for JFK. Though Whitman 's poem is well written and full of emotion, Auden expresses the theme of loss so much better than that of Whitman’s work; It’s easy to comprehend, has a better understanding of the importance of remembrance, and Auden’s execution is superior. The feeling of loss is something every person has experienced in some way, and Auden managed to capture that feeling in Elegy for JFK firmly. Whitman tries to convey his theme of loss through a story of a sailor that lost his captain, the sense of loss is indeed conveyed well, but feel like it 's giving off an underlying sense of hopelessness, ¨Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.” (Whitman 23-24) Through the man 's acceptance of his captain 's death, the hopelessness peaks throughout. Giving off a message that death is something that can defeat you, you can’t do anything to prevent it, and you should feel hopeless about it. Auden’s poem has an underlying feeling of hope, yes death is something that is sad, but we shouldn’t dwell on it, we take it in stride and move on as best we can. “What he was, he was: What he is fated to become depends on us”(Auden 7-9) a much better message to give for dealing with loss. The feeling of hopelessness is very relatable, as everyone has