...of the Ancient Mariner Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of an Ancient Mariner" is a lyrical ballad that seems to be more like a miniscule adventurous story. However, not only it is a ballad depicting the adventure of an old mariner who is cursed for the entirety of his life because he kills an albatross; even deeper than that, it is also a religious allegory that conveys a plethora of themes pertaining to Christianity. On one hand, if a person were to read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" simply as a tale at sea, the poem stands to be remarkable because of its rhyme of simplicity and easy flow. On the other hand, if one reads much deeper into the intricate details, symbolism, themes, and literary aspects, Coleridge will have produced a masterpiece in their eyes. Furthermore, a multitude of critics agree that there are several connotations that signify religion in this ballad; however, very few agree upon it being an allegory that mainly reflects the specific ideology of Christianity. Christianity preaches that life is basically a test by which we either pass and go to heaven, or fail and go to hell. Also, the human body is a victim of the human thought and action, which is represented by the soul. Therefore, in relation to the ballad, we can refer to the ship as the human body and the Mariner who steers the ship and leads it to destruction as the human soul. This ship led by the Mariner goes through a trial of storm and winds, but fails because of the Mariner. In Christianity...
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...The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (originally The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere) is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–98 and was published in 1798 in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. Modern editions use a later revised version printed in 1817 that featured a gloss. Along with other poems in Lyrical Ballads, it was a signal shift to modern poetry and the beginning of British Romantic literature. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner relates the experiences of a sailor who has returned from a long sea voyage. The Mariner stops a man who is on the way to a wedding ceremony and begins to narrate a story. The Wedding-Guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience and fear to fascination as the Mariner's story progresses, as can be seen in the language style: for example, Coleridge uses narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create either a sense of danger, of the supernatural or of serenity, depending on the mood of each of the different parts of the poem. The Mariner's tale begins with his ship departing on its journey. Despite initial good fortune, the ship is driven south off course by a storm and eventually reaches Antarctica. An albatross (symbolizing the Christian soul) appears and leads them out of the Antarctic but, even as the albatross is praised by the ship's crew, the Mariner shoots the bird ("with my cross-bow / I shot the albatross"). The crew is angry with the Mariner, believing the albatross...
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...An Ancient Mariner, unnaturally old and skinny, with deeply-tanned skin and a "glittering eye", stops a Wedding Guest who is on his way to a wedding reception with two companions. He tries to resist the Ancient Mariner, who compels him to sit and listen to his woeful tale. One day when he was younger, the Ancient Mariner set sail with two hundred other sailors from his native land. The day was sunny and clear, and all were in high spirits until the ship reached the equator. Suddenly, a terrible storm hit and drove the ship southwards into a "rime" - a strange, icy patch of ocean. The towering "rime" was bewildering and also desolate until an Albatross appeared out of the mist. No sooner than the sailors fed it did the ice break and they were able to steer through. As long as the Albatross flew alongside the ship and the sailors treated it kindly, a good wind carried them and a mist followed. One day, however, the Ancient Mariner shot and killed the Albatross on impulse. Suddenly the wind and mist ceased, and the ship came to a standstill. The other sailors blamed the Ancient Mariner for making the wind die and praised him for making the strange mist disappear. Then things began to go wrong. The sun became blindingly hot, and there was no drinkable water. The ocean tossed with terrifying creatures. The sailors went crazy from their thirst. They hung the Albatross around the Ancient Mariner's neck as a symbol of his sin. After a painful while, a ship appeared on the horizon, and...
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...What strange tale I have read about a mariner and his gruesome journey! What power I have witness and what pain I have felt! I am still quite confused about this tale even though I have read the ‘ending’. For one where is the mariner’s family? I mean does his mother,father or even friends miss him? Is there anyone still looking for him? Someone must miss him! He’s been gone so long has his family forgotten about him? I feel as if the mariner’s sin has eaten him whole, and he, to us has become nothing more than a man who’s committed a crime and now paying for it. Though I have learned quite a lot about him through his struggles and sadness. This is such a contradiction but what I mean is I did not get to know him through any ‘normal’ circumstance...
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...In the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the significance of the line on the equator is a defining point in which the climax takes place, and where interpretations of the text provides an understanding of the Mariner’s troubles. The line is a literal representation of the hero’s journey when he is passing back out again from his home to the South Pole. Without the line, one cannot see the dichotomy between the supernatural worlds, and the natural world, and the hero’s journey would be incomplete. The goal of this paper is to connect the significance of the setting of the line to major events that occur on the equator, and to the fate of the hero’s journey. Throughout the poem, the events occurring...
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...of the poem The Wedding Guest begin to leave "A sadder and a wiser man" (7; 657), proving the Mariner's tale had an effect on him. The Mariner was able to free himself of the remorse of his sin by following the Hermit's request to tell his story. Regardless of any scrutinizing theories, whether they are critical examinations or not, Coleridge's lyrical ballad, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” continues to demonstrate a moralistic story. All can agree that the plot has a moral to impart and the Mariner's tough trials and struggles at sea, and of his life, leave him with the responsibility to notify all audiences of the life lessons he has gained. Christian roots run deep within the poem, however Coleridge created it so that a comprehensive study of Christian allegory is redundant when trying to comprehend this message. Nor is the emphasis of the importance of numbers or themes needed. In structure alone, the ballad is an exciting work of art. Its' simplicity and flow make the story of travel an interesting read. Samuel Taylor Coleridge himself might have possibly followed the "Hermit's" edict to free his own guilt by writing this poem, and sharing with his readership for his own personal repentance. Maybe it is just truly a lyrical ballad created from the vivid imagination of S.T. Coleridge’s mind. Regardless, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner succeeds in making the bizarre believable; creating detailed word-pictures, some troubled with horror, others piercing with brief visions...
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...The Lake Poets The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge hone his craft. Troubled by debt, though, he left Cambridge in 1793 and enlisted in the 15th Dragoons, a British army regiment, under the alias Silas Tomkyn Comberbache. After being rescued by his brothers, Coleridge returned to Cambridge, but he left again, in 1794, without having earned a degree. That year, Coleridge met the author Robert Southey, and together they dreamed about establishing a utopian community in the Pennsylvania wilderness of America. Southey, however, backed out of the project, and their dream was never realized. notable quote “No man was ever yet a great poet, without being at the same time a profound philosopher.” fyi Did you know that Samuel Taylor Coleridge . . . • developed a fascination with the supernatural at age five? • was known as a brilliant and captivating conversationalist? • was the most influential literary critic of his day? • liked to write poetry while walking? Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772–1834 Samuel Taylor Coleridge is famous for composing “Kubla Khan” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” considered two of the greatest English poems. As a critic and philosopher, he may have done more than any other writer to spread the ideas of the English romantic movement. Precocious Reader The youngest of ten For more on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com. children, Coleridge grew up feeling rejected by his...
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...tree, and find him weeping in sorrow. This situation is not uncommon when dealing with Nature. Nature, as simple as it seems to some, generates great power. This power is sent to us, as nature forgives only after a physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" helps implement all these teachings together. In current times, this power continues to teach us of forgiveness. With physical suffering, the power of nature shows us forgiveness many ways. In the story, the mariner betrays nature: "I shot the Albatross!" This action against nature is rather extreme, for he takes lightly to this thought of death. The Albatross, as a representative of nature, means nothing to the Mariner. These thoughts are quickly changed, though, as Nature begins to start the penance leading towards forgiveness - "Water, water, everywhere nor any drop to drink." When "the mariner begins to find his salvation when he begins to look on the 'slimy things' as creatures of strange beauty" (Fraser 203), he understands the Albatross was a symbol of nature and he realized what he had done wrong. The mariner is forgiven after sufficient penance - "We could not speak" - is performed by Nature. Nature shows us more strength as we realize that people of today often can not forgive someone who has shot or killed another person. At a spiritual level, Nature's power can decide if...
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...Analysis of The Lost Mariner In this essay I will discuss the short story, “The Lost Mariner.” This story comes from the novel, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, by Dr. Oliver Sacks (1985). The story, The Lost Mariner, details the story of Jimmie G. who has lost the ability to form new memories, due to Korsakoff's syndrome. I will begin my discussion by summarizing the story and reviewing the key neurological concepts associated. I will then address the significance of Korsakoff's syndrome on Jimmie’s occupational performance. Next, I will describe the affective responses of Dr. Sacks, Jimmie, and myself. Finally, I will provide a brief conclusion of how this story contributed to my understanding of memory...
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...Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner shoots and murders the albatross that was going along with the crew on their voyage. The Mariner shoots the albatross on a thought it was bad luck, as before the albatross joined on the journey, they had smooth sailing, but when the albatross arrived on their ship, the winds stopped and the ship was left in the freezing water stranded by themselves. The Mariner decided to exterminate the albatross thinking that it had brought bad luck to the ship, instead of the good luck they had first believed in. The sailors were upset that he murdered the albatross, but later shrugged it off and gave him the cursed albatross as a necklace, reminding him of what he had done. The Mariner decided to kill the bird in...
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... The Line of the Ancient Mariner Attempting To Explain the Unexplainable Samuel Taylor Coleridge declares an argument in Part One of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner of what is to come of The Mariner and his crew. “How a Ship having passed the Line was driven by storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean; and of the strange things that befell; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country.”(Coleridge II, 235) Coleridge stated in Biographia Literaria that he originally wanted to illustrate a disordered universe, “the incidents and agents were to be in part at least, supernatural;” (Coleridge I, 132). All who have read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner know the realm the ship sails into is a realm where the laws of logic and the scientific method are not valid. I plan to investigate the theme of “the strange things that befell” the crew after crossing “the Line”. L.J. Forstner explained the line the ship passes is not a geographic line, such as the equator, it is a line of understanding. We learned the region south of the line contains the imagination and unconscious while the region to the north of it has reason and conscious. (Piper 174) Some of the unconscious and imaginative events that happened during this time are when the albatross is given the credit for leading the crew from the South Pole. The Mariner kills the albatross...
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...Captain of my fate? “Death and Life-in-Death have diced for the ship’s crew, and she (the latter) winneth the ancient Mariner.” (Line 195). The Rime of an Ancient Mariner is a poem that narrates the story of a Mariner who, out of no apparent reason, decides to shoot an albatross when being in a ship-wreck with the rest of his crew in the South Pole. As a result, Death and Life-in-Death, two spirits that follow the crew to punish them, are to decide his fate, his life, to a game of dice. Entities beyond mortality gamble the future of a guilty, yet helpless man. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Don’t our lives seem, sometimes, the result of a game of dice being played by someone/something bigger than ourselves, even bigger than life itself? Just the fact that we are who we are is nothing but a result of chance. This statement, beyond its recklessness appearance, has an explanation consisting of three moments of existences that are determined by the roulette. The first one goes back to before we’re born. Have you ever thought of how many billions of chances were there when your parents’ genetic material mixed to create you? I, for instance, could’ve been blond, tall and smart. Or short and dumb. Or anything. But, somehow, I turned out to be me, out of what appear to be infinite chances of who I could’ve been. And this process follows no logic or intervention from our part: is the work of randomness. The second moment, chronologically, involves our environment. Where we’re born...
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...Samuel Taylor Coleridge: A Spiritual Connection Between “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and the Holy Scripture. Donald McCoy Liberty University September 15, 2014 Many authors attempt to convey some sort of message in their writings, whether it be that of Romances’ by Shelley, the plight of women in the writings of Wollstonecraft, or the political satire behind Jonathan Swift’s works. It can even be said that some essays have been written to bring across a moral lesson to the reader. Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”, in which the main character is rescued by the Greek gods and then embarks on a journey to return to his homeland, all the while facing obstacles that test his faith, loyalty, and solidify his virtues and beliefs. Few authors have had the success Homer gained in his grand tale featuring the main character, Odysseus. Arguably, even fewer authors have tried to emulate the Christian faith within their works with much success. Mr. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is one such author. Coleridge’s lyrical ballad “The Rime of an Ancient Mariner” is one in which numerous religious themes are adequately complimented. Most notable of the comparisons is that of the Albatross and how it symbolizes Jesus Christ. In the ballad, Coleridge writes, At length did cross an Albatross, Thorough the fog it came; As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in God’s name. (Mariner, Line 65). In the ballad, the men on the ship had become lost, with mist, snow, and ice converging...
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...by a grizzled old sailor. The young Wedding-Guest angrily demands that the Mariner let go of him, and the Mariner obeys. But the young man is transfixed by the ancient Mariner's "glittering eye" and can do nothing but sit on a stone and listen to his strange tale. The Mariner says that he sailed on a ship out of his native harbor--"below the kirk, below the hill, / Below the lighthouse top"--and into a sunny and cheerful sea. Hearing bassoon music drifting from the direction of the wedding, the Wedding-Guest imagines that the bride has entered the hall, but he is still helpless to tear himself from the Mariner's story. The Mariner recalls that the voyage quickly darkened, as a giant storm rose up in the sea and chased the ship southward. Quickly, the ship came to a frigid land "of mist and snow," where "ice, mast-high, came floating by"; the ship was hemmed inside this maze of ice. But then the sailors encountered an Albatross, a great sea bird. As it flew around the ship, the ice cracked and split, and a wind from the south propelled the ship out of the frigid regions, into a foggy stretch of water. The Albatross followed behind it, a symbol of good luck to the sailors. A pained look crosses the Mariner's face, and the Wedding-Guest asks him, "Why look'st thou so?" The Mariner confesses that he shot and killed the Albatross with his crossbow. At first, the other sailors were furious with the Mariner for having killed the bird that made the breezes blow. But when the fog lifted...
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...There is one lesson that seems to be common in a lot of stories. A lesson about how to live your life and to learn to do things for yourself. This lesson I saw in many of the readings/films we read/watched in class, some examples include: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle and, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. These stories are all very different but share that same lesson of putting matters into your own hands. Trust no one or you will be hurt or put into danger. In Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, you can’t trust the government. The government also known as The Party, watches it’s citizens and will vaporize anyone just for doing something as simple as having an individual thought. In any society you should be able to trust the government. Maybe not completely but enough to know you won’t be killed just for thinking. “For how could you establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory” (Orwell 24)? This quote describes that the Party doesn’t keep records of the past, the records that are kept are constantly changed. People have so little memory of their past that Winston can’t even remember the beginning of the Party’s rule or his childhood. Another example about the government is even the children will turn you in for anything. The children are junior spies that could have you vaporized. “You’re a traitor!’ yelled the boy...
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