... 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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...Everybody makes mistakes or bad choices in their life, in which they they tend to learn a lesson from. In the poem Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner learned to love everything God has created. From a bad decision I have made in my life, I have learned to never touch somebody else’s belongings without their permission. Everybody makes poor decisions and learns from them, that is the way life goes. Me and the Mariner both made poor decisions that led us to feeling very guilty, but we both learned important life lessons from these mistakes. In the poem Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner went through many tragic and scary events due to him shooting an Albatross. He felt no shame in shooting this innocent bird and eventually lost his whole crew because of it. He was accompanied by a few ghosts and supernatural creatures, who killed his crew and taught him an important life lesson. He learned that he must love and respect everything thing God created, and that he must preach this lesson to others. He prayed real hard and blessed nature for teaching him this lesson and was eventually sent...
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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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...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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...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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...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 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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...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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...Summary In the beginning of the poem, an ancient mariner stops a passing wedding guest from the nearby celebration, although the Wedding Guest is reluctant to heed his words. Then, he starts to tell the story of the time when a storm hit his ship while he and his crew as out at sea, which was followed by snow and mist. Suddenly, an Albatross comes and the storm goes away, and the sailors on the Mariner’s ship worships it “as if it had been a Christian soul” (14). Yet, for no apparent reason, and although it has saved them from the storm, the Mariner shoots down the Albatross with his crossbow and kills it. Because of this, the storm once again shows up, letting everyone blame the Mariner for their despair and suffering. Once the storm leaves,...
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...celebration when an old sailor (the Mariner) stops one of them at the door (we'll call him the Wedding Guest). Using his hypnotic eyes to hold the attention of the Wedding Guest, he starts telling a story about a disastrous journey he took. The Wedding Guest really wants to go party, but he can't pry himself away from this grizzled old mariner. The Mariner begins his story. They left port, and the ship sailed down near Antarctica to get away from a bad storm, but then they get caught in a dangerous, foggy ice field. An albatross shows up to steer them through the fog and provide good winds, but then the Mariner decides to shoot it. Oops.Pretty soon the sailors lose their wind, and it gets really hot. They run out of water, and everyone blames the Mariner. The ship seems to be haunted by a bad spirit, and weird stuff starts appearing, like slimy creatures that walk on the ocean. The Mariner's crewmates decide to hang the dead albatross around his neck to remind him of his error.Everyone is literally dying of thirst. The Mariner sees another ship's sail at a distance. He wants to yell out, but his mouth is too dry, so he sucks some of his own blood to moisten his lips. He's like, "A ship! We're saved." Sadly, the ship is a ghost ship piloted by two spirits, Death and Life-in-Death, who have to be the last people you'd want to meet on a journey. Everyone on the Mariner's ship dies.The wedding guest realizes, "Ah! You're a ghost!" But the Mariner says, "Well, actually, I was the only...
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...Three men are stopped by an old an ancient mariner. One of the men is detained on him, and angrily demands he be released, the mariner agrees but the man is too drawn to the mariners glittery eye, and he seems to be only able to sit on a rock and listen to the mariner's story of how he was sailing on a ship out of his native land and he sailed into a happy, sunny, calm sea but the tale quickly darkens and he explains in a large amount of detail how a storm approached. The storm chased the ship southward. They were in water where thick ice easily trapped them, and a flock of birds seemed to come out of nowhere and set the ship and crew free, they then followed behind the ship and this was sign of good luck. However, the mariner actually shot...
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...The Rime of the Ancient Mariner BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE Argument 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. PART I It is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three. 'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, Now wherefore stopp'st thou me? The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide, And I am next of kin; The guests are met, the feast is set: May'st hear the merry din.' He holds him with his skinny hand, 'There was a ship,' quoth he. 'Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!' Eftsoons his hand dropt he. He holds him with his glittering eye— The Wedding-Guest stood still, And listens like a three years' child: The Mariner hath his will. The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone: He cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. 'The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the lighthouse top. The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he! And he shone bright, and on the right Went down into the sea. Higher and higher every day, Till over the mast at noon—' The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon. The bride hath paced into the hall, Red as a rose...
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...The narrative Rime of the Ancient Mariner mysteriously attracts the reader’s attention in the same way that the Mariner caught the attention of the wedding guest. From the beginning to the very end, it is indisputable that Coleridge’s story was vastly different than any other work of literature. However, in a unique way, the story connects with the reader through common elements. Bowra, who wrote about the unique traits of the story, refers to it as an unordinary work of art that uses its sharp, vivid, and dreamlike qualities to connect and appeal to the emotions of the reader. Although Bowra has a multitude of logical points, his explanation does contain a few weak points. To begin, there is no argument against Bowra that this tale is unordinary. In fact, he refers to the tale as if the entire plot felt like a dream. I am in complete agreement with him because the events, such as the zombie crew working the ship, are too unworldly to be described as anything from the world of the awake. However, in a strange way, he does provide us with a sense of connection just as Bowra had mentioned. In the time of this tale, sailors who became stranded at sea often ran out of food, water, and other supplies and would begin to...
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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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...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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