Free College Essays - Nature in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Nature

"Look out Below!" - Craaack! About 15 Men and women turn their glances

toward the sky, and see a large, perhaps 100 feet, tree falling to the

ground. As the tree hits the solid earth, everything grows very quiet. All

look at the lumberjack, who killed this 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 we will live, or be

condemned. Nature is capable of presenting "innermost suffering" (Coburn

33) upon people. The mariner's suffering included having his "soul in

agony" soon afterwards. After attempts at prayer and realization of what he

has done - "I looked to heaven and tried to pray", his penance to

forgiveness begins spiritually. The mariner releases the weight of the

crime greatly at the "moment he could pray".

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