“Remember, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird”
(An analysis of the themes found in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Tales of pirates, ghosts, and supernatural elements at sea, flood social media, movies, and games today. Tales of pirates are often extremely popular. How come being a pirate at Halloween is one of the most popular costumes of all time? Where did these strange stories come from? A majority of people would credit authors like Robert Louis Stevenson and movies like The Pirates of the Caribbean. However, few people realize that Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner is what influenced stories like Pirates of the Caribbean. Coleridge’s Rime is an intriguing and captivating story. Carol Rumens
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This story warns of a butterfly, or ripple, effect. Every action affects people and things around it. The Mariner’s boat was stuck in the ice blocks, but the ice split and the sailors were freed. Being superstitious as sailors are, they believed they were freed by an Albatross that flew over the boat right when the ice cracked. For reasons unknown, the Mariner decides to be prideful, and he shoots the Albatross with his crossbow. Almost instantly, the boat gets caught in a doldrum. There is no way to sail out of this dead patch, and the sailors start to starve. The sailors blame the Mariner for their despair, and it is not until he is all alone does the Mariner realize that his actions can affect people around him. After returning safely to his homeland, with the help of God, the Mariner asks a hermit to forgive him. He begs by saying, “O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy man!”(844, 574). The Mariner’s punishment/penance was to be Nomadic, moving from land to land, telling others about his story. He must confess his sins to random strangers to warn them of the terrible consequences thoughtless actions can have. Scholar Seamus Perry comments, “We never learn why the Mariner shot the bird, but his protracted suffering is described in agonising detail,”(Perry). Coleridge purposefully goes into major detail about the Mariner’s suffering, because actions done in childhood can affect …show more content…
Coleridge is classified as a romantic poet. Stephanie Forward defines romanticism by stating, “[Romanticism] covers a range of developments in art, literature, music and philosophy, spanning the late 18th and early 19th centuries,”(Forward). Through Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge has been able to tell readers to enjoy nature. Nature should be respected as much as any man, because everything was created by God. This is an extremely romantic idea, and Coleridge emphasizes the importance of reverence for all created things. This strange tale set the stage for zombie pirates like in Pirates of the Caribbean. Coleridge was extremely imaginative and it is clear in his
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Part 1 a old man stops one man out of three that were walking down the street to go to a wedding the man is a relation of the married the man tries to get away but the old man grabs the man with his skinny hand the man is held there by the glitter of the old man's eye the man is listening intently "Like a three years' child" the old man has the man's attention the wedding guest sat down on a stone the mariner went on with his story the boat was anchored by a kirk KIRK- church EFTSOONS - unhand me ship was sailing south because sun came up on the left side of the boat they sailed closer to the equator every day because the sun came overhead MINSTRIL - musicians the bride has started to walk down the isle and the music is playing the old man carries on there was a storm at the equator the storm drove them to the south pole the storm was very strong they went through mist and then it started to snow it became very cold they went by very large chunks of ice floating through the water (icebergs) there was nothing but ice and snow and there was no animals, just ice an albatross flew over after a few days the men were happy to see it because they needed hope the men fed it the ice broke in front of the boat and then they sailed through the ice to safety a good south wind helped them sail north the bird followed them KEN - know something NE'ER - never VESPERS -days the bird stayed with them for nine days the ancient mariner shot the albatross with his cross bow HOLLOW - called albatross PART II burst of sea - ship wake there was no more bird following the boat (the felt alone again) they ran out of food the people on the boat cursed at the mariner for killing their omen of good luck the wind had stopped Gods own head - sun averred - swear, agree to they thought that the bird had brought the fog because the fog had cleared after the bird died the breeze stopped and the boat stopped the sky was clear and it was very hot they were at the equator because the sun at noon was above the mast they stayed there for a few days without wind it was like they were a painting "Water, water, everywhere," they could not see anything
Everyone has heard the stories of pirates; navigating the seas and plundering any ship in sight. But nobody has ever heard the stories of those less victorious, but equally as important pirates. Most of these stories are based around the “ordinary” pirates, like Blackbeard or Henry Morgan. Also, other pirates who aren’t discussed often, like Anne Bonny, were just as impactful on history as the famous ones.
It gives the stories of different pirates without straying from the facts, but still manages to keep interest. Cordingly is not afraid to say when the facts are unclear or uncertain, and gives different theories on what may have occurred. The book also does not generalize for all pirates with one statement. Cordingly may state a fact from one instance, but says that others may have done things differently. Since pirates often came from many different backgrounds, they probably often did things differently from each other. Cordingly includes facts from pirates who are not usually talked about, instead of just talking about the popular stories of pirates who sailed in the Caribbean. The book also includes pirates from many different time periods, and how they operated differently from one another.
The main theme of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem is to learn from your mistakes. After telling his tale to the Wedding Guest, the Ancient Mariner realized that the murder of the Albatross was a mistake and lived a life of penance. The act of murder was an impulsive act because the Mariner felt threatened by the Albatross their actions. The deaths of both birds brought about memories from both the Ancient Mariner and Hagar which they shared with other people, the Wedding Guest and Murray F. Lees. These memories help them to realize the mistakes they made. Through their own personal recollections, the Ancient Mariner and Hagar both achieved a better understanding of their lives and in turn were able to die with a sense of contentment and relief.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a famous poet known for his poems and allegory. His supernatural characteristics also play a big role in Coleridge's fam. The poems with which his name is strongly linked, Christabel and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, were products of a few months in his long literary career. Every story has one main element or broad theme that is evident. Coleridge's use of religion and symbolism helps to mold his major theme of supernatural throughout his poetry.
“Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea” - Iron Maiden (Rime of the Ancient Mariner) In “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates the story through the belief in God, and Christian faith. Throughout Mariner’s journey, many signified meanings interpret an important role such as, religious and natural symbolisms.
Jessica Lewis Professor Turner ENG 102 Paper 2 19 April 2017 Romanticism in Samuel Taylor’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” The widespread value of imagination and feelings throughout the eighteenth century is commonly known as Romanticism. Writers began to focus more on fantasies rather than reality. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was one of these writers. Starting with his first joint publication in 1798 with William Wordsworth, the quality of Coleridge’s work improved significantly; and ballads such as “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” was born.
The mariner reconciles his sins when he realizes what nature really is and what it means to him. All around his ship, he witnesses, "slimy things did crawl with legs upon the slimy sea" and he questions "the curse in the Dead man's eyes". This shows his contempt for the creatures that Nature provides for all people. The mariner begins to find his salvation when he begins to look on the 'slimy things' as creatures of strange beauty. When "the mariner begins to find his salvation when he begins to look on the 'slimy things' as creatures of strange beauty" he understands the Albatross is a symbol of nature and he realizes what he had done wrong. The mariner is forgiven after sufficient penance. The mariner's experience represents a renewal of the impulse of love towards other living things. Once he reconciles his punishment is lifted. The bird, which is hung around his neck as a punishment, falls into the water and makes the change from punishment to penance.
As the ancient Mariner described his adventures at sea to the Wedding-Guest, the Guest became saddened because he identified his own selfish ways with those of the Mariner. The mariner told the Guest that he and his ship-mates were lucky because at the beginning of their voyage they had good weather. The mariner only saw what was on the surface -- he did not see the good weather as evidence that Someone was guiding them. Also, when he shot the Albatross, the Mariner did not have any reason for doing so. The Albatross did nothing wrong, yet the Mariner thought nothing of it and without thinking of the significance of the act, he killed the bird. At this, the Guest was reminded of how self-absorbed he, too, was, and the sinful nature of man. At the beginning of the poem he was very much intent on arriving at the wedding on time. He did not care at all about what it was that the Mariner had to tell him; he did not want to be detained even if the Mariner was in trouble. Instead, he spoke rudely to the mariner, calling him a "gray-beard loon", and tried to go on his own way.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s use of symbolism in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner lends the work to adults as a complex web of representation, rather than a simple story about a sailor. The author uses the story of a sailor and his adventures to reveal aspects of life. This tale follows the Mariner and his crew as they travel between the equator and the South Pole, and then back to England. Without the symbols, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner would be simply a poem about an old mariner who is telling a story about killing a bird to a guest at a wedding. Of course, anyone who reads the poem can see that there is more to it than just a simple telling of a story.
Coleridge contributes his Christian beliefs within allusions of Jesus Christ being represented by the albatross. Likewise, he paints the repercussions that came to the Mariner after he killed one of God’s creations. Withal, Coleridge includes the most drastic of consequence that came from killing the albatross, the Mariner’s unknown knowledge of his own death. Additionally, Coleridge includes the despairing sight of the Mariner’s crew’s souls leaving to paradise without him. The sin of killing the albatross was the sin that ruined the Mariner’s life, causing him an eternity of guilt carried forever in his lost
However, in the two works by Coleridge, the imagination takes on different roles in each world. In the Ancient Mariner, the imagination is the substance that holds all life together, much like how the millio...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of an Ancient Mariner" is a lyrical ballad that seems more like a miniature epic. However, not only it is a ballad talking about the adventure of an old mariner who is cursed for life because he kills an albatross; deeper than that, it is also a religious allegory conveying numerous themes pertaining to Christianity. On the one hand, if one reads "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" simply as a tale at sea, the poem stands remarkable because of its simple rhyme and easy flow. On the other hand, if one reads deeper into the intricate details, symbolism, themes, and literary aspects, Coleridge will therefore have produced a masterpiece.
middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. Selected Poetry and Prose by Coleridge. Ed. Donald A. Stauffer.
According to Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, an allegory is described as a fictional literary narrative or artistic expression that conveys a symbolic meaning parallel to but distinct from, and more important than, the literal meaning. This is true in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is an allegory that symbolizes the inherent struggle of humans facing the ideas of sin and redemption. In writing this poem, Coleridge spent four months of sustained writing upon his purpose of supposing that supernatural situations are real. This purpose is seen clearly in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which demonstrates salvation, and the power of sympathetic imagination. The story of the ancient mariner takes place on a sea voyage around the horn of Africa and through the Pacific Ocean to England, which Coleridge uses to symbolize the pass into the spirit world of guilt, retribution, and rebirth.