Analysis of the Poetic Symbols Between Ancient Mariner and The Raven

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As the great Edgar Allen Poe once said, “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” In the poems “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and “The Raven,” by Edgar Allen Poe both show symbols of birds. Too many people the animal of the bird, is shown as many different symbols. In these two poems the bird is shown as a daunting symbol. As Adam Andrious said, “We envy them their ease of expression, as their song provides a bridge into the mysteries of a world the animal in us fondly half-remembers.” The things that a bird can mean to different people is huge. There are many things that it can mean, but most of the time the meanings focus on the idea of the negative versus the positive. The Albatross in Coleridge’s poem and the Raven in Poe’s poem share similar ideas, three of these ideas include, death, pain, and emblems. First, both the Raven and the Albatross in these two poems represent death. In the beginning of the poem of the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” the sailors are enjoying the wonderful weather, which was perfect for sailing the ship. As the day goes on they begin to get bored. A single Albatross flies over the ship, and the man on the ship knocks it down, with his bow. As soon as this happens a feeling of instant death covers the ship. The same thing happens in the poem, “The Raven,” by Edgar Allen Poe. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing.” This line from the Raven represents the fear of the darkness, or death that the mysterious raven is giving the narrator as he creeps in the windows. For being such a small animal, it is often given the impression of fear and anxiety. “Myths from several regions associate birds ... ... middle of paper ... ...displayed with similarities and different meanings within the two poems. Works Cited Aniroues, Adam. "Why are poets so fascinated with birds?" The Guardian. The Guardian, 28 Apr. 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. . Bates, Henry. "Birds and their meanings." Great Dreams. Great Dreams, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. . Frischer, Lisa. "Fear of Birds." About. About, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. . Smith, Neva. "Birds in Mythology." Mythology. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. . Sorenful, Heidi. "Symbolic Birds." Buzzle. Buzzle, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .

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