Imagery In Samuel Coleridge's The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

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“He holds him with his glittering eye – The wedding-guest stood still, And listens like a three-years ' child: The mariner hath his will” (Coleridge pg 937). Between 1797 and 1798 Samuel Coleridge wrote his longest poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He used this poem to show his fierce opposition to slavery and slave ships. In the beginning of the poem, three young men are about to enter a wedding celebration, when one of the men gets stopped by an old sailor with a mesmerizing eye. From then on, the Mariner tells the young man a vivid story of his most tragic sail. Throughout this story the young man learns of the many mistakes the Mariner made, with his crew. When he concludes his tale, the young man is truly enchanted. Samuel Taylor
Starting with the wedding scene, the Mariner is described very vividly, “By thy long grey beard, and glittering eye…” (Coleridge pg 937). As the third sentence of the poem, Coleridge makes sure that the reader is able to envision the face of the Mariner. After the Mariner kills the Albatross, Life-in-Death was there for revenge“Her lips were red...looks were free...locks were yellow as gold: her skin was as white as leprosy” (Coleridge pg 942). Not only does this paint a very stark picture of what is going to happen, this helps the reader visualize the Mariners consequence for killing the Albatross. With this poetic device, Coleridge helps the reader imagine the story in their mind 's eye and connect with the repercussions of the Mariners mistake. Coleridge used internal rhyme to make the poem “bounce” or flow smoother. The definition of internal rhyme is the practice of forming a rhyme in only one long line of verse. This is seen multiple times in part 2, “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew...we were the first that ever burst.” (Coleridge pg 940). Coleridge used this technique to make his poem sound more natural, which helps the reader relate to the situation at
Coleridge uses characterization to express why the Mariner acts the way he does, and what has brought him to that place. The use of imagery was not only to help the reader see what was happening, but was also for a connection between the reader and the Mariner. Using internal rhyme and having a more natural tone to this piece of poetry, helps the reader better understand Coleridge’s work. The use of tragedy brings the piece together, while tearing the Mariner apart. All of these literary devices had to be used in order to show the reader the mistakes the Mariner made and the consequences he suffered because of his

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