Old Mariner Questions

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Unanswered Questions in the Rime of the Old Mariner
The Rime of the Old Mariner is riddled with archaic language that purposely leaves the reader with numerous unresolved questions. Unanswered questions prove so numerous they can either leave the reader dissatisfied with the conclusion or enlightened by the introspective thought the questions provoke. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the literal side notes and the abstract nature of the iambic tetrameter ballad only further complicates Samuel Coleridge’s work. The poem draws in readers with its consistently archaic language; finding a definitive theme within it proves nearly impossible and leaves readers questioning the intent of a ballad with such lack of closure and obvious themes.
Within …show more content…

The Mariner, for no apparent reason, shoots the innocent, peaceful albatross dead out of the sky. Coleridge addresses the lack of logic in people’s actions and how they must seek penance to face and repent for their sins. The albatross represents human impurity: for unknown reasons, people take something pure and beautiful and destroy it. The albatross represents Jesus Christ; he was pure and sinless but was crucified and condemned. In the same way, the albatross represents innocence and purity and just like Jesus, paid the ultimate price for acts or sins he did not …show more content…

Initially, The Mariner convinced the ship’s crew that he had in fact preformed an honorable act and claimed the albatross did not bring the wind but instead brought the fog. Quickly believing him, the crew praised him for shooting the bird and for an unknown reason kept the deceased bird onboard the ship. When the crew realized the bird had been their guide, they forced the mariner to wear the albatross around his neck as penance for his sins. The albatross constantly reminds him of his senseless act and reminds the reader that some actions have repercussions that far outweigh their initial benefits. His punishment does not require some convoluted reminder or therapy session; his punishment lies with him always and forces him, through the albatross’s decaying scent and beady gaze to remember and repent for his

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