The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a captivating story. As i read, I found myself much like the wedding guest. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened. The poem flowed in such a way that just continues to draw the reader in. The ancient Mariner is this old man who used to work on this ship. This ship was blown down to the South Pole where an entire of series of events took place. There was an ancient Albatross that was thought to bring good luck to the ship, but the Mariner shot the Albatross. The Albatross eventually began to take revenge on the ship. On page 329 Coleridge writes " Water, water every where, An all the boards to shrink; Water, water every where, Nor any drop to drink."(340). This line is the beginning of the Albatross taking revenge. The story goes on and all of the ship mates die, but the ancient Mariner is left alone. The mariner is disgusted that all of these men lie dead while there are so many slimy creatures swimming around in the sea. As he was alone, he saw God's creatures in the light of the moon and began to appreciate them. As soon as he saw their beauty, the spell began to break and the ancient mariner was eventually returned to the land. As a punishment he had to travel from land to land telling his story to different people he meets. Coleridge writes, "I pass, like night, from land to land; I have strange power of speech; That moment that his face I see, I know the man that must hear me: To him my tale I teach".
I think that the story could be read as just a story as Mrs. Barbauld comments. However, I do think that there is a moral to this story. Coleridge makes it very clear that the mission of the mariner is to preach about how all things should be appreciated equally. He writes, "He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.". As I read the story, this passage was clearly the point of what the ancient Mariner was trying to show with his whole tale. God created all creatures and loves all creatures despite the size. The mariner is trying to spread the idea of kindness around the world. In a religious perspective, the mariner is just like a prophet. God has spoken to him, and he tells his story to help others learn the way that things should be.
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3 comments:
Heather,
Another very good post from you, with some astute observations about Coleridge's poem. I am glad you enjoyed reading it!
One aspect of this post that I would caution you about, though, is a tendency at times to summarize the plot rather than to analyze the poem. I realize that some summary is necessary to set up the context for a passage you intend to quote and discuss, but beware of just retelling the story in your own words unless the paraphrase serves such a function.
I really enjoyed reading what you had to say about Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." I too thought the poem was enjoyable and could be read as a simple story; but it is true that there is more to it than that. When I read the poem, I was reminded of a Biblical reference to the book of Matthew in the New Testament where we find the Great Commission. The mariner as you say is on a "mission...to preach about how all things should be appreciated equally." I think that was an important lesson in Coleridge's time and in ours. It is oftentimes easy to lose sight of what is important (as the mariner does in the beginning). I liked the underlying meaning here and was encouraged by what Coleridge wrote in the "Ancient Mariner." Good post!
I'm also a fan of Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. You did a really good job analyzing it. I came to a similar conclusion about the moral of the story.
Random question: Do you think animal rights groups have considered using this story as an example to those that mistreat animals?
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