The Ancient Mariner Literature Essay "The Rime of The Ancient, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge," is the poem we have been reading in class for the last few days. The poem is memorable because it's twenty-one pages long and has a distinct theme, which involves horror and part conservation. It is also memorable because its one of the first horror stories ever written. The story is about a mariner who is at a wedding and he tells the story to a wedding guest of what happened to him and his crew after he killed an albatross.
In the poem the guest is held by the mariner and captivated by his story. The Mariner is trying to warn this man not to do anything rash such as go into the wedding and break it up. The mariner's story describes how it could be on his conscience for the rest of his life, which can be one of the most painful punishments.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
English: Image of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Fr...
English: The Frozen Crew are Joined by an Albatros...The mariner's story is about killing an albatross that had led the ship away from the storm and the icy seas. In return for helping them, the seamen fed the bird and played with it. Despite this partnership between them all, the mariner took his crossbow and shot the albatross. He was cursed when he killed the albatross. A ghost ship appeared with a woman and a skeleton and they played a dice game which she won. This was the point that he realised it was a curse from killing the albatross. The curse made the crew fall down dead and their bodies did not rot or decay in any way. They lay with their eyes staring at him. It was a punishment so great for him because if he tried to do any thing normal they would be staring at him. For the mariner, the worst punishment of all was because he was responsible for the deaths of his entire crew on the ship.
There are lots of poetic techniques used is this poem, such as: similes; metaphors; personification; onomatopeia; rhyme and rythm. A simile is a comparison of somthing using 'like' or 'as', for example, "as green as emerald" (p85), "as white as leprasy" (p90), "listens like a three years child" (p83). A metaphor is a comparison whithout using ' like' or 'as', for example, 'the ice did split with thunder fit' (p85), 'and fixed on me their stony eyes' (p98), 'but swift as dreams, myself I found he singeth me his godly hymes' (p88). Personification is giving human qualities to something that is not human. Examples are: 'and the sails did sigh sigh like sedge' (p94), 'the moonlight lay' (p99), 'stars danced between' (p94). Allitiration is where words with the first letter the same are used 2/3 times : 'laughed long and loud' (p103), 'in crimson colours came' (p100). Onomatopoeia are words that sound like there meaning : 'whizz'(p91), 'pang'(p90). Ryme is where words have same soft or hard syllabals. Rhythm is what the poem wants you to say it like to give you a feeling of the poem.
I liked the poem because it was quite hard to under stand and it made me feel I have achieved something once I read it. It made me feel I should always think about what I'm doing because I might regret it later on. I now know the meaning of 'it's like hanging a albatross around my neck. I will always remember this poem because it was one of the first horror storys.
A statue of the Ancient Mariner at Watchet Harbour...
A statue of the Ancient Mariner, with the albatros...
English: Reproduced signature of poet Samuel Taylo...