Critical Lens Essay on Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Essay by YankeefansamHigh School, 10th gradeA+, December 2004

download word file, 4 pages 3.0

The Romantic period, which lasted from 1780 to 1837, was a time of innovation and imagination, especially in the field of literature (hearts-ease.org). Not only was literature changing, but so was the whole world. There was a strong sense of nationalism, self-expression, questions were asked, and people were more concerned with beauty than logic. "The Lyrical Ballads" was the first romantic piece published, and paved the way for the Romantic Movement which left a lasting impact on literature, culture, and way of life. After the joint effort of William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge in the creation of "The Lyrical Ballads," Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in the 1790s. Coleridge used his imagination to create brilliant imagery, supernatural beings, writing that was abstract rather than realistic, and themes of nature. All of these elements combined to create the most renowned poem during the Romantic Period.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a creative poem due to it's splendid use of imagery. Imagery helps to make Coleridge's poem romantic because it is a powerful tool that articulates a message in creative and descriptive detail. Imagery is often referred to as "the sensations that language creates in the mind". According to dictionary.com, imagery is the use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. One example of a quote from "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" that has imagery is the following. "The death-fires danced at night; the water, like a witch's oils, burnt green, and blue and white." (5 of 20). This is imagery because the reader can visualize the death-fires, and comprehend what Coleridge was trying to show the reader. This is very imaginative, and would not occur in real life. Because of imagery, Coleridge was able to create a...