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The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Decent Essays

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a famous Romantic work about a mariner and his crew on an overseas journey. While on this journey, they encounter some rough weather. However, a sea bird, the albatross, leads the men out of the ice and fog. For some reason unknown to the readers, the Mariner shoots the albatross, and the whole ship and crew are cursed by God. It isn’t until after the Mariner learns his lesson that the curse is lifted and he is led back to shore by supernatural creatures. Throughout the poem, the Mariner is not only on a physical overseas journey, but he is also on a spiritual journey on which he learns to love and treat all of God’s creations with respect.
In the beginning of the poem, the physical journey is presented as joyous. However, the end of the journey is presented as dismal from the death of the crew and the curse put upon the Mariner. At the start of the Mariner’s tale, he loves the sea, and he and the rest of the crew are happy and excited to be going out on another journey. He starts his story, and he says, “The ship was cheered, the harbor cleared / … / And he shone bright, and on the right / Went down into the sea” (lines 21, 27-28). Coleridge wants his readers to feel the happiness of the Mariner, the crew, and the audience waving off the ship. At this time in the story, the Mariner has a great crew and an elated atmosphere; everything is right

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