The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Music

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a very popular poem and it has had a great influence on music. For instance the band Iron Maiden has a song all about this poem. The band Iron Maiden first came together in London, England in 1975 on Christmas day. The lyrics of the song are down below.
 Hear the rime of the ancient mariner
See his eye as he stops one of three
Mesmerises one of the wedding guests
Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea.

And the music plays on, as the bride passes by
Caught by his spell and the mariner tells his tale.

Driven south to the land of the snow and ice
To a place where nobody's been
Through the snow fog flies on the albatross
Hailed in God's name, hoping good luck it brings.

And the ship sails on, back to the North
Through the fog and ice and the albatross follows on.

The mariner kills the bird of good omen
His shipmates cry against what he's done
But when the fog clears, they justify him
And make themselves a part of the crime.

Sailing on and on and north across the sea
Sailing on and on and north 'til all is calm.

The albatross begins with its vengeance
A terrible curse a thirst has begun
His shipmates blame bad luck on the mariner
About his neck, the dead bird is hung.

And the curse goes on and on at sea
And the thirst goes on and on for them and me.

"Day after day, day after day,
we stuck nor breath nor motion
as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
Water, water everywhere and
all the boards did shrink
Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink."

There calls the mariner
There comes a ship over the line
But how can she sail with no wind in her sails and no tide.

See...onward she comes
Onward she nears out of the sun
See, she has no crew
She has no life, wait but there's two.

Death and she Life in Death,
They throw their dice for the crew
She wins the mariner and he belongs to her now.
Then...crew one by one
they drop down dead, two hundred men
She...she, Life in Death.
She lets him live, her chosen one.

"One after one by the star dogged moon,
too quick for groan or sigh
each turned his face with a ghastly pang
and cursed me with his eye
four times fifty living men
(and I heard nor sigh nor groan)
with heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
they dropped down one by one."

The curse it lives on in their eyes
The mariner he wished he'd die
Along with the sea creatures
But they lived on, so did he.

And by the light of the moon
He prays for their beauty not doom
With heart he blesses them
God's creatures all of them too.

Then the spell starts to break
The albatross falls from his neck
Sinks down like lead into the sea
Then down in falls comes the rain.

Hear the groans of the long dead seamen
See them stir and they start to rise
Bodies lifted by good spirits
None of them speak and they're lifeless in their eyes

And revenge is still sought, penance starts again
Cast into a trance and the nightmare carries on.

Now the curse is finally lifted
And the mariner sights his home
spirits go from the long dead bodies
Form their own light and the mariner's left alone.

And then a boat came sailing towards him
It was a joy he could not believe
The pilot's boat, his son and the hermit,
Penance of life will fall onto him.

And the ship it sinks like lead into the sea
And the hermit shrieves the mariner of his sins.

The mariner's bound to tell of his story
To tell this tale wherever he goes
To teach God's word by his own example
That we must love all things that God made.

And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser man
And the tale goes on and on and on

This song is almost the same as the poem.

Community Blog post

The blog of my choice for review was Coleridge Comberbache, the Man of two names, this blog was created by Michelle, Karly, Alana and Mikayla. I was interested in there blog because it had somewhat of relating topics in between there blog and my groups blog. There blog was all on Coleridge and what he has written. And my blog was on "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" As i looked over there blog I notice that they had a lot of pictures including pictures from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I really liked how they put those images into there blog it made it feel more alive to me as I went over it. It was good because they talked about most of Coleridge's work and not just one piece of his work like my group did. What interested me the most was there post on "The Rime of The Ancient Mariner" because that is what we had done blog on are. This blog was very well thought out and has great posts as well as a great title. This is a good blog for people who are interested in Coleridge and his work.  They way the whole blog looked and the color's they choses  came together really well and was appealing to the eye and they had really nice pictures.  After reading this blog you will have more knowledge about Coleridge and his work. Overall this blog was good and enjoyable to review.

Prose Poem: Lies

Why do people lie? They lie because there scared, they lie because there afraid, because they need to protect themselves from something. Lies will only destroy ones life and turn it into a disaster. You can choose to tell the truth or live the lie. The more one lies the more difficult it becomes to stop. It feels like a addiction to one who can not stop lining. Lies will consume one's soul, lies will destroy whom who lies and will leave whom with nothing left in life. To who who lies lose friends, family and loved ones. To whom lies will never be trusted by anyone. To those who live in lies live in darkness and will never see the light until the say the truth. To whom that lies is not alive but the walking dead. If your not living the truth your not living at all. To whom that lies is hiding in the darkness and is afraid to come out there for they might get hurt. How do you tell one whom lies to stop lining. You can not tell one who lies to stop. To whom who lies has to stop one's self there for they will have to tell the truth. And to whom that can tell the truth after being dead can become alive.

Reading Response #3

Daniel P. Watkins is the author of the article that I read. In this article the author tells us about history as demon in Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". The author shows the two most relating aspects in the poem and how things in the poem symbolize Christianity as well as demonic forces. He explains the parallels between  the albatross and the wedding guest and how they are very important to everything that follows. How the mariner gets both of there undivided attention. The wedding guest is described in terms of religion as well as the albatross, like the wedding guest the bird has religious significance when he came to the mariner "As if it had been a Christian soul" (65). And when reading this poem who really is the mariner? "Ha! Ha! quoth he, full plain I see, The devil knows how to row"(568). When the mariner kills the albatross what we see is Christian power turn into demonic power. The power that the mariner has is capable of recking certainty and turns of orthodoxy upside down an example of this is when the ship rounds the horn and heads into the pacific ocean then the "sun rose upon the right" (83) this happens when the mariner kills the albatross. When the darkness come's and the wind stops to blow the mariner is treated just how he treated the albatross. Christian symbols become symbols of death and violence. And finally after days with no food or water the mariner bless's the snakes without thinking about it, just how when he shot the albatross impulsively. In addition another example of the reversal that happens in the begging and the end of the mariners journey. In the begging of the poem the mariner is happy, he passes a light house which symbols's security this also happen's when he return's but now on the skeleton ship, but the ship dose not immediately come to port but stops in the bay. The ship gives off light hoping people on land would come to see. Pilot, Pilot's boy and hermit sail into the bay toward the ship they are starring into the light. The author believes because of that the mariner is a demon "who's deepest evil resides in his professions of religious pity"(524). The mariner speaks of family, religion and pray after his story. "None of these is a sign of certainty and benevolence; they are signs of hope that come from draning the life and spit of the innocence"(526). In the end the author tells what he thinks is the true meaning of this poem. He says just to try and understand the poem you have to consider the horror elements in the same way that social and historical criticism has begun to explain Gothic imagination. In horror stories very real and very accurate depictions of family life, religion, social class, and political power. He believes that the poem is  the portrayal of these social relations. The mariner leaves social life which had Christian values and now is isolated by himself on a ship until the mariner draws from is own resources  for strength and nourishment he sucks his own blood. And when he returns home he is no longer apart of the community rather is own strength feed of those around him. He only is pursuing personal power. And the community that we see in the begging of the poem is not the same community at the end. The change is from a view of a society that shares into a society that is based of individual desire. This promotes private consumption of the world within Christian values in society, people have come to feed of one another and themselves in stead of finding power from sharing. The mariner and the wedding guest parts ways, the talk is of God and love but the reality is isolation. This is the real horror the poem describes, says the author the, individuals growing distance from the forms of social life that he believes contain the highest possibilities of purpose and meaning.

This poem to me was very weird  because of all the things that happen in the poem. For instance why did the mariner kill the albatross? And why did all of the sailors  have to die? In the Article that I read  portrayed the mariner as a demon. Since the author of the article suggested that the mariner was a demon and thats what caused all the horrible things to take place. After reading the article I have not yet came to a conclusion to who the mariner is. Overall this poem was very strange and interesting.




Ashley Cramblett

Community Blog Post

Though my time as a blogger has been fairly short, blogging has become a very fun thing to do. I recently started looking at a blog published bu other students like myself. The blog is called Coleridge Comberbache; the Man of Two Names, and was made by four students from Mark Turner's first period class. Unlike our blog who focuses on a single work of Samuel Coleridge, their blog focuses on the author himself as well as all of his work. The blog features several interesting posts by it's writers. One post talks about The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and features several pictures and pieces of artwork relating to the poem. Each of the picture in this post is given an explanation, which helps to clarify the events that are transpiring. More interesting posts include one about opium, and Coleridge's involvement with the drug. It tells of how his involvement with the drug caused him to write some of his work. They also cover some of Coleridge's other famous pieces, such as Kubla Khan. My favorite post this blog is one that talks about one of my favorite music groups, Rush. They write about how the poem Kubla Khan influenced their song Xanadu, from their A Farewell to Kings album. The written contents of the blog are not the only thing that make it appealing, for the blog is full of visual examples as well. Many images are present throughout the blog. Almost every prose poem written has an image to accompany it, which helps to paint a clearer image of their poem. Ways to engage readers of the blog have been implemented as well. A poll regarding which one of Coleridge's poems the reader likes the best is found at the bottom of the blog. Overall, this blog is very strong. The authors clearly show understanding and dedication to the topic at hand. For someone who is not familiar with Romanticism, this blog helps to get them acquitted with one of the most influential authors of that time. With exceptional writing and a well crafted visual appeal, this blog is one to be witnessed. It is from looking at how their blog is successful that I will be able to improve on my blog and posts. By adding more to the visual aesthetics of my blog I will be able to make a more enjoyable and captivating experience for my readers.




Alex Jorge

Prose Poem: Secrets

Secrets, why must they hide, and make themselves invisible to us? For a secret that lies dormant is one that will never be heard. Why must we hide them from others? For a secret of love, is one meant to be heard. It hides it self out of it's timid nature, and never confesses it's true emotions. For if it were to be heard, passion would to be born, and eternal love would be crafted. A secret of shame should not be kept. For secrets of shame will consume ones life, and prevent them from advancing. It is not worth to stop our lives to mask our shame. We must find revelation in our actions, by revealing those secrets. A violent secret is one to be deal with carefully, for it's destructive ways may do harm. One must not allow them to manifest is a physical form, for it is then that it will have consumed you. Silencing violent secrets will make them turn against you, and causes pain to it's keeper. A truthful secret is much like a bomb, and in cases may have inevitable destruction. It is one that must be revealed with compassion and understanding, for it is one f the most powerful. It may ruin relationships, or save them. Even if we are not prepared to face such powerful force, the truth must never be permanently kept from us. For the truth must be revealed before the moment is too late. We cannot live in a world of lies, in a world were our true selves are hidden. For we are much like secrets. We cannot hide out of shame or anger, and we must not be afraid to face the truth or love. For it is only when we let ourselves be heard, that we can truly live.

Alex Jorge

Love: Prose Poem

Love is blind, love is kind, love is everlasting.
Why is it that we must face the fake clones of it in our lives so much? Of love, there is no real thing seen in my life. Only its clones, these clones masquerade as it and slowly poison. Love is a beautiful rose: full of life, untainted, free, and forever. If love is a rose, the clones would be the weeds that pose as a flower. The bees see a flower and so fall for the clone, while the real flower see this and must go unseen. What the bees don't realize is, the longer they go to the weed, the farther they get from the rose. Luckily, the rose will always be there, even if the bees have to navigate through a forest of weeds.
I see this everyday, the pain that the weeds cause. High school is like a poorly tended garden, there may be roses, and they are very pretty, but they are surrounded by way too many weeds. I know some people that have made it to the rose, and I hope that they stay there. But far too many times, I see couples that have gone to the weeds and stayed there, mistaking it for the rose.
At times, they leave the weed only to go back to it again, but maybe it needs to be done. Maybe it is only when we have felt the poison of the weeds that we may finally tell the difference of the rose. Its may be true that love is blind, but we have to believe that we are at the rose, even if we aren't. If you have been to the weed and back again, at least you can look back and know the mistakes, the wrong turns, and make for the rose again.
There is a certain quote that I believe is true when it comes to this: "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

Vincent Nguyen

Community Service

As part-author of a Coleridge blog, I felt obligated to talk about another Coleridge blog, so you could better understand our topic and Coleridge overall. This blog, called Coleridge Comberbache; the Man of the Two Names, was created by Karly, Michelle, Mikayla, and Alana. While ours is focused more on a specific work of Coleridge, this blog concentrates on the general author. This is very good, since only reading one work of an author will not give you a full idea of what the author is trying to say. These types of blogs are so important to have, because in order for specialized blogs like ours to be understood, the readers must have an understanding of the person who wrote them. The authors also do very well to try to diversify the posts. There is an entire post dedicated to his addiction to and the background of opium, which is one of my personal favorites. I love the posts in this blog, because such as the post on "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", it has pictures along with the text which helps one really visualize the sequence of events. Every post there is has some form of media that enables me to better to understand. Even the background, solid black with a picture of trees, puts me in a certain environment that reflects the post I am reading. Also, since our blogs are somewhat similar, I have read what they posted and have expanded what I know about Coleridge. Reading similar blogs like this have helped me with my own posts when I'm in a block. This blog really simplifies Coleridge for others to understand relatively easily even without knowing much about Romanticism. Although the name choice has perplexed me a little, but that's probably the most confusing part of the entire blog. I would recommend this blog to anyone who needs just a general overview of Coleridge without having to know much background on the subject. I really must give a hand for these ladies because they have really made a tough topic into an easy read.

This is the link for the blog: http://samueltaylorcoleridge.blogspot.com/

Vincent Nguyen

Reading Response #3

I recently read an article by the Department of English of UCLA, relating the shooting of the albatross in Samuel Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" with the author's fascination with horror and violence in his age. The author provides information regarding the similarities and differences of violence in the 1790s, and the violence in our time. He explains how the mariner might have shot the albatross out of the violent instinct that all human beings have, and that Coleridge’s views of violence and evil were manifested by the violence of the slave trade and the prosecution of the Catholics in Ireland. An explanation of how Coleridge's feelings towards violence were influenced by his anxiety towards the origin of evil, and to his abiding interest in the progressiveness of the human race were elaborated upon as well. How Coleridge could not simply accept Christian beliefs, and how he attempted to portray man and sin. As well as Coleridge's wonderment at the individuation of a species ant the special individuality that differentiates one person from another, and how the mariner shot the bird to be a special individual. This correlates with how Coleridge thought that the individual mind brought advancement to human society, how the mariner is able to endure life in spite the death of the crew and establish himself as an individual. The article ends with the author making connections to the story of Cain and Abel, to explain the mariner's spontaneous killing of the bird.
The article provide some large insight on a different interpretation of the poem, aside from the more common connection of the albatross and Christ. Themes in the article have a very solid argument to support them, making them a possible interpretation on what the author might have been attempting to convey. The first theme of the mariner's impulsive killing of the albatross, is a rather intriguing one. The author presents his argument with the quote, "Meanwhile anthropologists, speculating about the origins of human violence, have claimed that human aggression, warfare, and even genocide, derive from instinctive behavior patterns that can be observed in primates." (42). He backs up his point with another powerful quote, "Aggressiveness is associated with achievement, and may enable people to compete successfully for positions of authority." (43). The theme of the his impulsive killing of the bird is explained by an subconcious, human reaction to assume power. Even though this is a different way to look at the poem, I do not believe that it is a possible interpretation of the theme of the poem. The mariner himself is not attempting to assume power, nor is he an angry individual. I do not believe that he would do such of thing out of pure impulsive violence. The secondary theme presented, one dealing with the mariner seeking individuality, is a much stronger one. The author states that the mariner shot the albatross to break free and become different from the rest of his crew. Most stories focus on a main hero, one that is different from the common men. These protagonists are all faced with some type of conflict before coming to the ultimate resolution of the problem. It is quite possible that the Mariner was simply suppose to fit in to this archetype, and that he shot the albatross to establish himself as different. The author’s theme is supported by the quote, “Four times fifty living men” (198) but none of them had any separate existence or interest. He then goes to state, “The mariner’s deed of violence is wicked and requires penance, but is also an assertion of his individuality that marks him off as special; he is the adventurer, the one who survives, the prosecutor.” (51). Though Wordsworth and Charles Lamb both think that the mariner lacks any type of individuality, they forget that he is the only individualized character in the poem. The author proves this point by saying, “The mariner is freed by grace, a gushing love, from his burden of guilt, and the later part of the poem deals with the moral and religious aspects and consequences of his deed; what it does not do is follow out the possible implication of his act as one of individuation, an act that gives him enduring life in spite of death of his crew, and establishes his claim to be different, to break the barriers, to boldly do what no one has done before, and to cry against anonymity and against heaven.” (51). His point to establish the mariner as an individual who cries against religion is a rather effective interpretation of the theme. As his act of killing the bird is seen as hellish by the crew, who treat the bird as a Christian soul. In his distress, the mariner cries out to “Heaven’s mother” (170), and seeks to forgiveness when he confesses to the hermit upon his return. This theme of the mariner crying out against religion to seek individualism, and later seeking forgiveness from God, is the best interpretation I have heard of the poem. The author does a stupendous job of presenting his views and points, and convincing me to see the piece from a different prospective. This is an article that covers all grounds, and should be looked into by any who enjoy Coleridge’s piece.




Alex Jorge

Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Literature

As “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Coleridge is quite a famous document is British literature, it is only expected that it’s influence would be found in other literary pieces. Bram Stoker’s Dracula quotes The Rime. It mentions the ship, the Demeter, where terrible things happened to the crew. Moby Dick also contains references to the mariner. Herman Melville’s influence from the novel brought him to write this quote in chapter 42 of Moby Dick, "Not Coleridge first threw that spell; but God's great, unflattering laureate, Nature." References to the mariner do not only appear in novels, but in graphic novels as well. Cartoonist Hunt Emerson produced a graphic novel titled “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, which tells the story exactly as it was written. The character Namor the Sub Mariner, got his name from the poem. Major similarities with the poem are shared in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s Watchmen. Where a comic book within the story titled “Tales of the Black Freighter”, share the theme of a mariner’s impending doom. The Incredible Hulk from the Marvel Comics quotes lines from the poem. He argues with David Banner what exactly the albatross is meant to symbolize. The albatross it self seems to be the most popular reference that most writer include in their work. In The Conqueror Worms by Brian Keene, a character mentions that it is bad luck to kill an albatross. A poem written by D.H. Lawrence called Snake, compares and albatross to a snake. Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series, The Mariner is a powerful being that mentions accidentally shooting an albatross. In Frankenstein the poem is quoted my name, and the albatross is mentioned by Robert Walton. Not all references are meant to reference the poem immediately, some are actually meant to parody it. This can be seen in the popular children’s magazine, MAD Magazine. Issue 200 featured “The Rime of the Modern Skateboarder” , written by Tom Koch and Don Martin. The influences that the poem has are endless through out pop culture, and it will continue to influence more as long as literature continues to exist.




Alex Jorge

Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Music.

Though some consider The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge to be poem, the truth is, that this piece is really meant to be a ballad. A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set along to music. With this, it is no surprise that Samuel Coleridge’s piece would have at least some influence in modern music. Any fan of the British metal band Iron Maiden , would know about their album Powerslave and the last track of it. Titled, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner “, their thirteen minute long epic tells the story of the mariner, with many direct quotations to the ballad it self. Another metal group by the name of Nightwish, mentions the ancient mariner in their song Sahara. A song by the same band by the name of “The Islander”, draws heavily from the ballad as well, referencing the flight of the albatross. Progressive rock group, Pink Floyd, makes the same reference to this scene at the opening of their song “Echoes”. One of Fleetwood Mac’s hit songs “Albatross”, gets it’s name directly from the poem. A song by the name “Albatross” was also recorded by a band named Corrosion of Conformity, where the singer warns the albatross away and states that he believe the albatross is him. Underground rock band, Slint, had their own adaptation of the poem in their song "Good Morning Captain". Sarah Blasko’s album cover for “What the Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have” draws from artwork baked on the poem, songs in the album also quote lines from the piece. A more humorous approach to “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is brought to us by the pirate-themed rap group Captain Dan. The title track is called “Rimes of the Hip-Hop Mariner”, and is a stylized retelling of the actual events of the poem. Samuel Coleridge’s piece has inspire many artists to produce some of their best work, and will continue to inspire many with it’s captivating style.



Alex Jorge

Symbolism and Impact

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a less confusing poem than a lot of other romanticism works, but there are many deeper meanings behind the tragic story. Coleridge uses s lot of symbols to explain to the reader what is happening. Often used symbols were the sun and the moon. The sun was a sign of misfortune, even being described as the color of blood. After that, the ghost-ship comes and makes the sun look like a prisoner in its presence. What comes after that was obvious. The moon proved to be the most powerful being throughout the entire story. It was revealed that the relationship between the moon and the sea was that of a slave and its master. So in reality, the moon controlled where the ship went the entire time. It's true there may have been a lot of symbolism, but there was a more obvious story to the "Rime." The needless sacrifice of the albatross, the story of penance, and the last few stanzas of the poem is a moral story that reflects the story of Christ. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" has had a huge impact on our culture. There have been countless references to the "Rime" in media. For a poem to have such an impact on culture, it's amazing. In 1939, there was a re-release of Sherlock Holmes where the archenemy of Holmes committed crimes that were based around paintings of a man with an albatross around his neck to cover up his real crimes. Even today, the poem is referenced in movies, such as in "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (2009). With such references in our culture, it's a wonder how the poem was thought of in the first place. There are many origin stories for the "Rime", it's said that the "Rime" was inspired by James Cook's voyages at sea. In Cook's second voyage, he crossed into the Antarctic Circle 3 times. Although, according to William Wordsworth, another romantic poet, said that the poem came to fruition when Coleridge, Wordsworth, and his sister were walking in Somerset. The trio was discussing the book, A Voyage Round the World by Way of the Great South Sea (1726). This book, written by Captain George Shelvocke, has a brief excerpt where the sailor shoots a black albatross. Wordsworth then offers some more of a storyline to Coleridge, and by the end of the walk, the poem had taken shape. It's amazing how literature can build upon itself and just become better and better.

Vincent Nguyen   

Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Film and Television.

Despite the fact that most people in this time are not familiar with Samuel Coleridge’s "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", references to this popular ballade can be found all through out pop culture. The film industry borrows heavily from the poem, as most of the business is made up of creative borrowing. A production directed by Ken Russell in 1978 was rightfully titled, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which was about the life of Coleridge. Even more popular film titles such as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" share something with piece. pirates of the Caribbean is nearly a parallel of the poem, one of the references includes life in death playing dice for the souls of men. Willy Wonka has a similar quote to one found in the poem that goes, "Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere, but not a drop to drink...yet." The quote, "Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink," is a line that has seen many uses, whether it be a direct quotation or a parody. In The Simpson’s episode "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood", Homer parodies the quote by saying, "What do you think we're floating on? Don't you know the poem? 'Water, water, everywhere, so let's all have a drink.'". In a 1952 episode of Looney Toons, the title was called, "Water, Water Every Hare". References are even apparent in modern children's cartoons. In episode 92 of the Popular television series "Pokemon", one of the characters recites the opening stanza with her Raichu. While in an episode of "Samurai Jack", a mariner approaches Jack and asks him if he would like to hear his story with the same title as the poem. Even though we might not see it at first, references to this poem are all over modern pop culture. It is amazing how a poem so old as this, continues to shape society in different and creative ways. And it is through references like these that the poem continues to live on, and to be introduced to newer audiences. Because of this, the poem will live on for generations to come, and continue to influence the future.



Alex Jorge

Reading Response #3

This author of this article was Peter Melville of Cornell University. The author tells us the beginning of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" shows Coleridge's interest in the "limits of hospitality." This was shown as the Mariner interrupts the wedding guest's walk, just as there was a man out of nowhere in one of Coleridge's other poems, "Kubla Khan." Of course when he talks of the limits of hospitality, there is a certain situation he is trying to make clear. It is the job of the host to welcome everyone, strange or familiar. The concept resonates throughout the story from beginning to end. The albatross was also subject to this. The Mariner faced the situation also between letting the albatross stay or killing it. Although if one were to read the poem, he essentially does both, so does the Mariner's obligations go to the strange or familiar? So now the wedding guest is faced with the conflict of hospitality. The author shows that the wedding guest had a special obligation to attend the wedding, so he tries very well to leave, but just as the interrupting character in "Kubla Khan", the Mariner steps in and the wedding guest misses the ceremony altogether. This is because the Mariner must tell his story, but it must be at the expense of another person kind enough to do so. Although, the wedding guest soon goes from a detained host, to a entranced listener. The author then states that hospitality and hostility are 2 sides of the same coin. The comparison is then made between the wedding guest and the Mariner. The wedding guest could either listen to the Mariner (Letting the albatross live), or he could leave and join the wedding procession (Killing the albatross which would only confirm the tragedy of the Mariner. Melville continues this concept of hospitality when he moves onto the choice of the wedding guest. The wedding guest had to also choose between the familiar wedding procession or the strange Mariner's tale. The author then changes the concept of hospitality to the idea of obligations. The main idea of the wedding guest had 2 choices and while he may have had a bigger obligation at the wedding, he also had an obligation to hear a stranger's plea for help. So was the better choice to go to the wedding, or to leave the Mariner in agony? In so he further states, "There are no pure welcomes, the poem seems to suggest, only contending obligations." (Melville; Pg.4) One may choose what they think to be the right decision, but may be unaware to the suffering that is around the corner. There is no decision that is without negative consequences.
The article by Melville had introduced some interesting concepts, like obligations. The author stated that with every decision, there are negative repercussions to those actions. I agree with this to a certain extent. In a lot of ways, this statement is true, but there are special circumstances in which it would prove false. For instance, in the "Rime", the Mariner had the choice to kill or to not kill the bird. Presumably, if he had let the bird live, the ship would have been well and the men been safe. But, he chose the negative option instead. So the alternative would have been technically better and with a more positive outcome. The other concept was the limits of hospitality. Coleridge had a recurring character in the "Rime" and in another one of his works, "Kubla Khan." The character, known as the Porlockian caller, basically interrupts and is very important to the concept. The term Porlockian came from "Kubla Khan", since the man that interrupted was from Porlock and was welcomed warmly into the home. Now in the "Rime", the Porlockian character, is the Mariner. Although he is not welcomed as warmly in this poem. Now as for hospitality, Melville makes the point clear as the host or main character must choose between the strange or familiar. In "Kubla Khan", the host obviously chooses the strange with open arms. While the Mariner gets a rather harsh reception from the wedding guest. But the thing I don't understand about Melville's statement is about the limit. Like when Melville's quoting of the 1800's version of the "Argument", "how the Ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen" (PW 188). That's a breach of the limit, but what does Melville try to uncover with the quote? My guess is being since the Mariner was in a harsh and unfamiliar environment, so the sight of the albatross, was good and welcomed. Then as soon as the situation gets better, the Mariner shoots the familiar sight.

Vincent Nguyen

Summary & Analysis

Rime of the Ancient Mariner Text

After 7 days and nights of this, but he was unable to die. Then night fell on him. Something changes inside the Mariner and he suddenly finds himself able to pray. At that moment, the albatross falls from his neck, like a weight off his shoulders. With the "weight" of the albatross off his shoulders, he can sleep. The rain pours down on him and as it does, spirits come and take over the bodies of his old crew. The ship begins to move forward again and the Mariner join in on the work. He then tells the wedding guest that they were not pained souls, but blessed spirits. At dawn, a sweet sound came from the mens' mouths. After, the ship drifted further ahead. The mariner believes it is the spirit from the land of mist and snow that is guiding the ship. At noon, the ship suddenly stopped and was pulled forward and backward. Then suddenly, the ship lurched forward. The Mariner then hears a spirit asking if he was the one who shot the albatross. A second spirit comes and says that he has done his penance and that he will do more.
The 2 spirits then discuss the situation. At some time, while the Mariner was asleep, the ship began moving forward again. He then saw the marks of his homeland. When he turned, the Mariner saw beings of light leave the bodies of his men and they left him. At some point, the boat had sunk and he was floating. He heard the sounds of oars as a pilot and his son came to rescue him. He also heard the voice of a hermit, of which he hoped, would absolve him. When the Mariner asked the hermit to do so, the hermit told him to do was to tell his tale. As he did, the Mariner's guilt went away. After some time, the guilt would come back and he would again have to tell his tale, but only to a certain person. The Mariner's tale is ended and the Mariner leaves. The wedding guest rises the next day a sadder and wiser man.
I think that since the poem has a sort of "Jesus Christ" symbolism, the ending may have to do with the notion of missionaries. The tale must be told again and again to help remember the sacrifice and the pain that was felt. Because telling it is the only way to get rid of the guilt for the Mariner, but for us, telling the story reminds us of why he was sacrificed and what we must do now. We hear the story, and then move on sadder and wiser.

Vincent Nguyen

Summary & Analysis

Rime of the Ancient Mariner



At the first reading of "The Mariner", a person may believe that the story may just be a simple tragedy. But as I re-read the story for the third time, the symbolism really showed itself. Although the poem may still be a little abstract to me, I still understand it to a good extent. We start off in a garden where a wedding is about to take place. As 3 men walk to enter the wedding, the Mariner grabs 1 of the 3 men. The confused wedding guest tries to leave, but is restrained by the Mariner and is forced to listen to the Mariners story.
The Mariner's story starts off with the Mariner at sea with his crew. At first, the ship is in good fortune with their travel, but soon a wind takes them south. They are now very far south, and their fortunes look bleak. Luckily, an albatross happens to fly aboard the ship and good fortunes again return to the ship. The winds are now in their favor and they are now sailing back north. Then, the Mariner proceeds to shoot and kill the albatross, the good omen.
This is when some of the symbolism is apparent to me, or actually was shown to me.
If you look at what the crew does with the albatross, it symbolizes Jesus Christ. The ship is obviously in troubled times and then a good omen shows up. The times are good, but then the bird is killed.
After that, the bad times are back and so the albatross is hung on the Mariner's neck as a punishment. After the men have sailed for days without food or water, their hopes rise as they see a ship in the distance. Their hopes die down as they ship approaches and upon the ship and "Death" & "Life-In-Death" are aboard the ship. The 2 appear as a skeleton and a sickly-pale woman, respectively. The 2 roll dice to see who the 2 will take. Death wins the lives of the crew while Life-In-Death wins the Mariner. All the crew members begin to die off one-by-one, leaving only the Mariner left, to "live in death".
This part confused me a little, the first paragraph had some fairly visible symbolism, but this part was pretty cryptic. The least I could tell, is this part was his punishment for killing the albatross. This was his penance.


Vincent Nguyen

Impact of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

The poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" still has a impact on us today. As you can see left is a image of the mariner with the albatross hanging from his neck. This statue stands today in somerset, England. This Poem has lead to many movies and television shows, for instance the Pirates of the Caribbean. There are many parallels from the poem in this movie as in playing dice for the souls of men. The movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory also has many parallels from the poem. In the Wizard of OZ the wizard says to the scarecrow "Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on earth or slinks through slimly sea's has a brain". In the movie Cast Away the quote"Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink" is used. As for television shows in The Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood" when stranded in the middle of the ocean and told to preserve the water supply with which Homer Simpson washes his socks and says "What do you think were floating on? Don't you know the poem? Water, water, everywhere, so let's all have a drink" In the Cartoon "The Kids next Door" there is an episode were the kids get trapped in a sea of vegetables and one of the characters says "Food, food everywhere, and not a bite to eat" Overall this poem still has a great impact still today in movies, music, and literature.








Ashley Cramblett

Introducing "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Imagine that you are on a ship stuck in the middle of a ocean. There is not a drop to drink and all the crew members are mysteriously dying. Finally only a ‘Mariner’ survives. The ship sails again, but there is no wind! A ghost ship passes by. The dead seamen come back to life as a troop of dead spirits enter their bodies, spooked? You ought to be. However, there is more to it.‘The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’, is about a spiritual journey of a mariner. It tells the tale of crime, guilt and redemption. The Mariner kills the Albatross and this evokes the hidden forces.

The story starts of as three men walking to a wedding together, when all of a sudden the mariner grabs one of the three men who are going to the wedding. The mariner starts to tell a story about himself, to the man a story about him sailing out to sea on a ship. Everything went well at first but quickly changed there was ice and snow as well as the wind pushing them south. Sailors encountered an albatross, a giant sea bird. As it flew around the ship, the ice cracked and split, and a wind from the south propelled the ship out of the frigid regions. The albatross flew around the ship giving the ship and sailors good luck until the mariner shoots the albatross with a crossbow, the albatross dies. The ship stands still in the ocean the sailors have no food or water the blame the mariner for all of the bad things that are happening, they make him were the albatross around his neck. The sea became rotten and slimy. Since they had no water they became so parched they could not speak. They saw a ship out in the distance and they weren't able to yell so the mariner bit his arm and drank the blood so he could yell at the ship. The ship started to come there way they realized   it was a ghostly ship, with a women that had golden hair and red lips  made a gamble with each sailor and they all died, except the mariner. He was on the boat for seven days and seven nights then he saw blue, green, and    black snakes in the sea the mariner blessed them and then the albatross fell from his neck and sank into the sea. 






Ashley Cramblett