Crazy loon kills endangered bird!
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is an epic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in which the mariner makes a grave mistake, causing a domino effect of consequences resulting in the loss of his crew and eventually his ship. Throughout his journey, the mariner gains an understanding, fear, and appreciation of the supernatural forces around him.
The mariner starts the poem scared of the supernatural. He and his crew get thrown off course into a cold barren land. Their bad luck soon dissipates when the mariner meets an albatross. It is believed by some to bring a wind that blows the ship back on course. The crew debates the albatrosses help The mariner pulls out his crossbow and shoots the albatross. Coleridge writes, “And I had done a hellish thing,/ and it would work ‘em woe:/ for all averred I had killed the bird/That made the breeze to blow/ Ah wretch! Said they, the bird to slay/ that made the breeze to blow.”(p8.) The mariner’s decision is very rash without aforethought. The mariner is not grateful for the albatrosses' help. He is unsure of the otherworldly forces of the bird. He acts out of fear and not of reason. Soon after killing the bird, the mariner expresses regret for what he has done. The mariner is not a bad person and instead, in fact, killed the bird out of instinct. This instinct is fear. The mariner doesn't know how to understand the birds' supernatural help. He fears the unknown and in turn the bird. Even though he regrets what he has done, he doesn't understand it’s importance, And the chain of events cannot be stopped.
The mariner grows to understands the consequences of messing with the supernatural. In the poem, the wind that blew them back on course stops. The crew is left abandoned without water for days. Coleridge writes, “Water, water, every where,/And all the boards did shrink;/Water, water, every where,/Nor any drop to drink.”(p9.) With the guilt of killing the albatross, the Mariner now gains real-world pain. The ship runs out of its water quickly, and this quote shows the irony of the situation (Being surrounded by water yet on the brink of death due to dehydration). It is almost as if the “spirits” are mocking him. The mariner has not only the death of the albatross weighing on him but also the constant feeling of the spirits laughing at him. He also has his crew to consider. His decisions don't just affect him but everyone around him. The mariner will think twice before again killing a creature of nature, Especially one that meant him no harm.
The mariner learns to appreciate the supernatural. The mariner sees two sea serpents and announces, “O happy living things! no tongue/Their beauty might declare:/A spring of love gushed from my heart,/And I blessed them unaware:/Sure my kind saint took pity on me,/And I blessed them unaware.”(p13.) The mariner after seeing the sea snakes is taken aback by their beauty. He finds something that would once repulse him beautiful.
Throughout the poem, the mariner learns about the supernatural. In the beginning, he doesn’t trust the supernatural. He gets punished for killing the albatross, letting him know about the consequences of doing so. Even after being so harshly punished for his wrongdoing, he learns to appreciate the beauty of the supernatural. At the end of the poem, the mariner learns that he should be scared of the supernatural but he should also appreciate it. It is hard in our everyday lives to focus on the world around us, but if we take the time to recognize the little things in life we will lead a happier one.
by: Jackie bear
