Mariners Journey
Ruby Johnson
Sometimes the most important lessons are the hardest to learn. In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a Mariner tells an existing story to a wedding guest. The story is about when the Mariner goes to sea and curses himself by killing an albatross. The Mariner learns a valuable lesson from his journey. The ancient Mariner goes from someone who doesn't understand the consequences of actions to someone who knows and teaches the consequences of actions.
At the beginning of the mariners journey, he didn't think about the consequences of his actions. In the poem the boat is chased by a storm into a cold and icy place. There the boat got stuck. Then an albatross comes and the boat starts to move again. The crew rejoices because they think the albatross is a sign of good luck. The crew begins to befriend the albatross. Coleridge writes, "‘God save the Ancient Mariner!\ From the fiends, that plague thee thus!\ Why look'st thou so?’-With my cross-bow / I shot the Albatross”(pg. 7). The Mariner shot the albatross without thinking. His only reasoning is that the albatross was plaguing them. He didn't think about his crew or what they would think . The Mariner didn't think about the fact that the bird might actually be a good omen, and if he killed it things might go wrong. This shows that the Mariner didn't think about the consequences for his actions.
After the Mariner kills the Albatross he realizes that there are consequences for his actions. His ship stops and they run out of fresh water. After that the spirits of Life-In-Death and Death come. Then Death kills everyone except the Mariner. The Mariner is left alone on the ship and he cannot die. Being left on the ship with no way to escape is the long-term consequence for killing the albatross. In the poem it says, “I look'd upon the rotting sea,\ And drew my eyes away;\ I look'd upon the rotting deck,\ And there the dead men lay. ”(pg 12). In this quote he realizes the consequences of his actions. After this happens and spends a long time sulking instead of doing something about his situation. Later in the story, he comes to terms that he did a bad thing and is paying for it. This severe punishment made him realize that his reckless behavior had consequences. During his suffering, he reflects on this and next time he thinks of doing something reckless he will think of what could go wrong.
After the journey, the Mariner realizes that he should think before he acts. In this quote the Mariner just started telling the wedding guest his story: “The Mariner hath his will.\ The wedding guest sat on a stone:\ He could not choose but hear;”(pg 6). After the Mariner's journey he learns about nature and the consequences of his actions, because of this the Mariner tells others what he learns. He feels compelled to teach and spread his knowledge. The Mariner knows that if he tells others his story they will know to think before they act. Although telling the story is part of his curse the Mariner sees the good in this and gladly tells the story every time.
During the Mariner's journey, he learns about consequences. At the beginning of the Mariner's journey he shot an albatross without thinking. Then he realizes that his actions have consequences. After that he tells others what he learned during his journey. Throughout his journey the Mariner learns lots of t lessons. But the most important lesson that he learned was that his actions have consequences.
