Isolation In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
In works of literature, authors use literary techniques to convey a meaningful message. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner portrays an old sailor telling a man the story of his embarkment on a sea expedition with his fellow crew, where he shoots an innocent Albatross and must deal with the consequences of his careless actions. Coleridge’s use of imagery illustrates the message that living in isolation and guilt can be worse than not living at all.
Rime of the Ancient Mariner shows that death can be preferable to isolation and guilt. Coleridge writes, “And many men, so beautiful!/ And they all dead did lie:/ And a thousand thousand slimy things/ Lived on; and so did I.” (41). The Mariner talks about the tragic beauty of …show more content…
Usually, the Mariner laments about his situation using setting, especially regarding the seemingly endless sea the ship drifts in. He complains: “Alone, alone, all, all alone,/ Alone on a wide wide sea!/ And never a saint took pity on my soul in agony.” (41). Here, he describes both his and the ship’s loneliness using setting and his soul’s pain through powerful language use. Additionally, the Mariner’s surroundings are distasteful, which he expresses in the following, “I looked upon the rotting sea,/ And drew my eyes away;/ I looked upon the rotting deck,/ And there the dead men lay.” (41). He describes his environment as distasteful; however, he is currently incapable of escaping from it. In his isolation, the Mariner describes more and more of the scenery around him, including in the following example: “The moving Moon went up the sky,/ And no where did abide:/ Softly she was going up,/ And a star or two beside-/ Her beams bemocked the sultry main,/ Like April hoar-frost spread;/ But where the ship’s huge shadow lay,/ The charmed water burnt alway/ A still and awful red.” (42). As one can see, he is jealous that the Moon has the stars for company, which he had previous to his penance, but did not value enough to stop himself from sinning. Once again, he describes his harsh environment. He sees a red color reflected in the water that resembles blood, creating a strong
Rime of the Ancient Mariner shows that death can be preferable to isolation and guilt. Coleridge writes, “And many men, so beautiful!/ And they all dead did lie:/ And a thousand thousand slimy things/ Lived on; and so did I.” (41). The Mariner talks about the tragic beauty of …show more content…
Usually, the Mariner laments about his situation using setting, especially regarding the seemingly endless sea the ship drifts in. He complains: “Alone, alone, all, all alone,/ Alone on a wide wide sea!/ And never a saint took pity on my soul in agony.” (41). Here, he describes both his and the ship’s loneliness using setting and his soul’s pain through powerful language use. Additionally, the Mariner’s surroundings are distasteful, which he expresses in the following, “I looked upon the rotting sea,/ And drew my eyes away;/ I looked upon the rotting deck,/ And there the dead men lay.” (41). He describes his environment as distasteful; however, he is currently incapable of escaping from it. In his isolation, the Mariner describes more and more of the scenery around him, including in the following example: “The moving Moon went up the sky,/ And no where did abide:/ Softly she was going up,/ And a star or two beside-/ Her beams bemocked the sultry main,/ Like April hoar-frost spread;/ But where the ship’s huge shadow lay,/ The charmed water burnt alway/ A still and awful red.” (42). As one can see, he is jealous that the Moon has the stars for company, which he had previous to his penance, but did not value enough to stop himself from sinning. Once again, he describes his harsh environment. He sees a red color reflected in the water that resembles blood, creating a strong