Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge A Poem Analysis by Frosh Shierl Ann C. Adlawan AUTHOR • Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was born on (October 21, 1772, in Devonshire, England. and died on July 25, 1894). • He was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian. • Coleridge considers poetry as "the fragrance of all human knowledge and thoughts:". BACKGROUND OF THE POEM • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (originally The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere) is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–1798 and published in 1798 in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. The poem speaks about a person who survives a horrible storm. It illustrates his utmost desire to narrate his tale to others. SUMARRY OF THE POEM PART I The ancient Mariner, with ‘long grey beard and glittering eyes, detains one of the three gallants hurrying to a weddingfeast. Straightaway, the ancient Mariner plunges into his tale which the Wedding-Guest now listens like ‘a three years child’. The mariner starts narrating and he says that as the ship he was on sails they met an albatross who accompanied them through day and night. PART II The Mariner, for reasons unexplained, shoots and kills the albatross with his crossbow. After some time, when the fog and the mist cleared, the people in the ship said that the ancient Mariner had done right in killing it. All of a sudden, the favorable wind dropped down and the sails hung limply in the calm. Later on, it became unbearably hot, with the sky burning like copper. Due to extreme heat, their throats became parched with thirst and their tongues became dry. PART III Later on they saw a ship who was moving in a zigzag manner, it was not an ordinary ship. Rather, it was only the skeleton of a ship Two women were its only crew; one of them was Death while the other was the ghastly spirit Life-in-Death. They were playing dice, the stakes being the sailors on the ship. PART IV All the other two hundred sailors perished and the ancient Mariner was the lone survivor. He was aghast to see that thousands of ugly creatures lived on in the sea and his fellowsailors, all handsome men, lay dead at his feet. PART V By the grace of Virgin Mary, the ancient Mariner was able to go to sleep and feel refreshed. In his sleep, however, the thirsty Mariner dreamed of water. The ancient Mariner then heard the roaring of the wind. Suddenly, the dead bodies lying on the ship in the light of the moon emitted groans, stirred and then got up. All the members of the crew came to life and began to perform the functions which they discharged when they were alive. PART VI Afterwards, the whiteness of the surface of the water was suddenly changed into crimson. It was due to the fact that the angelic spirits (the seraphs) which had entered the dead bodies of the sailors now left them. As a result, each dead body once again laid flat on the deck of the ship. Later on, the ancient Mariner heard the sound of moving oars and the cry of the Pilot. He could not help turning his head in that direction, and he could see a boat appear. The ancient Mariner could see man in the boat it was the Hermit who lived in the wood. PART VII The Hermit made a sign of the cross on his forehead. He poured out his strange tale into the ears of the Hermit. He now moves from land to land, as silently as the night, telling his strange tale of suffering to people. The ancient Mariner then advises the Wedding-Guest that he should regard the love of God’s creatures as the best form of prayer and worship. THEME OF THE POEM Sin, survival, and death are the major themes of this poem. The rime of the ancient mariner is a narrative poem in the sense of an allegory and deals with the idea of sin and its penalty. The poem focuses on the Mariner and the incident of his killing an Albatross. The mariner commits the ultimate crime of murder and must thus suffer, and so he does. LITERARY DEVICES • Simile - is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different using ‘as’ or ‘like’ Fear at my heart, as at a cup • Metaphor - It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. Albatross is a metaphor for a mental burden or curse. • Personification- is when you give an object or animal human behaviors. The use of personification aids the author’s purpose that human life should never be held to a higher standard than any other living being. ELEMENTS OF POETRY PRESENT IN THE POEM • STRUCTURE The poem is divided into seven parts with each part having more than ten stanzas. The poem has a total of 143 stanzas. • BALLAD VERSE Since the poem tells a story and is published in an anthology titled ‘Lyrical Ballads, it comes as no surprise that the poem uses ballad verse. o RHYME SCHEME - The rhyme scheme is very typical of the ballad verse as ‘abab’ . o RHYTHM - The rhythm is consistent with ballad verses lines like the first and third lines are iambic tetrameter (four metrical feet), the second and fourth lines iambic trimeter (three metrical feet). EXAMPLE Upon the whirl, where sank the ship, The boat spun round and round; And all was still, save that the hill Was telling of the sound. SYMBOLISM AND ALLEGORY • Albatross were seen by sailors as omens of good luck. With the Mariner’s killing of the bird, The dead albatross, also, can be read more generally as a mark of sin. • The Sun and Moon symbolize the competing influences on the Mariner’s journey and on the world. The sun is associated with blood, heat, dryness, and the thirst that ultimately kills the Sailors. The moon, as it is responsible for shaping the tides, symbolizes the supernatural and divine influences on nature. CONCLUSION ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is Coleridge’s chief contribution to the Lyrical Ballads of 1798, and undoubtedly is one of the world’s true masterpieces. Although the poem introduces the reader to a supernatural realm, with a spectre-ship, the overhanging curse of the Albatross, a crew of dead men, the Polar Spirit, and the manic breeze, it nonetheless manages to create a sense of absolute reality regarding these manifest irrationalities. DID YOU KNOW? RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER (Title) Technically we would use Rhyme because it’s a lyrical ballad, but Coleridge used the word “Rime” it means Frost Symbolically- the mariner’s soul is frosty until he learns to have pity on his fellow creates DEFINITION OF TERMS • GHASTLY - terrifyingly horrible to the senses or frightening. • OARS - long pole with a broad blade at one end used for propelling or steering a boat. • PLUNGES - to cause to penetrate or enter quickly and forcibly into something • PARCHED - very dry especially because of hot weather and no rain. • EMIT - means to release or discharge something MATILDA by Roald Dahl AUTHOR Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a chocolate historian and a medical inventor. Born in Llandaff, Wales, on 13th September 1916- died on 23 November 1990, aged 74. The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre where he was buried, continues his extraordinary mission to amaze, thrill and inspire generations of children and their parents. BACKGROUND OF THE PROSE • Matilda won the Children's Book Award shortly after it was published in 1988, and it has continued to delight audiences ever since. • In 1996 a film version of Matilda was released. Directed by Danny DeVito. • In 2010, The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda The Musical, written by Dennis Kelly and with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, opened in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, to great critical acclaim. The production transferred to London's West End a year later, and in spring 2013 the show opened on Broadway. GENRE • Children's Fantasy/Comedy SUMARRY OF THE PROSE Matilda Wormwood is a young girl who is extraordinarily brilliant. At a young age, she can solve complex math problems in her head and read books meant for adults. Her parents and older brother are quite different from Matilda, preferring to watch television than read books. Matilda starts school late for a girl her age, and is placed in the lowest form in Crunchem Hall Primary School. Matilda's teacher, Miss Honey, is a wonderful, sweet woman, and she immediately recognizes Matilda's intelligence and seeks to move her into the highest form, where she can maximize her potential. Unfortunately, though, Crunchem Hall is run by a terrible woman named Miss Trunchbull. She is massive and muscular, having been a former Olympic athlete for Britain. She absolutely loathes children and treats the students horribly, keeping them in line with terrible punishments Miss Trunchbull comes into Miss Honey's class for one period each Thursday to take over, and she terrorizes the students with difficult math and spelling questions and punishes them with physical abuse when they cannot answer. When the girl’s pal, Lavender, sneaks a newt into Trunchbull’s water glass, the startled headmistress accuses Matilda of the deed. Furious, Matilda’s eyes somehow send energy toward the glass and tip it over, newt and all, onto Trunchbull. Matilda is awed and frightened by her newfound power, and when she demonstrates it for Miss Honey, the teacher invites her to her cottage to talk. Miss Honey reveals her life story to Matilda: her parents died when she was young, leaving her in the care of her cruel aunt, who has bullied her and forced her to work ever since. This terrible aunt takes nearly every cent of Miss Honey's salary, so she cannot afford to live anywhere but this tiny shack. At last, Miss Honey reveals who this aunt actually is: Miss Trunchbull. Matilda decides to help Miss Honey. Each day after school for a week, she practices making one of her father’s cigars levitate and move about. At school, when Trunchbull teaches Miss Honey’s Thursday class, Matilda telekinetically makes a piece of chalk write on the board, saying that it’s Magnus, who has come back to warn Agatha to give Jenny her house and salary and leave town or he’ll get her like she got him. Trunchbull faints and must be carried to the sick-room. Miss Honey then gets a letter from a law firm that says her father’s will has suddenly appeared. It gives the estate to her, including the family house where Trunchbull lived. Miss Honey moves into her old house. Matilda visits her every afternoon. Miss Honey gets the girl transferred to the top grade, where she’s an excellent student. When she returns home that day she sees her parents and brother in a frenzy, packing up to move to Spain because her father has finally been caught for being involved with criminals who sell stolen cars. Miss Honey offers to adopt Matilda so she can stay and live with her, and Matilda's parents, who never truly cared about her, agree to the plan. ELEMENT OF PROSE PRESENT IN THE NOVEL CHARACTER Matilda - She is the titular character and the protagonist of Roald Dahl’s Matilda Miss Honey - is Matilda’s school teacher and the first person to appreciate Matilda’s extraordinary intelligence. Miss Trunchbull - is the headmistress of Matilda’s school, and the story’s main antagonist Mr. Wormwood- Matilda’s father, a secondary antagonist of the story. He is a neglectful father who hates books and is an extremely dishonest businessman. Mrs. Wormwood - is Matilda’s mother. She is a voluptuous woman who is highly concerned with appearance Michael Wormwood - is Matilda's older brother, who is favored by their parents because he enjoys watching television and generally does not care about reading or academics, just like them. Lavender - is one of Matilda’s new-found friends in her school. • PLOT Matilda is a bright little girl who is very eager to learn. Eventually, her insensitive parents send her to a school run by Miss (The) Trunchbull. She is a cruel authoritarian that loathes children. Matilda befriends her school teacher, Miss Honey. • SETTING Matilda's home, school, and briefly, at Miss Honey's cottage in the country • POINT OF VIEW For the majority of the novel, the author uses a third-person and omniscient point of view to tell the story. The narrator focuses mainly on Matilda and her thoughts and feelings, but frequently includes the perspective of other characters as well. • STYLE Roald Dahl's writing style is a lot of things all at once. It's playful, funny, engaging, and exaggerated all at the same time • THEME Loyalty This theme is exemplified in the scene where Lavender pranks Ms. Trunchbull by placing a newt in her glass of water. Matilda takes the blame for the prank even though Lavender was the instigator. This willingness to defend her friend and prevent any harm from coming to her reflects Matilda’s selfless character and the lengths she goes to protect those she cares for. Love and Family While Matilda is extremely smart, an important thing missing from her life before she began school was love. Matilda's parents did not love her the way parents should, and love and affection is essential to any child's development. Miss Honey finally gives Matilda the love she needs, proving that the ties of family go beyond simple blood relations. CONFLICT MAN VS. MAN IMAGERY USED IN THE STORY It uses the five senses; How something or someone looks, sounds, smells, taste or feels LETIRARY DEVICES metaphor - The parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away. Simile - Miss Trunchbull never walked, she always marched like a storm-trooper with long strides and arms swinging. SYMBOLISM • Books Throughout the novel, books serve as a symbol of Matilda's ability to escape from the trials of her daily life. • The glass of water that is seated on the teacher desk becomes representative of Matilda's mental powers, because it is the very first object she uses it on. • Miss Honey's cottage though modest, is a symbol of progress and agency. Renting the cottage was her first step towards overcoming the terrible influence of her aunt, breaking free of the chains that had bound her since her father died. The cottage means so much to Miss Honey because it is representative of her triumph. CONCLUSION In conclusion Matilda is an exceptionally smart girl who learns very independently. She does not have any support from her family. They treat her horribly when a child should not be treated like that at all. Matilda's social skills were not hurt because of her family. DEFINITION OF TERMS • TELEKINESIS - the ability to use your mind to move things. • OMNISCIENT - knowing everything, having unlimited understanding or knowledge • VOLUPTUOUS - well formed, well proportioned, or attractive • NEWT - a small slender-bodied amphibian with lungs and a welldeveloped tail. • BELLIGERENT - hostile and aggressive. DID YOU KNOW? • Matilda was Roald Dahl's last long children's book before his death in November 1990. • Mr. Wormwood is based on a real person that Dahl encountered from his home village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire. THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!
