RIME – PART VI
How is the ship sailing at this point in the
story?
•
Moved supernaturally by Polar Spirit
• Where does the ship carry the mariner to?
• his homeland (presumably England)
RIME – PART VI
Describe the scene on board the ship as it
approaches the shore.
•
Dead bodies standing . . . Mariner
eagerly scanning the shoreline
• Who arrives on the newly approaching
boat?
•
Pilot and his boy and a Hermit (holy man)
RIME – PART VI
What does the mariner hope to receive from
him?
•
rescue and absolution for his sin
RIME – PART VII
Who is the Hermit?
•
a holy man
• What does he see that is so strange on
board the ship?
•
warped boards, ripped/shredded sails,
life-less bodies
RIME – PART VII
What happens to the mariner and the
mariner’s boat and what might this
symbolize?
•
sinks into the ocean . . . . Like the
albatross sliding from his neck it
symbolizes forgiveness
• Who does the pilot’s boy believe the
mariner to be?
•
the devil
RIME – PART VII
Explain the reason why the mariner tells his
story.
•
as part of his penance – he must tell his
story to warn others of sin against nature
and the need for repentance.
• To whom does he tell his story?
•
• in addition to the wedding guest, various
people he comes across in his travels
RIME – PART VII
What lesson does Coleridge want the reader
to take away from this strange tale?
•
a lesson about nature – sin – repentance
– and forgiveness.
QUESTIONS (P.753)
1. Respond: How did your reaction to the
ancient Mariner change as his story went
on?
• Scary/disturbing to possibly more
sympathetic
2(a) Recall: On what occasion does the
Mariner tell his story?
• A wedding
QUESTIONS (P.753)
2(b) Interpret: Why do you think Coleridge
chose this occasion for the poem??
• A time of unity to tell a warning tale about
dis-unity
QUESTIONS (P.753)
3. (a) Recall: What contradictory connections
does the crew make between the
Albatross and the weather?
Good omen – brought wind . . . . Bad – it
brought bad weather (mist and snow).
(b) Recall: What does the Mariner do to the
Albatross?
Shoots / kills with his crossbow
QUESTIONS (P.753)
3. (c) Infer: Why does the Mariner wear the
Albatross around his neck?
As a symbol of his guilt / burden / sin….
4. (a) Recall: What happens to the Mariner’s
shipmates after the appearance of the
Specter Woman and her Death-mate?
They all die
QUESTIONS (P.753)
4(b) Generalize: What might this symbolize
about the effect of guilt on an individual’s
perceptions of and relations with others?
Guilt / burden / sin….tends to isolate one from
others….self imposed exile.
QUESTIONS (P.753)
5. (a) Infer: Why does the Albatross finally
fall from the Mariner’s neck?
As a symbol of his forgiveness….he
reconnected with Nature – repented – and
was forgiven.
(b) Interpret: What do you think the Albatross
symbolizes?
Mankind’s sin against Nature . . . Romantics
saw industrialization as killing the Natural
World.
QUESTIONS (P.753)
6. (a) Recall: What is the Mariner’s lifelong
penance?
To continue to tell his “cautionary tale” as a
warning against such a sin….
(b) Analyze: How does his story affect his
listener?
It scares his listening into considering his
message . . . . “wake-up call”
QUESTIONS (P.753)
6. (c) Draw Conclusions: What larger lesson
about human life might his story suggest?
Mistakes can be “made right” . . .
Redemption. . . Etc…
7. Take a Position: In today’s world, people
who have been through harrowing
experiences often tell their stories in
books and on talk shows, just as the
Mariner tells the story of his trials. Do you
think this type of response is appropriate?