IOC 1

I have been given an extract from the poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is from the beginning of the poem where the exposition of the plot, character, setting and atmosphere takes place, and the act of storytelling begins. ROTAM is the longest major poem by STC. Written in 1797-8 and published in the first edition of the Lyrical Ballads in 1798; it has become an important landmark in the literary canon since its publication and has contributed various phrases to common speech. In a move typical of the Romantics, in this poem, Coleridge places the poem’s focus on the protagonist’s empirical experience of the world, rather than on a didactic message .The poem also typifies the Romantic fascination with liminal spaces. Though it exemplifies the Romantic theme of the subjectivity of experience and the importance of the individual, this poem has a loose rhyme scheme and archaic language, which went against the Romantic tradition of writing in contemporary, unrhymed language. This poem is a harmonious whole; the natural, the supernatural and the human are artistically fused. Through it, Coleridge sought to propagate the idea of interdependence of living beings on each other, and the intimate relationship between man and nature. Many believe that Coleridge wrote this strange, liminal, sensuallyrich poem under the influence of opium, and that through this poem he sought redemption for his opium addiction. I will give a brief overview of the poem. The Rime of the Ancient mariner is an allegorical story of a mariner who, driven by an unconscious impulse commits the dastardly deed of killing an innocent bird-the albatross whose appearance the sailors had celebrated, hailed in God’s name and considered auspicious. He thus sets in motion a series of dismal events, as the spiritual world uses the natural world as a weapon to avenge the death of the albatross. The sailors, paralysed by fear, die one by one, due to thirst and the sun’s scorching heat, as the ship stops moving due to the lack of wind. The solitary survivor- the ancient mariner, in his utter loneliness, realises his heinous crime, and it weighs heavily on his soul. He craves for human companionship amidst the corpses of his dead shipmates; his only company being a plethora of abominable sea creatures surrounding his stationery ship. He is burdened by immense guilt, repentance and remorse. He seeks redemption, but in vain, as he is doomed to perform penance to pay for his sin for all eternity, that is, wandering the Earth telling people his story. In this IOC, I will talk about the structure of the poem, the way Coleridge creates rhythm in the poem, manipulates its pace, and gives it a musical effect. I will talk about the themes of act of story-telling and the natural world that are vibrant in this poem. I will explain how Coleridge employs various stylistic devices and imagery to set the mood, to convey attitudes and feelings and to shape the imagination of the readers. I will also talk about his use of language and the role of his writing style in bringing out the essence of the poem and broadcasting his message.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of the best representatives of the English ballad tradition. It is divided into seven parts. Most of the stanzas in the poem have four lines; several have five or six lines. In the four-line stanzas, the second and fourth lines usually

rhyme. In the five and six-line stanzas, the second or third line usually rhymes with the final line. Like I said before, in this extract, the author reveals the setting- The ancient mariner stops a wedding guest on his way to participate in the joyful festivities of a marriage, and begins to narrate a melancholy tale of his voyage at sea. Thus, the poem is partly set in a place of gay atmosphere, and partly in that of a dismal atmosphere. Thus, the merry and the gloomy are woven together to paint the whole picture of life. The plot begins to take shape. The characters acquire vague forms- the wedding guest, a symbol of social life, and the AM stands for spiritual life. This characterisation acquires depth, authenticity and credibility as the poem progresses. The central theme in this extract is the act of storytelling. Most of the poem is in the form of a bleak tale that the protagonist, the AM relates to a wedding guest. Thus, the poem is largely told from the AM’s perspective though there is a minor involvement of a separate narrator, who describes the WG’s and AM’s actions. The AM tells his self-centred tale for a selfcentred purpose- To allay his agonizing story-telling compulsion. The AM’s vivid descriptions of his confounding experience with the natural and supernatural world bring out the theme of the relationship between man and the natural world in the poem. In this extract, the descriptions of the environment have been used to establish the atmosphere. For example, the rising and setting of the sun convey not only the time and direction in which the sailors’ ship was moving, but the rich descriptions of the same also create a gay atmosphere. Later in the poem, the lurid descriptions of the sun begin to have a negative effect on the readers, and the atmosphere that is created is very unpleasant and eerie. This extract is rich with imagery, amplifying the effect the message has on the reader. For example, there is visual imagery in the entire physical description of the Ancient Mariner, which forms a clear picture of the skinny ancient mariner with a long grey beard and gleaming eye in the minds of the readers. There is visual imagery in the explicit description of the rising and setting of the sun as well. I’ve already talked about the impact this has on the readers. I will now talk about the role of the stylistic devices used by Coleridge in the poem. Coleridge uses repetition to create rhythm, and to highlight certain feelings, attitudes and situations. For example, in the line “Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the light-house top.” Coleridge uses repetition to produce a musical effect. He also uses it to make the picture of the surroundings clear in the minds of the readers, as when, later, the ancient mariner returns from his voyage at sea, he sees these features in reverse order. Also, the WG’s action of beating his chest occurs twice in this extract; this demonstrates his sheer desperation to attend the marriage and his utter frustration due to his inability to do so. Coleridge uses personification in his depiction of the rising and setting of the sun. This contributes in making the atmosphere joyful, as the sailors set sail.

Coleridge uses internal rhyme in the lines of the poem extensively, in order to add to the speed and closeness of the lines, make it rhythmic, pleasant and memorable. For example, met-set and bright-right. Coleridge also uses enjambment, and occasionally inverts the word order to retain poetic effect, such as in the line, “And he shone bright, and on the right Went down into the sea.” Alliteration, like in “merry minstrelsy” and” beat his breast” adds to the rhythm and beauty of the poem. This extract is also interspersed with similes, such as “like a three years child”, which accentuates the WG’s inability to act upon his own desire of attending the wedding, and his being forced to listen to the story intently like a child of three years; and “Red as rose is she” which paints a picture of a blushing bride, and thus works as a contrast to the mariner’s dreary appearance. All these elements help in setting the mood and tone of the extract. The mood in the beginning is that of merriment and optimism, as the sailors set sail. The tone of the poem as the AM relates his tale is mostly reflective and its tone in the interspersed dialogues of the WG and the descriptions of his actions is that of frustration. I will now talk about Coleridge’s characterisation of the protagonist, the AM. The strangeness of the AM’s appearance plays on the readers’ minds right from the beginning of the poem. The way the WG is compelled to listen to the AM’s tale due to his hypnotic stare, is confounding and unnerving. Thus, a slight supernatural element creeps in. This contributes in bringing out the essence of the poem. Coleridge’s distinctive use of language also draws out the substance of the poem. Coleridge has used simple, old English and archaic language in the poem to invoke a sort of literary timelessness. He uses archaic words like “eftsoons” and “minstrelsy” to preserve the essence of the poem, enhancing the effect the mood, tone and message have on the readers. He uses punctuation to create breaks in thoughts without disrupting the flow of the poem. Thus in this extract, Coleridge successfully introduces the setting, plot and characters through his interwoven themes of the act of story- telling and the relationship of the natural world and man, his stylistic devices adding flavour to poem. The poem is infused with similes, and a lot of imagery that only add to its beauty. As the poem progresses, the sailors encounter a storm which pushes the ship into a land of mist and snow, where an albatross emerges. They are able to manoeuvre out of this desolate place, and at this point of time, driven by an unconscious impulse, the AM kills the albatross, and the sailors find themselves in a very still part of the sea where their ship stops moving. As the poem progresses, the spiritual world begins to avenge the death of the albatross, bringing in its stride a series of tragic events.