Wednesday, February 3, 2010


In the poem entitled "The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge one can find many words which depict the nature of the poem. In my opinion the word "Marinere" ,which is even a part of the title, highlights the adventurous side of this work. Marinere is a word that almost instantenously brings adventure and quests to most people's minds. It is a great indicator of the era in which the poem was written, since those elements were one of the characteristcs of Romantic Ballads. Also, the word Marinere can indicate the separation or almost the fight of civilization with the natural world. Marinere is a person who takes a product of the civilization, a ship, and tries to face the wild natural world. As the poem and the story progress it becomes evident that the author is trying to show the encounter of civilization with the natural world and the magnetism that humans feel towards the wild. The journey of the Marinere could be understood as an attempt of the human being to express himself in nature and bind to nature, but also the journey of the Marinere shows how hard it is for a modern human to go out to the wild and not try to fight it. In my opinion the artwork atteched to this entry depicts this struggle in a clear way. In the distant plane one can see the beauty and enjoyment of nature which would be symbolized by the rainbow and the Albatross, however in the first plan one can see almost angry icebergs which are ready for the fight with civilazation, the ship, the crew, the Marinere.

1 comment:

  1. Greg -

    You establish the Mariner's position as a romantic figure by virtue of occupation, both tied to and contending with the natural world. You hit upon but could still develop an argument about how this choice of subject works within the larger project of the poem and the Lyrical Ballads in general.

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