Imagery in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

       In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the language is beautiful. He uses incredible imagery, as well as very complex symbolism. Although there are several examples of the beautiful language used by Coleridge, I will only use a few examples of the imagery in this poem to get my point across. At the point in the story where the mariner and his fellow sailors find themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean, Coleridge describes the situation with vivid imagery. He wrote, “water, water, every where,/and all the boards did shrink;/water, water, every where,/nor any drop to drink” (Coleridge 1619). As simple as these words are, it creates a visual picture of how desperate the sailors are. They are surrounded by water on all sides without any hope of survival, and it has all occurred as a punishment for the severe sin committed by the mariner. Not only does Coleridge use an image to describe the desperation of a situation, but he also uses the visual effects of this image to describe the punishment that the Mariner must endure, so this picture has much more meaning than the words initially call for. Another time when Coleridge uses imagery is when he describes snakes in the water by saying, “I watched their rich attire:/blue, glossy green, and velvet black,/they coiled and swam; and every track/was a flash of golden fire” (Coleridge 1623). Coleridge uses very lengthy and deep descriptions when describing surroundings he deems important, and this allows him to control what images stick out in the readers mind. A writer that does this has a lot of power over the reader and this is the beauty of Coleridge’s writing.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al. Vol A. New York, NY: W.W. Norton& Company, Inc., 2006. 1615-1632. Print.

  

Background to "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

      One of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s most famous poems is “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” This poem is very fascinating to me because initially, it “was not well received, and it was some time before this story… was recognized as among the greatest ballads in English” (Krueger). A very large part of Coleridge’s fame can be contributed to this poem, which is why I find it very odd that people did not see how remarkable the poem was from the very start. The reason that it was not well received could possibly be due to the harsh storyline. The poem tells a story of an ancient mariner who shoots an albatross, which completely goes against all the laws of hospitality, and there is no reasonable excuse given as to why the mariner committed this act other than pure evil and contempt. The tale actually relates to the story of Cain and Abel in the fact that it is a story of sin and penance in man. However, the story soon became very popular once readers saw how masterfully crafted the poem was. Coleridge’s brilliance was revealed after the public saw the incredible language, striking imagery, and deep and complex symbolism incorporated into the work. It is fascinating to me that a piece of writing that has been deemed so brilliantly written could have been completely looked over at the beginning. Coleridge’s writing focuses on very strange and complex ideas, but he executes the details of the writing with absolute perfection.

Krueger, Christine, ed. "Coleridge, Samuel Taylor." Encyclopedia of British Writers, 19th Century,   
       vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Unique Background Information

     One thing about Samuel Taylor Coleridge that interests me greatly is his peculiar background information. While enrolled at Cambridge University, Coleridge suffered from a disease known as rheumatic fever. This condition involves complications of the heart and can be very detrimental without proper medication. Coleridge was a victim to this disease, and it gave him problems for many years. Some believe that this “may have led to his addiction of opium, which probably began the same year he started college” (Holmes). The fact that this man had to suffer through a disease during his college outing might have been the reason that Coleridge was not very interested in the academia of his university. Instead, he occupied his time by reading the radical political thinking of Thomas Paine, William Godwin, and Voltaire. Most of the principles he read about included individual freedoms and individual rights, and this caused Coleridge to embrace the French Revolution. However, I found it more interesting that he soon began to scheme for the implementation of a utopia in America. In order to establish this new social order, Coleridge partnered with a poet named Robert Southey. He then married a girl named Sara Fricker, who was the sister of Southey’s fiancé. After many failed efforts, Coleridge soon realized that the policy of “equal rule for all” was not applicable in America and would be impossible to start. With the failing of this plan, Coleridge began to realize that he had married a woman that he did not love in the hopes of accomplishing his plan. Coleridge had very unique plans and mindsets, but I believe he began to think differently after giving up on his plan of establishing the new social order of a utopia.

Krueger, Christine, ed. "Coleridge, Samuel Taylor." Encyclopedia of British Writers, 19th Century,
       vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Beginning research

       My interest in Samuel Taylor Coleridge was first sparked when I glanced at the first couple lines of his biography that preludes several pieces of his writing. The biography of Coleridge begins by talking about the relationship of Coleridge and William Wordsworth. In 1795, the two men met and immediately saw the talent in the other man’s writing. Coleridge refers to Wordsworth as “the best poet of the age.” As one can see, Coleridge had a great amount of respect for Wordsworth and this makes me wonder if the writers were able to build off of each other’s ideas to form an elite style of romantic writing in the early 1800’s. I also find it very interesting that some of Coleridge’s most famous works come after his relationship with Wordsworth began. In my opinion, Coleridge took a bit of Wordsworth’s genius writing and transformed it into genius writing of his own. Another intriguing aspect of Coleridge is that he was educated at Cambridge and was a very accomplished scholar. However, he did not find the intellectual stimulation that he had hoped for at the University. With this, he fell into depression and isolation, but this lack of passion for education at his University may be a key to his romantic expertise. In his poetry and writing, Coleridge focuses a lot on the beauty of nature and the joy that comes from nature and isolation. He is able to focus on creation in his poetry and I will research further into the details of his creative, romantic writing in the near future.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al. Vol A. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. 1607-1612. Print.

Research blog

After furthering my research, I have decided that I would like to learn about and explore the works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I made this decision after reading some of his famous works because they were very interesting. His poetry is unique and I would like to know more about his background and beliefs that influenced his romantic poetry. For this reason, I will research Samuel Taylor Coleridge for my research blog.