CLASS X POEM - 4 RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

 Question: 1 - How did the ancient mariner stop the wedding guest? 

Answer: The ancient mariner used his gleaming eyes to stop the wedding guest.

Question: 2 - Was the wedding guest happy to be stopped? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: The wedding guest does not seem to be happy at being stopped. He is a young person who has come to attend the wedding ceremony and would be least interested in an old tale by an old man.

Question: 3 - Describe the ancient mariner.

Answer: The Ancient Mariner is an old man. He is quite thin and frail. He long grey beard and there is a glitter in his eyes.

Question: 4 - How does the mariner describe the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land?

Answer: The mariner describes the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land; in following words. This ship is going farther and farther on the horizon. First of all, the ship appears to be going below the kirk, then below the hill. Finally the ship is so far that it appears to be even below the lighthouse top.

Question: 5 - What kind of weather did the sailors enjoy at the beginning of their journey? How has it been expressed in the poem?

Answer: The weather was pleasant and sunny. The sun came as if appearing from the innards of the sea. The sun was bright day after day during the initial phase of the journey. 

Question: 6 - How did the sailors reach the land of mist and snow?

Answer: The fierce storm forced the ship to reach the land of mist and snow.

Question: 7 - How does the mariner express the fact that the ship was completely surrounded by icebergs?

Answer: The mariner says that the ice was here, the ice was there and it was all around.

Question: 8 - How do we know that the albatross was not afraid of the humans? Why did the sailors hail it in God's name?

Answer: The way albatross came to eat from the sailor's hands shows that it was not afraid of humans. After the albatross appeared, the weather became pleasant and hence the sailors hailed it in God's name.

Question: 9 - What was the terrible deed done by the Mariner? Why do you think he did it?

Answer: It is not clear why the Mariner killed the albatross. It can be assumed that the Mariner was fed up all the attention which the Albatross was getting.

Answer the following questions briefly:

Question: 1 - In which direction did the ship start moving? How can you say?

Answer: The ship began to move towards north because the sun is not setting to the left.

Question: 2 - Why does the mariner say that 'no sweet bird did follow'?

Answer: The mariner tries to express his sadness at having killed the albatross. Hence he is making this statement.

Question: 3 - How did the other mariners behave towards the Ancient Mariner at first? How many times did they change their mind about the Ancient Mariner? What does this tell us about their character?

Answer: The other mariners changed their opinions as per the changing weather. When the weather was favourable, they hailed the Ancient Mariner for killing the albatross. But when the weather was not favourable, they cursed the Ancient Mariner. This shows that human beings most often interpret something as per their convenience. It does not say anything about their character.

Question: 4 - How did the sailing conditions change after the ship had moved out of the land of mist and snow? What or who did the mariners blame for this change?

Answer: Once the ship came out of the land of mist and snow, it had to withstand a condition of complete lull. The wind was still and the ship could not move an inch. The mariners blamed the killing of the albatross for this change.

Question: 5 - What is indicated by the line 'The bloody sun, at noon, /Right up above the mast did stand, /No bigger than the moon'?

Answer: The heat of the sun is being compared with the tortuous situation which the sailors were suffering from.

Question: 6 - How does the mariner describe the fact that they were completely motionless in the middle of the sea?

Answer: The ship was so still that it appeared as a painted ship on the painted ocean. This sentence aptly describes the motionless ship in the middle of the sea.

Question: 7 - What is the irony in the ninth stanza? Explain it in your own words.

Answer: The biggest irony is that inspite of being in the midst of the ocean of water, the sailors don't have a single drop to drink. We know that saline water is not fit for human consumption. Hence, if a person is caught in the middle of the sea and he does not have drinking water; only God can save his life.

Question: 9 - What or who did the mariners feel was responsible for their suffering?

Answer: The mariners felt that some evil spirits from the unfathomable depth of the ocean were

responsible for their suffering.

Question: 10 - Describe the condition of the mariners as expressed in the thirteenth stanza.

Answer: The mariners were barely able to speak because of their parched throat. They were unable to

speak as if their throats were parched with soot.

Question: 11 - Why did the mariners hand the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner?

Answer: Albatross around the neck is used in the proverbial sense as if a heavy burden is thrust upon

you. The mariners probably tied the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner to symbolize the

burden of guilt because of killing the albatross.

PART 1

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner begins with one of three wedding guests being approached by the Ancient Mariner and kept from attending the wedding first by the Mariner’s grasp and then by his hypnotic gaze. The old man starts with narrating how the ship was given a cheerful send off and began sailing till it disappeared below the kirk, below the hill and finally below the lighthouse top. Since the wedding guest does not seem to be interested in all those introductions about the voyage, he is beating his breast because he can hear the sound of bassoon and also comes to know that the bride had entered the hall. The old man explains how the sun rose from the left everyday; which means that the ship was going towards south. After a journey of some days, a monstrous storm comes and strikes the ship as if a giant bird had struck with its huge wings. The ship nevertheless continued to move ahead as if it was

trying to chase the shadow of its enemy. The front portion of the ship was dripping with water and its mast was sloping. Finally, the ship was able to escape the storm. After the storm, the ship had to face mist and snow. It was even more risky because huge icebergs floated from near the ship. Visibility was very poor which made it very difficult to navigate. Then an albatross came from somewhere as if it

was sent by the God. The albatross enjoyed the food given by the sailors and whenever a sailor gave a call it came on the ship. No matter how the season was, the albatross came everyday at a fixed time; as if trying to enjoy the life on the ship. But one day, the old sailor shot the albatross with his crossbow.

PART II

After the albatross was killed, the sunshine returned. The poet mentions that the sun was now setting on the left; which means that the ship was on its northward journey. The south wind was blowing and the voyage was more comfortable. But no bird came to the ship to feed on the leftovers. The old sailor was feeling a sense of getting for having killed the albatross. Many sailors abused him for killing the bird which was believed to have made the winds blow. But some other sailors felt that it was the albatross which brought the mist and snow and hence it was right to kill the wretched bird. After that, a lull came and they had to drop down the sail. It was a deathly silence all around. Now the sun looked bloody red at the noon. The ship was as still on the ocean water as a painted ship on a painted ocean. Water was everywhere around them but they did not have a single drop of water to drink. The waves in the moonlight appeared as if the witch's oils were burning to produce flames of various hues. Everyone began to curse the old sailor because they believed that it was the killing of the albatross which brought all the misery to them. The old man was feeling that instead of a cross, the albatross was hung around his neck. 

1. Describe the Ancient Mariner.

                                    OR

Give a character of the ancient mariner in the poem the Rime of the Ancient

Mariner.

Ans. – The mariner is old, thin with skinny hands, grey beard and glittering eyes. With the power of his eyes, he could hold the wedding guests mesmerised. The Wedding Guest could hear the noise of the wedding festivities and is the bridegroom’s closest relative. The Ancient Mariner has him captivated and is telling him the story.

2. What is the relationship between the guest and the Mariner in the beginning?

Ans. – The Mariner stops one of the wedding guests and wants to tell him his story. He confesses to the sin of killing the albatross. The guest is impatient and can hear the noise of the wedding festivities and is the bridegroom’s closest relative. But Ancient Mariner has him captivated with the power of his glittering eyes. The guest resents this and exults – ‘Hold on ! unhand me, grey-beard loon!’ He is transfixed by the Ancient Mariner’s ‘glittering eye’ and can do nothing but sit on a stone and listen to his strange tale.

3. How does the Mariner stop ‘one of three’?

Ans. – The mariner sees three guests going to a wedding and stops one. He holds one of them with his hand. The wedding guest resents this intrusion but he is transfixed by the Ancient Mariner’s ‘glittering eye’ and powerless to resist, he sits on a stone like a three year child, and listens to the story and gets involved with story. He asks the mariner this question—’God save thee, ancient Mariner! …  Why look’st thou so?’

4. Why do the mariners hail the bird as a ‘Christian soul’?

Ans. – The crew on the ship is alone at sea surrounded by a land of mist, by drifts and snowy cliffs and can see neither beasts nor men. Ice is all around them. Suddenly the albatross appears and they see the first sign of life in a desolate area. It is a friendly bird and comes to eat and play with them.

5. How does the bird relate to the mariners?

Ans. – The friendly bird comes to eat and play with the crew on the ship and responds to the mariners hollo’. It Þies around and travels with them for nine days and sits on mast and sails of the ship.

6. Why does the Mariner shoot the albatross?

Ans. – The friendly bird comes to eat and play with the crew but the takes a crossbow and shoots it. The mariner was devoid of moral values and he thought that if we keep feeding food to this bird our own food will be ended. With these feelings he shot the bird. Maybe he was weary of its hovering presence and had nothing to do.

7. Why do the mariners change their minds about the value of the bird?

Ans. – The albatross represents goodness and acts as a saviour to the ship’s crew as it brings a south wind which guides the ship out of the Polar regions. The crew are initially outraged at the death of the bird of good omen. But after its death the fog and mist dissipate and the crew deem the act as the right thing to do —’such birds to slay That bring the fog and mist.’ The shipmates are glad at the disappearance of the fog and mist, thinking the bird brought the dense fog and mist.

8. What does the Mariners’ not being able to speak signify?

Ans. – The ancient mariner kills the bird for no reason and the crew on the ship are initially outraged at the death of the bird of good omen. But once fog dissipates, they say that it was the right thing to do —’such birds to slay that bring the fog and mist’. Instead of condemning the act, they praise it. The

mariner was unable to speak as he was full of despair. 

9. What happens when the Albatross comes to the ship?

Ans. -The Storm-Blast follows the ship and takes it to the extreme south. The sea gets mist and snow and is stuck. It is mast-high ice all around. It cracks, growls, roars and howls. The dim brightness of the ice gives out a dismal brightness. Then an Albatross comes to the ship. The bird comes daily to the mariners for food and play. Very soon, the south wind blows. The weather changes and the ice splits

giving way to the ship to sail ahead. 

LITERARY DEVICES

Personification 

Personification refers to instances where a poet invests a nonhuman entity, an inanimate object, or an abstract concept with human-like attributes or feelings. This literary device appears at several points in the poem, typically in relation to parts of the natural world. In Part 1, for instance, the Mariner refers to the sun as “he” and attributes to this cosmic entity a certain degree of intention and agency (lines 25–28):

2. Another example of personification appears a few stanzas later, where the Mariner describes the coming of a storm in more obviously human terms (lines 41–44):

Repetition

Among the most important features of Coleridge’s verse in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is the use of repetition. Repetition is one of the most common verbal tics of the Mariner, who often repeats words, phrases, and even full lines. In general, this tic has the effect of adding extra emphasis to key moments in the Mariner’s narrative. For instance, after slaying the albatross, the speaker recounts how his crew’s opinion of him shifted with the changing weather (lines 93–96).

The repetition of the line, “That made the breeze to blow,” underscores what’s truly at stake in this scene, in which the lack of wind strands the ship. If the albatross did in fact bring the wind, then the Mariner’s murder of this creature is responsible for the current lack of wind and hence the ship’s stranding. Shortly thereafter, however, when a wind rises and blows in some foggy air, the Mariner reports (lines 99–102).

Aside from emphasizing key plot points, repetition also functions in the poem to underscore moments of emotional intensity. Indeed, repetition often appears at moments of desperation, when the Mariner’s narrative rises to a fever pitch. 

In yet another example, repetition again functions to highlight the Mariner’s hysteria (lines 119–122)

SIMILE

Simile is a figure of speech that explicitly compares two unlike things to each other, typically with a connecting word such as “like” or “as.” 

The first example comes very early, when the speaker says the Wedding-Guest listens to the Mariner “like a three years’ child” (line 15).

for instance, with his ship stranded due to a lack of wind, he employs the following simile (lines 117–18)

SYMBOLISM

Historically, albatross were seen by sailors as omens of good luck, and initially the albatross symbolizes this to the sailors when it appears just as a wind picks up to move the ship. Further, birds in general were often seen as having the ability to move between the earthly and spiritual realms, and this albatross in particular—with its habit of appearing from out of the fog—seems to be both natural and supernatural. Thus the albatross can be seen as symbolizing the connection between the natural and spiritual worlds, a connection that the rest of the poem will show even more clearly, and it can further be seen as a symbol of the sublime (the unearthly bird) as it sports with the mundane (the ship).

With the Mariner’s killing of the bird, the symbol becomes more complicated still. First, the killing of the innocent bird, and the Mariner’s line that “Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung,” suggests that the Albatross can be read as a symbol of Christ, with the Mariner as the betraying Judas (particularly as the Albatross is killed by a cross-bow). The dead albatross, also, can be read more generally as a mark of sin.

Alliteration

Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, The following passage is full of lyrical alliteration that heightens the drama of the albatross's death in Part II:

The breezes blew, the white foam flew, 

The furrow follow'd free:

We were the first that ever burst 

Into that silent Sea.

Down dropt the breeze, the Sails dropt down,

'Twas sad as sad could be

And we did speak only to break

The silence of the Sea.

Allusion

In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. In Part II, the Mariner's allusion to the crucifixion of Christ emphasizes the burden he must carry after killing the albatross:

Ah! well a-day! what evil looks

Had I from old and young!

Instead of the cross, the Albatross 

About my neck was hung.

Imagery

Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. n Part I, right before the albatross appears, the Mariner describes the vast and desolate seascape in terms of visual and auditory imagery:

And thro' the drifts the snowy clifts 

Did send a dismal sheen;

Ne shapes of men ne beasts we ken– 

The Ice was all between.

The Ice was here, the Ice was there,

The Ice was all around:

Onomatopoeia  - word that looks or sounds like the sound of the word itself. Like roared, growled, howled etc.