Death In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

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Immortality seems as such a wonderful power of have. Technology is constantly trying to cheat death, but what if you were cursed to stay alive forever. The Mariner in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge had to experience this. He deemed it torturous because of the guilt he was forced to live with. What caused him such a horrible life? He killed an Albatross which brought death to all of his shipmates at sea except for him. An omen to sailors is that the sight of an albatross means good luck and prosper. The Mariner cared little about the omen and shot the bird from the sky with his crossbow. All of the hardship that came to him showed that the omen was real and it affected him for the rest of his very long life. Omen or lesson? At the end of the poem, the Mariner tells the wedding guest to appreciate all life as God does. Instead of following omens, the Mariner finds he should follow the rules of life. Three things that we and the Mariner learn from his experience are; appreciate all life, learn to live with regret, and pass on your knowledge to help others. The Mariner pleads that we must learn to …show more content…
The Mariner was forced to live with the fact that he was the cause of his shipmates’ death. Many may find it harsh that simply because he killed a bird all of his crew was killed with it. Nonetheless, the Mariner had no choice but to live on after all of the horrid deaths occurring around him. The Mariner cannot die and had to learn somehow to deal with such guilt. On a relatable term, many of us try to forget our past “albatross killings.” Times when we have done thing to negatively affect others. “And till my ghastly tale is told, this heart within me burns.”(584,585) The Mariner felt best when he told his story to someone willing to listen. So, if you feel guilty for something you committed, tell someone. Share your feelings and help get rid of the weight on your