The Sad Wisdom Of The Mariner

It is the story of an old sailor who is narrating his voyage to a man he stops on the way to a wedding ceremony. It is about his one impulsive, irrational and heinous act of killing an Albatross and he faces an inner struggle over the crime he has committed. He is on the journey of abandoning his negative views and openly accepting God 's creatures. From the time of his act of crime, this voyage turns into a journey of learning lessons of accountability, acceptance, forgiveness and repentance. The act of killing the Albatross was absolutely mindless - the bird was of no danger to the Mariner or the other men on the ship. On the flipside, it was a "Christian soul", a spiritual guide who safeguarded the ship and its crew. It served as a companion to the men, as it would come to them when they called it for food or play. The Albatross was murdered on a whim, without any forethought about the act or the repercussions. The Albatross is hung around the Mariner 's neck so he can fully gauge the implications of his act, however, he is unable to. In his essay “The Sad Wisdom of the Mariner,” A.M. Buchan writes “The shooting is an act, unpremeditated and unmeant, that nevertheless must be accounted for….” meaning that the Mariner must accept accountability for his actions so he can begin to atone for his sins". As their journey progresses, the ship and its crew faces many difficulties as it comes to a halt on the sea. The Mariner is angry at first, instead of being remorseful about his action and curses the sea and creatures in it. He does not respect all of God 's creatures for which he is to pay his price. He is utterly surprised when he comes face-to-face with "Death" and "Life-in-Death". With a roll of the dice, Death wins the lives of the crew and Life-in-Death wins the life of the Mariner. The Mariner is left all by himself on the ship as one by one, the men on the ship die. At

The poem was probably not originally intended to be a personal allegory; but that is what, in Coleridge’s eyes, it became later as the prophecy was slowly, inexorably and lingeringly fulfilled. 'The Ancient Mariner ' has never been interpreted as a personal allegory. To do so (and the evidence for it is weighty) not only gives a clue to the source of the poem’s intensity but also explains beyond cavil its moral implications. 'The Ancient Mariner ' is, however, of primary importance as a poem; and no specialized interest – moral, biographical, or allegorical – can be allowed to assail the integrity to which, as a poem, it is entitled. But the interpretation I have suggested does bring the reader into intimate contact with Coleridge the man. Even to attempt to understand him will induce sympathy, and from sympathy some understanding can