Question 1.
Look at the picture carefully and answer the questions given below :
(a) What can you see in the picture? Does the man look happy? Give reasons for your answer.
(b) Why does he have the bird hanging around his neck?
(c) Have you heard of the expression—‘having an albatross around your neck’ ? What do you think it means ? Does it mean ………………..?
(i) something that you can always be proud of
(ii) something that you have to do because you have no choice
(iii) something that is with you all the time as a reminder that you have done something wrong ?
(d) What is an Albatross?
(a) I can see a man with a dead albatross hanging around his neck. The man seemed deeply distressed and repentant over his deed.
(b) The bird is a reminder of his evil action and symbolises a punishment for the sin he had committed.
(c) Self attempt
(d) An albatross is a white ocean bird with very large wings. It symbolises a thing that causes anxiety concern.
Question 2.
The teacher will now assign roles and ask you to read the poem aloud to show how the poem has been written in the first person (the parts in quotation marks spoken by the Mariner) and in the third person (where the narrator comments about the events taking place).
Self-Attempt
Question 3.
Here are some of the archaic words used in the poem; can you match them with the words used in modem English language that mean the same? The first one has been done for you as an example :
(b) – (xviii)
(c) – (i)
(d) – (x)
(e) – (iv)
(f) – (ix)
(g) – (xix)
(h) – (v)
(i) – (vi)
(j) – (xx)
(k) – (viii)
(l) – (xxi)
(m) – (xi)
(n) – (ii)
(o) – (xii)
(p) – (xiii)
(q) – (xiv)
(r) – (vii)
(s) – (xv)
(t) – (xvi)
(u) – (xvii)
Question 6.
Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) How did the Ancient Mariner stop the Wedding-Guest?
(b) Was the Wedding-Guest happy to be stopped ? Give reasons for your answer.
(c) Describe the Ancient Mariner.
(d) How does the Mariner describe the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land?
(e) What kind of weather did the sailors enjoy at the beginning of their journey? How has it been expressed in the poem?
(f) How did the sailors reach the land of mist and snow?
(g) How does the mariner express the fact that the ship was completely surrounded by icebergs?
(h) How do we know that the Albatross was not afraid of the humans? Why did the sailors hail it in God’s name?
(i) What was the terrible deed done by the Mariner ?. Why do you think he did it?
(a) The ancient mariner stopped one of the three wedding guests forcefully. He wanted to tell him the adventurous story related to him.
(b)No, the wedding guest was not happy to be stopped because he was a close relative of the bridegroom and wanted to attend the marriage ceremony in time but he was forced to hear the story of the mariner.
(c) The ancient mariner is the narrator in the poem. He is an old sailor who has a long grey beard and glittering eyes. He seems to be frighting with unnaturally skinning hands that held the wedding guest. He seems be a sociable guy before undertaking that fateful trip down to the Arctic. His life undergoes a major change as he shoots an albatross. He suffers from guilt and remorse for having killed the albatross. He repents his action and his penance continues through the rest of his life as he feels the urge to share his story with whoever he meets.
(d) The mariner describes the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land with joy. He exclaims when he starts sailing ‘The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared.’
(e) The weather was fine Tor the sailors and the sun was also bright. The poet has given its description as such:
The sun came up upon the left.
Out of the Sea came he
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the sea.
(f) The sailors reached the land of mist and snow because of the loud roaring blast that drove the ship faster towards the mist and snow.
(g) The mariner expresses the fact that the ship was completely surrounded by icebergs by saying
“The ice was here, the ice was there
The ice was all around.
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled
Like noises in a swound.”
(h) We know that the albatross was not afraid of the humans because it started playing with the mariners and ate the food they offered. The sailors hailed it in God’s name because it gave them hope of survival by splitting the icebergs.
(i) The terrible deed done by the mariner was that he shot the albatross with his cross bow. He did it to get rid of the troubles being faced, but soon he realised his mistake to find more troubles after the death of albatross.
Question 7.
There are a number of literary devices used in the poem. Some of them have been listed below. Choose the right ones and write them down in the table as shown in the example. In each of the cases explain what they mean.
| 1. The Wedding-Guest stood still, And listens like a three years’ child : |
Simile; the Wedding-Guest was completely under the control of the Mariner |
| 2. Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the lighthouse top |
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| 3. The sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he |
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| 4. The bride hath paced into the hall, Red as a rose is she |
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| 5. And now the storm-blast came, and he was tyrannous and strong : |
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| 6. With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe | |
| 7. The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around |
(b) Repetition; here we find the occurrence of the same word ‘below’ used for laying supreme stress.
(c) Personification; here an inanimate thing “The Sun” has been personified like an animate thing.
(d) Simile; here the bride is compared with red rose and for comparison, the word “as” has been used.
(e) Personification; here ‘the storm blast’ has been animated as tyrannous and strong.
(f) Personification and hyperbole; here exaggeration — The storm has been shown as a person with unmatched powers. His powers have been exaggerated.
(g) Repetition; here the word “ice” has been repeated for emphasis.
Question 8.
In groups of four discuss what you think happens next in the poem. Share your views with the rest of the class.
Self-Attempt
Question 9.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) In which direction did the ship start moving? How can you say?
(b) Why does the Mariner say that ‘no sweet bird did follow’?
(c) 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?
(d) 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?
(e) What is indicated by the line ‘The bloody sun, at noon,/Right up above the mast did stand,/No bigger than the moon’?
(f) How does the Mariner describe the fact that they were completely motionless in the middle of the sea?
(g) What is the irony in the ninth stanza? Explain it in your own words.
(h) What is the narrator trying to convey through the description of the situation in the tenth and eleventh stanza?
(i) What or who did the Mariners feel was responsible for their suffering?
(j) Describe the condition of the Mariners as expressed in the thirteenth stanza.
(k) Why did the Mariners hang the Albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner?
(a) The ship started moving in the northern direction. We can say this because the poet says the sun rose in the right and he also says the south wind blew behind the ship.
(b) He says so because the mariner had killed the albatross. It no more followed the ship for food or for playing with the mariners.
(c At first all the mariners said that the ancient mariner had done a wrong thing by killing the bird. Then, when the weather improved, they all said that he had done the right thing by killing the bird. Finally when the ship stopped moving they said he had committed a crime by killing the bird. They changed their mind three times. This shows that they did not have an opinion of their own or a mind of their own.
(d) After the ship left the land of mist and snow, it entered an area where the weather was very hot. Then the ship moved into the sea where the breeze was blowing fine. From here the ship moved into a region where the weather was very hot and it was still all around. There was no breeze at all so the ship could just not move.
(e) This line states that the sun was shining very bright and it was right above the ship. It was very hot but the size of the sun was not very big. The poet compares it to the size of the moon.
(f) The mariner says that there was no air and no movement. He compares their ship to a painted ship which stands still on a painted ocean.
(g) The ship is stuck in the middle of the sea with water all around. The weather is extremely hot and mariners need drinking water. In spite of there being water, there was not a drop of c drinking water available. That is the irony in this stanza.
(h) Through the tenth and eleventh stanza, the poet brings out the condition of the creatures in the sea. As there was no breeze blowing, the creatures had started dying. At night it appeared as though death was dancing at the gate of the ship. The condition of the sailors was pathetic.
(i) The mariners felt that the ancient mariner was responsible for their suffering. He had killed an innocent bird, the albatross, without any provocation.
(j) The sailors were feeling very thirsty as there was no drinking water available. Their throats were dry and they could not speak even a word.
(k) The mariners hung the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner in order to remind him of the ghasdy deed he had committed by killing the innocent bird.
Question 10.
Like part one, the second part also has a number of literary devices. List them out in the same way as you had done in question number seven and explain them.
| Excerpt | Literary device |
| 1. out of the sea come he, | Personification: The sun has been compared to a human being capable of movement. |
| 2. And it would work’em woe. | Alliteration: The letter’ w’ has been repeated thrice. |
| 3. Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head, | Simile: Sun has been compared to God’s glorious head. |
| 4. The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew The furrow followed free | Alliteration: The letter ‘f has been repeated and blew and flew has repetition of ew sound. |
| 5. And we did speak only to break the silence of the sea! | Hyperbole: The speakers have exaggerated their action of speaking. |
| 6. All in a hot and copper sky the bloody sun at noon | Metaphor: Sky and the sun have been indirectly compared to copper and blood respectively. |
| 7. As idle as a painted ship | Simile: The ship has been compared to a painting. |
| 8. Day after day, day after Say | Repetition: The words have been repeated. |
| 9. Water, water every where not any drop to drink. | Irony: Though there is lot of water but the sailors could not drink even a single drop. |
| 10. The death-fires danced at night. | Personification: Fire has been shown as doing a dance of death. |
Question 11.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem ?
Rhyme scheme of the poem: ab cb
Question 12.
Find examples of the use of interesting sounds from the poem and explain their effect on the reader.
| 1. The ice ‘cracked and growled, and roared and howled’ …………………………………… ………………………………….. ………………………………….. |
Coleridge uses onomatopoeic words which use harsh ‘ck’ sounds to make the ice sound brutal. He also gives the ice animal sounds to give the impression it has come alive and is attacking the ship. |
2. breeze blew ____________ alliteration ___________ alliteration is used to give a reinforcement to the sound.
3. foam flew __________ alliteration
4. furrow followed free ____________ alliteration
5. hot and copper sky _________ metaphor, visual imagery ________ The elements in a literary work used to evoke mental images, not only of the visual sense, but of sensation and emotion as well. Sky looks like a hot piece of copper.
6. bloody sun _____________ visual and sensational imagery.
7. Day after day, day after day ________ repetition __________ the poet uses this technique for emphasis.
8. Water, water everywhere _____________ repetition _____________ for emphasis.
9. like a witch’s oil ______________ simile ____________used to bring out a comparison.
Question 13.
The poem is full of strange, uncanny or supernatural elements. Discuss how these elements appear in the poem. You should consider :
— the strange weather ;
— the albatross as a bird of “good omen”
— the spirit from “the land of mist and snow”
— the strange slimy creatures seen in the sea
— the ocean appearing to rot
— the death fires and sea water being referred to as witch’s oils
Now write a paragraph about the supernatural elements in the poem and how they add to the events that take place in the poem.
Supernatural elements make the poem interesting and there are surprises and surprises for the readers. The poet could have said this very incident in a simple manner. Use of these supernatural elements such as the ‘albatross being a sign of good omen, ‘the ocean appearing to rot’, ‘the death fires dancing’ etc keeps the suspense and thrill alive, besides creating a lot of visual imagery.
Question 14.
Every ship is supposed to have a log book, which is filled in every day by the captain. If he dies, the next senior officer fills it in (usually the First Mate). Decide on appropriate dates (the mariner’s tale was supposed to be thought of as already very old when the poem was published : it should be no later than about 1700 AD; other clues to the date are the light-house and the mariner’s crossbow).
If you wish you can make the log look old by staining the pages, by your handwriting and spelling. Write a series of entriesfor the log for the important events that take place in the ship as recorded in the poem. The first one has been done as an example.
1701 AD
Today we left the shore at 3.30 p.m. under glorious sailing conditions. We have 230 men on board. We are sailing with cargo towards Portugal. The journey is expected to take 90 days. We are well stocked with food and water to last us 250 days in case of any emergency. Hopefully we will not face any untoward i happenings. God be with us !
You could also do this as an oral activity, recording the entries on audio tape and using voice effects and other sound effects if you can.
Self-attempt.
Question 15.
Performing the poem
This is a very dramatic poem, excellent for reading aloud or even dramatising it. The class could be divided into groups and given the different dramatic moments from the poem to be performed as follows:
- the first storm that they encounter
- the time spent in the land of mist and snow
- the coming of the albatross and the subsequent events till they move out
- the killing of the albatross till they reach the silent seas
- the suffering of the sailors in the hot region till they hang the albatross around the Ancient Mariner’s neck
Student to role-play the situations in groups.
Question 16.
In your groups discuss the following :
(i) Why did the Ancient Mariner stop the particular Wedding-Guest to listen to his tale?
(ii) Why did he have to tell his tale to someone?
(iii) What is the poet trying to convey through this poem?
(i) The ancient mariner was feeling himself burdened with the crime of killing the albatross. Other mariners also felt that the ancient mariner was responsible for their suffering. They hung the albatross around the ancient mariner’s neck as a reminder of his sin. Now in order to lighten his burden, he stopped the wedding guest to narrate to him his tale of woe.
(ii) The Ancient Mariner stopped a man on his way to a wedding function to narrate his experience at the sea. Though there was no particular reason for the Ancient Mariner to stop the wedding guest, yet there seemed a kind of moral suggestion to love all men and birds equally. He did not want others to meet the same fate as he had.
(iii) The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a balled. Through this poem, Coleridge conveys a message to get close to God through prayer. The Ancient Mariner committed a sin that was rebuked by all. The Ancient Mariner relieved himself of his psychological burden by telling his tale to the wedding guest. The poet associates himself with Ancient Mariner to tell this allegorical poem in order to convey a powerful message to respect all the creatures of the world.