Rime of the Ancient Mariner Discussion

Suffering-Tagged.pdf

THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

THEME OF SUFFERING

Suffering is sometimes the only way to change someone's habits for good, and it takes a whole

lot of this painful medicine in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner to make the Mariner realize that

all of nature's creations are worthy of love and respect. The entire poem, but especially the

middle section concerning the drought, contains enough suffering to last several lifetimes. Our

vote for the most cringe-worthy moment is when the Mariner has to bite his arm to wet his

black lips with his own blood so that he can yell.

Questions About Suffering:

What is the worst punishment that the Mariner must suffer in the poem?

______________________________________________________________________________

Why does the crew get killed but not the Mariner, who shot the bird? Is their fate worse than

his?

______________________________________________________________________________

What does the second voice mean by saying, "The man hath penance done, and penance more

will do" (V.92)? What kind of penance does the Mariner perform in the poem?

______________________________________________________________________________

Why does the Mariner feel the sudden urge to tell his story to other people? Does he continue

to suffer in this way?

______________________________________________________________________________

Chew on This:

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

The Mariner's story telling is a part of the penance he must perform throughout his life.

The crew's fate in death is no worse than the Mariner's, who must live on in a state of Life-in-

Death. The crew does not receive a raw deal from the powers that be.