The Albatross
Essay on The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner To hang an albatross around one's neck is to symbolize shame, but from what isthis symbol derived? Is it because an albatross is so heavy that when hung around the neckit causes one to hang their head, as to implement shame? Or could it be that it was a figureof speech given to one that carried a guilt that was as large and weighted as an albatross isbig and heavy, and therefore carried that shame for all to see as an albatross around theneck? But why an albatross, which was considered to be a sign of good luck? In SamuelTaylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"all questions are answered as tohow and why an albatross hung around the neck is considered to be shameful and almost a In the beginning of Coleridge's poem, the albatross was a sign of good luck to the
The albatross had saved the crew, both physically and emotionally byincreasing the ship's morale as they ". They greeted the bird with joy, happiness, and renewed hope that they wouldsomehow find their way home again. He was finallyable to see that nature can be beautiful and he blessed the water snakes with all of hisheart, and thus, the spell had broken. To add to the supernatural punishment, the crew members blame it on the Mariner,and sentence him to another punishment. The Mariner was left to live life-in-death, but one day he saw water snakes. The crew, who's ship had been driven off course by a terrible storm,had seen this bird as an angel of God, for they knew that where there were birds, therewas land. The ship was sent back to land and the Albatross fellfrom the man's neck, and he thus was compelled to tell his story to all who he knewneeded to hear it, so that they may be able to see the beauty that God had blessed the earthwith and so that they may have love and respect toward nature. He was forced to wear the large albatrossaround his neck as sort of a public humility (such as the punishment of wearing the letter"A" on Hester Pryne's dress in the novel "The Scarlet Letter") which would hurt himmentally, but also the physical discomfort of having to lug around such a large bird. And inthose water snakes her saw something he had never seen before- beauty. They followed the omen which led them out of theice and fog. "The fair breeze blew, the white foamflew," (line 103) and the ship had begun to move due to the mysterious wind. "With my crossbow, I [the Mariner] shot the Albatross" (lines81-82) and for apparently no reason other than he never really had appreciation for natureor its' creatures.
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