The Rhyme of  theAncient Mariner -II

Q.11) Answer the following questions :

Question: 1 - In which direction did the ship start moving? How can you say?

Answer: The ship began to move towards north because the sun now rose’upon the right’ and set on the left.

Question: 2 - Why does the mariner say that ‘no sweet bird did follow’?

Answer: The mariner sounds remorseful as he makes this statement.He means to saythat as he had killed the albatross,it did not follow the ship any longer.

Question: 3 - 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?

Answer: The other mariners changed their opinions as per the changing weather. When the weather was favourable, they hailed the Ancient Mariner for killing the albatross. But when the weather was not favourable, they cursed the Ancient Mariner. This shows that the other mariners were fickle-minded..

Question: 4 - 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?

Answer: Once the ship came out of the land of mist and snow, it had to withstand a condition of complete lull. The wind was still and the ship could not move an inch. The mariners blamed the killing of the albatross for this change.

Question: 5 - What is indicated by the line ‘The bloody sun, at noon, /Right up above the mast did stand, /No bigger than the moon’?

Answer: The sun was blazing red and scorchingly hot.The sailors think that the hot weather is the result of the ‘sin’ of killing the Albatross

Question: 6 - How does the mariner describe the fact that they were completely motionless in the middle of the sea?

Answer: The ship was so still that it appeared as a painted ship on the painted ocean. This sentence aptly describes the motionless ship in the middle of the sea.

Question: 7 - What is the irony in the ninth stanza? Explain it in your own words.

Answer: The biggest irony is that inspite of being in the midst of the ocean of water, the sailors don’t have a single drop to drink. We know that saline water is not fit for human consumption. Hence, if a person is caught in the middle of the sea and he does not have drinking water; only God can save his life.

Question: 8 - What is the narrator trying to convey through the description of the situation in the tenth and eleventh stanza?

Answer: The narrator conveys through this dismal description that the wrongful killing of the Albatross subjected them all to a state of uncertainty where they all helplessly awaited their impending death.

Question: 9 - What or who did the mariners feel was responsible for their suffering?

Answer: The mariners felt that the ancient Mariner was responsible for their misfortune and suffering .They felt that the wrongful killing of the Albatross subjected them to such an agony.

Question: 10 - Describe the condition of the mariners as expressed in the thirteenth stanza.

Answer: With not a single drop of drinking water to quench their thirst, all the sailors yearned for water. The mariners were unable to speak as their tongues were parched due to acute thirst.

Question: 11 - Why did the mariners hand the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner?

Answer: Albatross around the neck is used in the proverbial sense as if a heavy burden is thrust upon you. The mariners probably tied the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner to symbolize the burden of guilt because of killing the albatross