RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

SUMMARY

In the poem's first line, we meet its protagonist,(main character) "an ancient Mariner." He stops one of three people on their way to a wedding celebration. The leader of the group, the Wedding Guest, tries to resist being stopped by the strange old man with the "long grey beard and glittering eye." He explains that he is on his way to enjoy the wedding merriment; he is the closest living relative to the groom, and the festivities have already begun. Still, the Ancient Mariner takes his hand and begins his story. The Wedding Guest has no choice but to sit down on a rock to listen.

The Ancient Mariner explains that one clear and bright day, he set out sail on a ship full of happy seamen. They sailed along smoothly until they reached the equator. Suddenly, the sounds of the wedding interrupt the Ancient Mariner's story. The Wedding Guest beats his chest impatiently as the blushing bride enters the reception hall and music plays. However, he is compelled to continue listening to the Ancient Mariner, who goes on with his tale. As soon as the ship reached the equator, a terrible storm hit and forced the ship southwards. The wind blew with such force that the ship pitched down in the surf as though it were fleeing an enemy. Then the sailors reached a calm patch of sea that was "wondrous cold", full of snow and glistening green icebergs as tall as the ship's mast. The sailors were the only living things in this frightening, enclosed world where the ice made terrible groaning sounds that echoed all around. Finally, an Albatross emerged from the mist, and the sailors revered it as a sign of good luck, as though it were a "Christian soul" sent by God to save them. No sooner than the sailors fed the Albatross did the ice break apart, allowing the captain to steer out of the freezing world. The wind picked up again, and continued for nine days. All the while, the Albatross followed the ship, ate the food the sailors gave it, and played with them. At this point, the Wedding Guest notices that the Ancient Mariner looks at once grave and crazed. He exclaims: "God save thee, ancient Mariner! / From the fiends that plague thee thus!- / Why lookst thou so?" The Ancient Mariner responds that he shot the Albatross with his crossbow.

Part-2

The ship sailed northward into the Pacific Ocean, and although the sun shone during the day and the wind remained strong, the mist held fast. The other sailors were angry with the Ancient Mariner for killing the Albatross, which they believed had saved them from the icy world by summoning the wind: "Ah wretch! Said they, the bird to slay / That made the breeze to blow!" Then the mist disappeared and the sun shone particularly brightly, "like God's own head." The sailors suddenly changed their opinion. They decided that the Albatross must have brought the mist, and praised the Ancient Mariner for having killed it and rid them of the mist: "Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, / That bring the fog and mist."

The ship sailed along merrily until it entered an uncharted part of the ocean, and the wind disappeared. The ship could not move, and sat "As idle as a painted ship / Upon a painted ocean." Then the sun became unbearably hot just as the sailors ran out of water, leading up to the most famous lines in the poem: "Water, water, every where, / And all the boards did shrink; / Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink." The ocean became a horrifying place; the water churned with "slimy" creatures, and at night, eerie fires seemed to burn on the ocean's surface. Some of the sailors dreamed that an evil spirit had followed them from the icy world, and they all suffered from a thirst so terrible that they could not speak. To brand the Ancient Mariner for his crime and place the guilt on him and him alone, the sailors hung the Albatross's dead carcass around his neck.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Questions and Answer - part -I

Answer the following questions briefly

Question: 1 - How did the ancient mariner stop the wedding guest?

Answer: The ancient mariner used the hypnotic effect of his gleaming eyes to stop the wedding guest.

Question: 2 - Was the wedding guest happy to be stopped? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: The wedding guest was not happy to be stopped. He has come to attend the wedding ceremony where his presence is necessary as he is closely related to the bridegroom.

Question: 3 - Describe the ancient mariner.

Answer: The Ancient Mariner is an old man. He is quite thin and frail. He has a long grey beard and there is a magnetic effect in the glitter in his eyes.

Question: 4 - How does the mariner describe the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land?

Answer: The mariner describes that the ship was waved off on harbor among loud cheers.. All the sailors were in high spirits. The ship left the harbor leaving behind the church, the hill and the lighthouse.

Question: 5 - What kind of weather did the sailors enjoy at the beginning of their journey? How has it been expressed in the poem?

Answer: The weather was pleasant and sunny. The sun seemed to rise out of the sea and set into the sea. The sun was bright during the initial phase of the journey.

Question: 6 - How did the sailors reach the land of mist and snow?

Answer: The fierce storm forced the ship to drift towards the south and reach the land of mist and snow.

Question: 7 - How does the mariner express the fact that the ship was completely surrounded by icebergs?

Answer: The mariner describes how emerald coloured blocks of ice as high as the mast of the ship floated around the ship blocking all view.The repetition of ‘ the ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around’ makes the description very vivid.

Question: 8 - How do we know that the albatross was not afraid of the humans? Why did the sailors hail it in God’s name?

Answer: The way albatross came to eat the food offered by thesailors and played with them shows that it was not afraid of the humans. The sailors hailed it in God’s name asthey were pleased with this diversion that took away their gloom and depression.

Question: 9 - What was the terrible deed done by the Mariner? Why do you think he did it?

Answer The ancient Mariner killed the albatross with his crossbow. It was a thoughtless act, as the mariner had no reason to kill it. Later on he was remorseful about his action and had to pay a heavy price for his foolish action

The Rhyme of  theAncient Mariner -II

Q.11) Answer the following questions :
Q.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 hang the albatross around the neckAnswer:The mariners hung the 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

Virtuallly true- By Paul Stewart

Virtuallly true- By Paul Stewart

virtually true

Virtually true – By Paul Stewart

Textual Questions

1. According to the newspaper, what had happened to Sebastian Shultz?

Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a car accident. His condition was described by doctors ascritical but stable. In spite of doctors’ efforts Sebastian could not regain consciousness. He went into coma.

2. 'Dad's nutty about computers.' What evidence is there to support this statement?

Michael’s dad was crazy about computers. He had bought the latest computer which could doanything: paint, play music, create displays. He also bought many latest psycho-drive games anda virtual reality visor and glove. In fact, he was so obsessed that he couldn’t resist buying anynew gadgets and gizmos that came on the market.

3. In what way did the second game seem very real?

There are various instances in the chapter to describe that the second game seemed very real,such as “As I lowered myself down I felt the dragon's fiery breath”, “And the whole time I could hear and feel and even smell the evil dragon following in close pursuit”, etc.

4. The last game has tanks, jeeps, helicopters, guns and headings would you put this and the other games under?

Warzone can be categorised under simulation games. Wildwest is a strategy game. Dragonquest is a fantasy role-playing game and Jailbreak is an action game.

5. What was Michael's theory about how Sebastian had entered the games?

According to Michael, Sebastian was probably playing those games when he banged his head in the accident. The computer had saved his memory into its own. Michael bought a lot of games at the fair. Some of them were the stolen ones of Sebastian. When Michael was playing those games, the computer was trying to retrieve Sebastian’s memory.

'That was my idea' said Sebastian excitedly.' If only it would go a big faster’.

i. Where was Sebastian when he spoke these words?

Sebastian had just broken a jail with help of Michael and was on the rooftop.

ii. What was his idea, and what was he referring to?

Sebastian was referring to be rescued by a helicopter from the jail, before the guards catch upon him.

iii. Was the idea a good one and did it eventually succeed? How?

The idea was a good one, yet did not succeed because the jail guards and their dogs catch up on them,while Sebastian slips and falls down.

1. Why did the news of the 'miracle recovery' shock Michael?

The news article mentioned that a fourteen-year-old boy called Sebastian Shultz, who had gone into a coma following the accident, had miraculously recovered. Michael was shocked to read this. When he saw the picture of Sebastian, he realised that he was the same person whom he  had met in the virtual world and was trying to rescue him. Michael couldn’t understand that how he could meet Sebastian if he was in coma.

2. Michael's meeting with Sebastian Shultz had been a chance meeting. Where had it taken place and how?

Michael’s chance meeting with Sebastian had taken place in the virtual world. He had met

Sebastian for the first time in a game called Wildwest.

3. What kind of computers fascinated Michael and his dad? Why?

Michael and his dad had recently bought a Pentium 150 MHz processor, with 256 of RAM, a 1.2 GB hard disk drive and 16 speed CD ROM, complete with speakers, printer, modem and scanner.This computer could do anything: paint, play music, create displays and even make rubbish homework look fantastic.

4. Describe the first place where Michael was virtually transported.

The first place Michael was transported was the time period between the American Civil war and end of the 19th century. (mid 1830’s-1920). Geographically, it was west America. Michael was playing a game called Wildwest where he was a Sheriff caught in a gun fight in a saloon.

5. What help did Sebastian Shultz ask Michael for? How did he convey this message?

Sebastian Shultz was in the virtual world when his accident took place. As a result he got stuck there. He encountered Michael in this virtual world. He wanted Michael to rescue him. He sent a message to Michael which appeared on his printer.

6. Why did Michael fail in rescuing Sebastian Shultz the first time?

Michael couldn’t rescue Sebastian the first time because before he could save him, he was shot by gunmen.

7. The second attempt to rescue Sebastian Shultz too was disastrous. Give reasons.

Sebastian chopped the princess’s long plaits and tied them together to form a rope and

managed to flee from the tower. He and Michael headed towards the dungeons. However, the dragon followed them. As they were going down the steps, the dragon appeared and caught Sebastian. Michael tried to kill the dragon but he had already taken Sebastian. Thus, the second attempt to save Sebastian failed as well.l

8. Narrate the accident that injured Sebastian Shultz.

Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a car accident. He had banged his head. When he was brought to the hospital, the doctors described his condition critical but stable. Despite doctors’efforts Sebastian could not regain consciousness. He had gone into coma.

9. How had Sebastian Shultz entered the games?

At the time of the accident, Sebastian was using his laptop to play one of the psycho-drive

games. He was plugged on to the computer when his head banged in the accident. The

computer had saved his memory in its own. Thus, Sebastian had entered the games but could not come out of it.

10. How was Sebastian Shultz's memory stored on Michael's disk? Did Michael discover that?

At the time of the accident, Sebastian was plugged on to the computer. The computer had saved his memory in its own. When Sebastian’s family was in the hospital, somebody stole their whole lot of games. Some of them ended up at Computer Fair, where they were bought by Michael.Michael discovered this when he read an article on the internet about Sebastian’s miraculous discovery.

Sebastian Shultz had a close brush with death. After he recovers, he returns to school

and narrates his experience to his classmates. As Sebastian Shultz, narrate your

experience.

Hi friends, great to see you all. I had almost lost hope to meet you all again ever. Six weeks ago, I was on my way out of town with some friends for a weekend. I had my laptop with me. It was a four-hour journey to our destination. So, to engage myself, I logged on to one of my psycho-drive games. After an hour of driving on the highway, the car suddenly screeched to a halt. Since we were driving at a great speed, the driver lost control of the car and car somersaulted before falling into a ditch. As the car fell into the ditch, my head hit against the roof of the car and everything blacked out. I don’t remember what happened to me after that.

I was told that I had slipped into coma and only a miracle had brought me back. Another miraculous

thing happened to me. At the time of the accident, I was in the midst of a game. Although, I entered it I couldn’t come out of it. Somebody stole my lot of games while I was in the hospital. Some of those were bought by a person called Michael, who rescued me and got me out. So, indirectly he is my saviour. I am planning to meet him soon. It is great to be back friends! I have had a harrowing time, VIRTUALLY!!

Write an article entitled 'Virtual games are a reality.

Virtual world or cyberspace is an environment using computer technology to create a simulated, three dimensionalworld that a user can manipulate and explore while feeling as if he were in that world. In a virtual reality environment, the user experiences the feeling of being inside and a part of that world. He is also able to interact with his environment in meaningful ways. Virtually real environment has

benefited the health care industry. The doctors use virtual reality products to treat phobias, addictionsand other mental health needs.

However, some psychologists are concerned that virtual reality games could psychologically affect aplayer. They suggest that these games place a player in violent situations, particularly as the perpetuator of violence and could result in the user becoming desensitised. Some psychologists also believe that these games can lead to cyber addiction. There have been several news stories of gamers neglecting their real lives for their online, in-game presence.

Another rising concern is about criminal acts. In a virtual game, defining a criminal act has beenproblematic. At what point can authorities charge a person with a real crime for actions within a virtual game? Studies indicate that people can have real physical and emotional reactions to stimuli within a virtual game. Thus, it’s quite possible that a victim of a virtual attack could feel real emotional trauma.

Can the attacker be punished for causing real-life distress? We don’t have answers to these questions yet.