Use of imagery in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is the best poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is a long but highly enjoyable text in English literature and is read by hundreds of thousands of students around the world. This poem has remained alive since it was first published and is one of the most famous poems in English literature. In this poem, the poet S.T. Coleridge has used imagery extensively, and throughout the poem, we can find very good and skilled use of imagery. As a result of this skill of S.T. Coleridge, this poem has become even more enjoyable, and very few poems contain such artistic and grand skill of using imagery at the highest level. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is the poem that has brought immortality to S.T. Coleridge in the history of English literature.

At times, the images used in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are strikingly visual. “A painted ship upon a painted ocean” - when we think of these few words from this poem, we can easily imagine the ship in the ocean. The ship is colorful just like the ocean and the description is beautiful.

Coleridge has used sound images too. For example, “cracked and growled” and again when just read these three words aloud, we feel a kind of image that becomes alive in our mind.

Coleridge has drawn extensively from the Bible while using examples in this poem. “Albatross dies by a cross-bow, I beheld a something in the sky, were casting dice,” these are related to the Bible, and there is a Christian moral tone in the poem. There is the issue of crime, punishment and redemption, and God is forgiving. The main message of Jesus Christ is forgiveness, and this forgiveness has been used in a good way by Coleridge in the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Coleridge was a scholar, and he studied the Bible very well.

We have seen concrete images described above, but Coleridge was good at using abstract images too. “Fear at my heart”- these four words clearly helped the readers to remember their own experiences from life about fear. The poem has some supernatural elements, and these supernatural elements have been used in a very good way with the use of images. In fact, supernatural elements have been made possible by providing good descriptions and using good images by Coleridge.

The use of imagery in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by S. T. Coleridge often helps a reader to remember the relationship between nature and super nature. Coleridge has shown the supernatural things in a very natural way, and the images often helped him a lot to do the thing.

Perhaps any discussion about the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” will remain incomplete without talking about nature. Although Coleridge has an almost opposite and contrasting view with William Wordsworth about the role of nature in human life, he has described nature in a very good way. At times, his description of nature in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” clearly reminds us of his place as a great poet in English literature. There is a relationship between humans and nature, and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” shows us that we cannot totally get separated from nature. We have to respect nature, and we have to love the creatures of God. To give this message, Coleridge has often used clear and concrete images like the albatross hanging on the neck of the ancient mariner. Dead men walking on the ship, and there was water everywhere, but the ancient mariner could not drink anything. All these things have a clear impact on the mind of readers, and the readers can easily imagine them in their minds.

By using images skillfully, Coleridge has created a relationship between the poem and the readers. The readers are constantly not only reading but also imagining. Poetry is the faculty of knowledge that should make our mind sharper, and by using imagery so skillfully, Coleridge has exactly done this in the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.

Literary Criticism: Nature and function of poetry according to Coleridge

It is without a doubt that “Biographia Literaria” of S.T. Coleridge is one of the finest books on literary criticism in English literature. Coleridge’s personal life was very tragic, but he had great knowledge of literature and there are few critics equally talented in the history of English literature. There is a history behind the creation of “Biographia Literaria” which we should know if we are to discuss it. In fact, “Biographia Literaria” was written in answer to the famous essay “Preface to the Lyrical Ballads”. In 1798, Wordsworth and Coleridge jointly published Lyrical Ballads. This book started the Romantic era in the history of English literature. At that time, two friends shared different opinions on different matters of poetry. 

In his essay, Wordsworth said some important things about poetry. His first major statement was that there was not much difference between poetry and prose. We might think that they are same. Wordsworth emphasized that there is not much difference between the language of prose and the language of poetry and they are quite close. Coleridge did not agree with this statement and he clearly mentioned it in his essay “Biographia Literaria”. Hence, it is important when we will discuss about Coleridge’s view on nature and function of poetry.

Before Romantic era, there was neo-classical era in English literature. Poets, writers and critics of this era considered works of the Greek and Roman poets as standard and followed their rules. Many famous Greek and Roman poets and philosophers including Aristotle believed that the main function of poetry is to depict the truth but Coleridge did not support this view. He believed that the main function of poetry is to entertain the reader.  A reader should find pleasure or joy upon reading poetry. This matter is very important and while discussing about the function of poetry of Coleridge, we should keep it in mind as well about Neo-classical idea.

Coleridge said that poetry and prose are entirely different subjects. At first, the two may appear close for both of them actually work with words. We use words while writing prose and poetry. However, the sequence of words in poetry is different from that of prose. According to Coleridge, the function of poetry is different from that of prose. The main function of prose is to present the truth but that is not the same with poetry.

Coleridge believed that the main function of poetry is to provide pleasure to its reader not to present the truth. Poetry may represent the truth but that is not very important. Coleridge serious discussed on this issue in his essay “Biographia Literaria”. Coleridge said that if we look into scientific prose then we would see that they only present what happened but imagination has a major role in poetry. The main difference between poetry and prose lies in the use of imagination in these two forms. Except novel, there is not much use of imagination in prose. During the time of Coleridge, novel became very popular but many considered poetry equally important.

Coleridge emphasized on the presence of beauty and joy in poetry. Through he tried to say that poetry is an entirely different matter. Wordsworth’s definition of poetry is different from that of Coleridge. There difference in opinion surprises us for they were the pioneers of the Romantic Movement in England.

Literary Criticism: Definition of poem and poetry and the explanation of the poetic process by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

‘Biographia Literaria’ is a book where Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates his ideas about poetry. Mainly, it was Coleridge’s response to William Wordsworth’s ‘Preface to the Lyrical Ballads’. Coleridge and Wordsworth had differences in their poetic principles, even though they were close friends. They laid the foundation of the Romantic age of English literature together, but their ideas about poetry were not quite similar. We can see more of these differences in the book ‘Biographia Literaria’.

In his book ‘Preface to the Lyrical Ballads’, William Wordsworth puts forth a number of new ideas which provoked thoughts among the contemporary litterateurs. Wordsworth wanted to say that poetry should be written in such a language that would be comprehensible to the general people and its subject matters should represent the daily life of common men. He also states that nature should be considered with sheer importance while writing poem and a poet should describe nature in his or her poetry. Besides, Wordsworth also provides his own theory on how a poet should write poetry or poetic process.

Coleridge reflected on some of the issues quite differently and it is perhaps down to the fact that Coleridge was one of the best philosophers of that age. So, not only was he a renowned poet, but at the same time, he was a philosopher and his philosophical ideologies influenced in different European countries. In Biographia Literaria, we can see that Coleridge mixes philosophy with literature. That is the reason he puts so much emphasis on ‘imagination’ and tries to signify imagination in everything.

Coleridge sees poem and poetry differently and the primary difference between the two is not apparent in Biographia Literaria. By poem, we can understand a particular poem, while poetry, in general, means collection of all poems. Coleridge also defines these two terms somewhat similarly. However, he associates a poet’s thoughts, feelings and imagination with poetry. That means, poetry represents the overall identity of a poet, while poem is just an individual poem.

To Coleridge, poetic genius is the most important thing when it comes to poetic process. A poet must utilize his poetic genius and imagination. Coleridge comes up with two different imaginations- primary and secondary imaginations. With the use of imagination, poets can come up with different new ideas and poetry gets elevated as well.

Both Wordsworth and Coleridge had immense contribution to the popularity of Romantic age or Romantic Movement. Coleridge delicately introduced the influence of imagination. Looking at his poetry and the subject matter of his poetry, we can understand the importance of imagination. Coleridge was a poet of great caliber and his Biographia Literaria not only did establish him as a poet, but also introduced his identity as a great literary critic of English literature.

Comparative study between two Romantic poets: William Wordsworth and S.T. Coleridge

Take two Romantic poets and make a comparative study on them

  a. Why their poems are representatives of Romantic period?

  b. Why they are different from each other?

William Wordsworth is the father of Romantic Movement in English literature. He created a new style of poetry and in that poetry we can find a new style not only in topic but also in language. That is why, he is immortal in the history of English literature and of the change that he gave a lot of focus was the subject of poetry. Until him, most poets focused on urban or aristocratic people for their theme. If we study English literature until Wordsworth then we will find that the subject matter is always high people or rich people or many poets only wrote about their beloved. It was Wordsworth who revolutionized the theme of poetry by focusing that the theme should be ordinary person.

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Nature was the most important aspect of Romantic Movement in English literature. It was William Wordsworth who is credited with the starting of the movement but what we often forget is that his close friend S.T. Coleridge had almost equal contribution in the beginning of the Romantic Movement. To Wordsworth, nature was very important and Coleridge did not disagree with this view but he had some differences with Wordsworth about the role of nature in human life and in poetry. In ‘Dejection: An Ode’, Coleridge has tried to talk in details about the relationship between man and nature.

Wordsworth has consistently written about his own life and own ideas.  Sometimes he wrote about his sister, sometimes he wrote about his daughter or the people he met during his life. Sometimes, he even wrote about unknown people that he saw while traveling to another place. So, in many of his poems, we can find autobiographical elements. Even he wrote about his biography in his poem called ‘The Prelude’. He put into practice the idea that the people or the subject of the poetry should be ordinary people. He was a very ordinary person during his time. At first he was a very ordinary person with little success and he suffered a lot of poverty at the early part of his life. It took time for him to get any kind of success as a poet.

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The basic theory of Wordsworth is that the nature has an immense contribution to the flourishing of poetic feeling and nature is very close to the poetic self. According to Coleridge, soul and individual creativity are much more important. Individual creativity and poetic intuition are even more important than nature. Poet’s poem could become more beautiful with individual creativity and enough practice. Coleridge’s opinion is exactly opposite of Wordsworth’s from this point of view as well.

Wordsworth said some important things about poetry. His first major statement was that there was not much difference between poetry and prose. We might think that they are same. Wordsworth emphasized that there is not much difference between the language of prose and the language of poetry because they are quite close. Coleridge did not agree with this statement and he clearly mentioned it in his Biographia Literaria. Hence, it is important when we will discuss about Coleridge’s view on nature and function of poetry.

Coleridge said that poetry and prose are entirely different subjects. At first, the two may appear close for both of them actually work with words. We use words while writing prose and poetry. However, the sequence of words in poetry is different from that of prose. According to Coleridge the function of poetry is different from that of prose. The main function of prose is to present the truth but that is not the same with poetry.

Coleridge believed that the main function of poetry is to provide pleasure to its reader not to present the truth. Poetry may represent the truth but that is not very important. Coleridge seriously discussed on this issue in his Biographia Literaria. Coleridge said that if we look into scientific prose then we would see that they only present what happened but imagination has a major role in poetry. The main difference between poetry and prose lies in the use of imagination in these two forms.  Except novel, there is not much use of imagination in prose. During the time of Coleridge, novel became very popular but many considered poetry equally important.