The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay

In the book Rediscovering the Power of Repentance and Forgiveness, Dr. Leah Coulter seeks to challenge the conventional Christian approach to forgiveness. Conventional Christianity approaches forgiveness as a Christian duty, and, in many ways, this has been unfair to the victims who have almost been condemned for seeking justice rather than simply forgetting. She asks, "From an all too common Christian view, why must the weight and responsibility of forgiveness be placed on the sinned-against instead of the sinner's repentance?" (Coulter). Therefore, she focuses extensively on the idea of repentance and the duty of the sinner to repent. However, that is not to suggest that Coulter abandons the idea that forgiveness is a Christian imperative, but she attempts to place it within its Jewish context, and demonstrate how other facets of historical Judaism inform the practice of forgiveness and repentance.

While numerous teachings Jesus conveyed were challenging, many people believe his call for forgiveness to be extremely difficult to practice. It is not easy to pardon, or even love someone who has betrayed us. These sins people commit against can leave behind scars, and it can take a long time in order for our pain to be healed (Saint Mary’s Bible,1456). Moreover, when we have been wronged, it might be tempting to seek revenge against on the person who has done us wrong, to make him or her hurt as we have been. Additionally, if we do not seek vengeance, we might hold onto feelings directed against that person and well into the future. After we have been wounded in a specific way it is difficult to let our guard down and be vulnerable again

In Tony’s largely Catholic tradition, when a person commits a sin, that person must seek forgiveness from God. Although within the mind of this young boy, a new thought develops: “God was not always forgiving. He made laws to follow and if you broke them you were punished [it was] the Virgin [who] always forgave (47).” Tony understands how repentance does not come without a price. God punishes his people in order to teach a lesson rather than to scorn them, yet the idea of any punishment at all makes him appear like nothing more than a bully than a savior. This conflicting view of God is continues as Tony begins catechism, still unable to hear God’s words, and is taught about the Golden Carp from his friend

Forgiveness is a powerful word, of which has a powerful impact. But what does forgiveness mean? To what does one owe to be forgiven? Forgiveness is a process that oneself must teach to achieve. The book Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza exemplifies forgiveness and gives us as readers a new perspective.

The act of forgiveness may appear to be a simple task. Well, it is not.

The Miserable Lives of Those Who Cannot Move On In today’s society, forgiveness is occasionally a touchy subject. Some believe forgiveness is not necessary, while others follow the belief in the Bible, “forgive one another” (The New American Bible, Eph. 4:32). However one looks at this subject, forgiveness can be difficult in certain instances, especially between a coach and his players. When conflicts arise between these two subjects, there are instances when forgiveness can take years, even numerous years.

Forgiveness, while not only Christian, is a belief and practice that almost all Christians hold. Jesus displayed forgiveness in a variety of parables such as the “Lost Son” in Luke 15 and in his life, like when he forgave his persecutors in Luke 23. If we are to aspire to live in a way like Jesus did, then forgiveness needs to be regarded as a positive step to take. Through a case story by Stacy Banerman, we can see how the absence of forgiveness leads to a cycle of violence that will continue as people seek to justify their blame. Stacy Bannerman’s tragic story about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on her husband displays the unbearably hard aftermath of losing everything.

It is Christ in us, crying that men may be succored and forgiven, even when He Himself is forsaken. " We must learn to forgive because we are forgiven. Christ

Repentance was not an acceptable path to redemption due to its’ limited power. Athanasius argues that repentance is fine for a minor offence, but inadequate to turn men away from the death that they have brought on their own soul. For repentance does not “call men back from what is their nature – it merely stays them from acts of sin.” Men’s nature became subject to the rule of death, and repentance could not change

In the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduces an elderly sailor, whom of which is also referred to as the Ancient Mariner. In the poem, the Mariner narrates his tale of sorrow to a wedding guest. The story consists of the mariner setting out at sea with two hundred men. They come across an albatross, which is viewed as good luck, and the Mariner shoots it dead. In the event of his spiteful actions, he and his crew are haunted by Biblical allusions; all of which is created to further deepen the meaning of the poem.

Cleary seen in the quotation above, the curse resulting in the murder of Albatross left the Mariner viewing death as the only possible option to relieve himself of the haunting, tragic images that left his crew dead. Under the moonlit sky as the Mariner’s ship still sails cursed, but then he witnesses something that changes his perception of God and his faith.

In his sermon, preached on Sunday, September 14, 2014, The Rev. Dr. Alexander Evans examined the theme of forgiveness. The sermon is titled “Forgiving From Your Heart.” Matthew 18:21-35 serves as the biblical text for the sermon. This text was one of the assigned lectionary texts for September 14 – the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A.

In the twentieth stanza of the poem, the Mariner recounts that he “”(QUOTE). The act of shooting down the albatross is not an explicit sin; rather, it is implied through the crew’s response to the act, as they “” (hanging it around his neck, part 2 stanza 14)(QUOTE). The crew’s method of punishing the Mariner for their misfortunes parallels the manner in which Adam and Eve are punished for the Original Sin, as the couple are expelled from the Garden of Eden for consuming the forbidden fruit of knowledge (Stokes). Much like how Eve acted against her better judgement, the Mariner commits a crime against natural law, as he slays the bird that brought him great fortune in the form of “” (QUOTE) (Part 1, Stanza 18 - 19). Consequently, the guilty parties are punished not only for their actions, but their associates are punished as well. While Eve’s actions provide consequences for humanity, the Mariner’s decision to shoot the albatross results in corporeal punishment for his crew. The manner in which the Mariner’s punishment in relation to his actions correspond to that of Eve’s could be interpreted as a critique against the institutionalized Christianity, where the methodology involved paying the Church a sum of money as means to go to heaven and providing Biblical texts in a language that was accessible only to the educated and the wealthy

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a famous Romantic work about a mariner and his crew on an overseas journey. While on this journey, they encounter some rough weather. However, a sea bird, the albatross, leads the men out of the ice and fog. For some reason unknown to the readers, the Mariner shoots the albatross, and the whole ship and crew are cursed by God. It isn’t until after the Mariner learns his lesson that the curse is lifted and he is led back to shore by supernatural creatures. Throughout the poem, the Mariner is not only on a physical overseas journey, but he is also on a spiritual journey on which he learns to love and treat all of God’s creations with respect.

To earn forgiveness for a crime and claim redemption, one must endure a punishment and then show love to the one whom he has wronged. This concept ties into the stated moral in the poem entitled: “The Rime Of The Ancyent Marinere,” by Samuel Coleridge. The epic tackles themes of crime, punishment and redemption. At first glance, the piece does not appear to follow a coherent pattern; however, through close reading, a hidden logic appears behind the overwhelming chaos of the piece. “He prayeth well who loveth well/ Both man and bird and beast” (Rime 1797,VII. 645-646) is a sentiment that holds great importance for a general bettering of humanity. This moral emphasizes that to have a good life, one must balance spirituality and love. Forgiveness within this template of justice needs to come from the betrayed and include forgiveness of the self. The crew earns this forgiveness after returning the Marinere to their home country, righting the injustice which they caused by their treatment of the Marinere.