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Question
Why does the ancient Mariner compel the wedding guest to listen to his story?
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Solution
The ancient mariner compels the wedding guest to listen to his story because he is driven by guilt for killing the albatross and suffers from agony. He wanders around from place to place to tell his story to different people because when he tells his story to someone he is temporarily relieved from his agony. Besides, he also wants to preach the lesson he learnt from the incident that took place to other people. The mariner has the power of sensing whom he should tell the tale. He says towards the end of the poem that the moment he sees a man’s face, he knows whether he should tell him the story or not. Thus, in a way he is bound to tell his story to the wedding guest.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
1. What can you see in the picture? Does the man look happy? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Why does he have the bird hanging around his neck?
3. Have you heard of the expression-'having an albatross around your neck'? What do you
think it means? Does it mean:
a. something that you can always be proud of
b. something that you have to do because you have no choice
c. something that is with you all the time as a reminder that you have done something wrong?
4. What is an albatross?
Answer the following by choosing the right option from those given below:
The Ancient Mariner stopped one of the three wedding guests because…………
Answer the following by choosing the right option from those given below:
The wedding guest remarked that he was 'next of kin' It meant that ……..
Answer the following question briefly.
Describe the ancient mariner.
Answer the following question briefly.
How did the sailors reach the land of mist and snow?
Answer the following question briefly:
In which direction did the ship start moving? How can you say?
Answer the following question briefly:
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 following question briefly:
What or who did the mariners feel was responsible for their suffering?
After you have read the poem, discuss the following questions in your groups:
i. Why did the Ancient Mariner stop the particular wedding guest to listen to his tale?
ii. Why did he have to tell his tale to someone?
iii. What is the poet trying to convey through this poem?
Imagine that the mariner hears of Mrs Packletide’s hunt and decides to share some advice with her about the impact of wilfully killing creatures. As the mariner, write this letter, in about 150 words, to Mrs Packletide, based on the consequences following your own experience of having killed a creature intentionally.
