Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is much revered in Western poetical tradition, and it has survived despite the fickle reading audience's drastic turn towards the novel and other forms. Poems were once the acknowledged leader as a written form, but they have long been secondary, or even tertiary, because a novel is said to be easier to read, and, recently, graphic novels are enjoying a more prominent place as well. However, there are poems that have enjoyed continued success either because literature teachers continue to see their efficacy as teaching tools or because they have a bit of legend on their side. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" has some of both. Reading it, people see the value of the poem due to its aesthetics, but it also offers a journey into philosophy and psychology that transcends...
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