Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Who or what is responsible for the curse against the Mariner?
- Why does the Mariner get to survive to voyage when all the sailors die? After all, he was the one who shot the albatross?
- What does "Life-in-Death" represent, and what is the result of her winning the dice match with Death?
- Drum roll, please (Dadadada…). What does the albatross symbolize, and why does the Mariner decide to kill it?
- Does this seem like a religious or specifically Christian poem? Does it change your perspective at all to learn that Coleridge was considered by many to have radical, free-thinking tendencies?
- Why do you think this poem has become so famous and influential? Does the poem seem ahead of its time, or does it seem quaint and old-fashioned?