A Little Bit Gothic

I read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" when I was a senior in high school. I loved it then and I still love it now. Although it is very long and some of the vocabulary is difficult, the overall tale is intriguing and fun. I love the element of horror involving the dead crew, a cursed sea, a female spirit and mythical creatures. I also think Coleridge made the tale more interesting by splitting it into the present of the mariner relating his story, and the actual event. I have never tried to analyze the poem for political, religious, or cultural undertones mainly because unless I am writing a paper on my subject, I prefer to simply enjoy it. Therefore I really do not see any political statement throughout the poem and I am interested in Dr. Porter's statement from Tuesdays class.

Wordsworth's poetry was enjoyable, especially "The Thorn". Once the mound of grassy moss was compared to the size of a baby's grave I knew that the poem would have some type of supernatural element. Sure enough a woman is described as having lost her baby and most people believe it to be buried under the mound. I felt sorry for the woman but I did not know if I should considering she may have killed her own child. Nature played a large part in the poem with the many descriptions of the thorn, the mound, and the lake. Each element of nature tied back into the possible death of the baby and the misery of the woman. I thought the connection between nature and the personal was well done by Wordsworth.