From the poems 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'The Snake', discuss how the characters, the albatross and the snake view human attitude and perspective towards creatures.
From the poems 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'The Snake', discuss how the characters, the albatross and the snake view human attitude and perspective towards creatures.
In both 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'The Snake', the creatures would view human attitude as violent, irrational, and unprovoked. The Albatross arrives as a friendly bird bringing good winds, yet the Mariner kills it for no reason — from the bird's viewpoint, humans betray trust with thoughtless cruelty. Similarly, the snake comes peacefully to drink water and is described as majestic, a 'king in exile'; though the speaker's natural instinct is admiration, the 'voices of education' push him to attack it with a log — the snake would see this as irrational aggression driven by social conditioning rather than genuine threat.
Both creatures are portrayed as innocent or majestic beings whose treatment exposes the 'pettiness' of human perspective. Crucially, both poems end in profound regret: the Mariner is cursed and must learn to love 'all things both great and small', while the speaker instantly feels ashamed, calling his act 'paltry'. This shared regret suggests that, however violent the initial impulse, humans instinctively sense the wrongness of harming nature. The two creatures would thus judge human attitude as arrogant and irrational on the surface, yet capable of remorse and change beneath it — the central moral both poems share.
Marking Scheme
- 14 marks for content: equal analysis of both poems, identification of human attitudes (thoughtless violence, social conditioning), discussion of the creatures' innocence, and the theme of regret.
- 24 marks for expression: coherent structure, proper comparisons between the two poems, use of textual evidence, and sophisticated vocabulary.
Hint
Consider both creatures as innocent beings. What do their encounters with humans reveal about how people treat the natural world, and what emotion follows the violence?
Quick Oral Answer
Both poems show humans harming innocent creatures out of impulse or social conditioning. The Mariner kills the albatross without reason, and the speaker attacks the snake due to learned fear. Both feel deep regret afterward.
Analysis & Explanation
This 8-mark comparative question asks students to imagine how the Albatross ('The Rime of the Ancient Mariner') and the snake ('The Snake') would 'view' human attitude — requiring equal, evidence-based analysis of both poems plus a clear comparison and conclusion.
How the Albatross would view humans
- It arrives as a friendly, innocent creature that helps the sailors by bringing favourable winds.
- The Mariner kills it with no provocation, so from the bird's perspective, humans repay trust with thoughtless destruction.
How the snake would view humans
- It comes peacefully to drink water and is described in regal terms, a 'king in exile'.
- The speaker's first instinct is admiration, but the 'voices of education' override this and drive him to attack it with a log — so the snake would see the attack as an irrational, unprovoked act of misguided social conditioning.
Common mistakes
- Discussing only one poem in depth and treating the other superficially — examiners expect equal, balanced treatment (content is split evenly, 4+4 marks for content and expression).
- Ignoring the theme of regret, which is the key point that both poems share.
Real-world connection
- Both poems criticise humanity's instinctive violence toward nature and the way social conditioning can override natural respect — a theme highly relevant to modern conservation and environmental-ethics discussions.
Common Mistakes
- 1Summarizing the plots of both poems instead of analyzing the 'attitude and perspective towards creatures' as the question specifically asks. Students must focus on themes, not narrative retelling.
- 2Discussing only one poem in detail and giving superficial treatment to the other, which will cost marks since both poems must be analyzed equally for full marks.
- 3Failing to draw comparisons between the two poems. A comparative question requires explicit linking statements showing how the poems are similar or different in their treatment of the human-nature theme.
Interesting Facts
Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' in 1797-1798 as part of the 'Lyrical Ballads' collection with William Wordsworth, which is considered the founding text of the English Romantic movement.
D.H. Lawrence wrote 'Snake' in 1923 based on a real experience at his home in Taormina, Sicily, where he encountered a golden-brown snake at his water trough. The poem is considered one of the finest animal poems in the English language.
The albatross in Coleridge's poem has become such a powerful symbol that the phrase 'an albatross around one's neck' is now an English idiom meaning a heavy burden of guilt. Real albatrosses can have wingspans exceeding 3.5 metres, making them the largest flying birds.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Mariner kill the Albatross in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'?
The poem never provides a clear reason for the killing, which is precisely the point. The Mariner's act is one of thoughtless, motiveless cruelty, representing how humans often harm nature without rational cause, driven by impulse or indifference.
What are the 'voices of education' that the speaker mentions in 'The Snake'?
The 'voices of education' refer to the social conditioning and cultural teachings that tell people snakes are dangerous and must be killed. D.H. Lawrence contrasts these learned prejudices with the speaker's natural instinct, which tells him the snake is beautiful and harmless.
How do both poems end with the theme of regret?
The Mariner is cursed to wander and retell his story forever as penance, and he learns to love all creatures. The speaker in 'The Snake' immediately regrets throwing a log at the snake, calling his act 'paltry' and 'vulgar', and wishes the snake would return.