Question

Describe how literary devices such as alliteration and internal rhyme or frame stories and narrative interruption contribute to the overall effect of Coleridge's poem. Cite specific lines of the poem to support your answer.

Answer 1

Answer:

In contrast to Wordsworth's lofty language and complex rhythm, in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Coleridge uses alliteration to create lyrical rhythm and mood. For example, the speaker repeats sounds to describe the perils faced by the ship in Antarctic waters: "The ice was here, the ice was there, / The ice was all around: / It cracked and growled, and roared and howled."

Coleridge also uses internal rhyme, or rhyming words within the same line, such as “The ice did split with a thunder-fit;" and repetition ("And round and round it flew"). This literary device lends the poem a singsong quality, which gives it the flavor of an old "sailor’s song" and contributes to the seafaring theme of the poem. Much like a lively sailor’s song, the poem can be read aloud and enjoyed.

The frame story and narrative interruption techniques add to the suspense of the poem. The reader discovers the mariner’s real identity along with the guest. Every time the guest interrupts the mariner, a new facet of the seaman’s identity is revealed. That keeps the story interesting.