The sufferings of the two men may be traced in both poems as going through several analogous stages. ... A parallel between the two poems may be drawn here: if we consider the crew of the ship as a family and the Mariner as being the eldest on board, Coleridge's poem presents us with pretty much the same situation - the family virtually dead with only the eldest member still living. ... The Mariner admires the water snakes, swimming in the sea around the ship: "O happy living things! ... The awareness of his love for the rest of the (natural) world brings about his realisation of the sin ...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate