In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", why does the Mariner kill the albatross ?
Correct answer: D. It is never directly stated why he does so.
- A. For revenge
- B. To change the weather
- C. To bring forth life-in-death
- D. It is never directly stated why he does so.
Explanation
Coleridge gives the act itself but never supplies a definite reason for it: the Mariner simply shoots the albatross. The unexplained violence intensifies the poem’s themes of guilt, punishment, and the mystery of human action.
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