Prompt: Trace the Mariner's guilt/atonement (giving examples oh his sin, punishment, penance and wisdom learned). Pay special attention to the poem's SHIFT and relate it to a major THEME in the poem. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," tells of a journey undergone by a sailor known as the Mariner. The Mariner's journey is not just physical, but of a spiritual nature as well, with the ultimate destination of enlightenment obtained …showed first 75 words of 1138 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1138 total…be able to shrive him, relieving him of his sins. After telling his tale to the hermit, the Mariner is indeed lifted of all sin and guilt. The Mariner soon learns that his guilt will return unless he travels from land to land telling his tale for all to hear. Perhaps this is in hopes that those who hear his tale will become wiser and learn from the trials and tribulations undertaken by the Mariner.