From THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

(Lines 83-138)

The Sun came up upon the right,

Out of the Sea came he;

And broad as a weft¹ upon the left

Went down into the Sea.

And the good south wind still blew behind,

But no sweet Bird did follow

Ne² any day for food or play

Came to the Mariner's hollo³!

And I had done an hellish thing to

And it would work 'em woe⁴:

For all averr'd⁵, I had kill'd the Bird

That made the Breeze to blow.

Ne dim ne red, like God's own head,

The glorious Sun uprisf:

Then all averr'd, I had kill'd the Bird

That brought the fog and mist.

'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay⁷

That bring the fog and mist.

The breezes blew, the white foam flew, so

The furrow⁸ follow'd free:

We were the first that ever burst

Into that silent Sea.

Down dropt⁹ the breeze, the Sails dropt down,

'Twas sad as sad could be

And we did speak only to break

The silence of the Sea.

All in a hot and copper sky

The bloody sun at noon,

Right up above the mast did stand,

No bigger than the moon.

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, ne breath ne motion,

As idle as a painted Ship

Upon a painted Ocean.

Water, water, every where

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where

Ne any drop to drink.

The very deeps¹⁰ did rot¹¹: O Christ!

That ever this should be!

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs

Upon the slimy Sea.

About, about, in reel and rout¹²

The Death-fires danc'd at night;

The water, like a witch's oils,

Burnt green and blue and white.

And some in dreams assured were

Of the Spirit that plagued¹³ us so:

Nine fathom¹⁴ deep he had follow'd us

From the Land of Mist and Snow.

And every tongue thro' utter drouth¹⁵

Was wither'd¹⁶ at the root;

We could not speak no more than if

We had been choked with soot¹⁷.

Ah wel-a-day!¹⁸ what evil looks

Had I from old and young;

Instead of the Cross the Albatross

About my neck was hung.

1. weft:cross threads of a web

2. ne:nor.

3. hollo:call

4. work 'em woe:bring them misfortune

5. averr'd:claimed

6. uprist:rose up

7. slay:kill

8. furrow:movement of the water

9. dropt:dropped

10. deeps:bottom of the ocean

11. rot:become rotten

12. reel and rout:violent, tumultuous action.

13. plagued:haunted, followed incessantly.

14. fathom:a unit of measurement for the sea.

15. drouth:drought, lack of water.

16. wither'd:dried up.

17. soot:chimney dust.

18.wel-a-day: Alas! (an obsolete exclamation).

1. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
2. Find at least two examples of each of the following:

• repetition …………………………………………..

• alliteration...............................................................

• internal rhyme.........................................................

• archaic language .....................................................

• simile ......................................................................

1. Find examples in the text of supernatural phenomena. Describe the effect they have on you and comment on Coleridge's declared aims with regard to his task in the Lyrical Ballads.
2. In which direction was the ship going? How do you know this?
3. Describe in your own words what happens to the ship.
4. How does the mariner feel about having killed the albatross? How do his fellow mariners react? Are they consistent in their attitude? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
5. Why do you think the mariner killed the albatross? Was there any justification for his action?
6. Have you ever done something in a moment of folly which you later regretted? How, if at all, did you try to make up for this action?

SEMINAR #9

CHARLES DICKENS "GREAT EXPECTATIONS"

SUMMARY QUESTIONS

1. Dickens understood one of the basic principlesof ethical human behaviour, that a human being must be valued for himself and not only for what he was or for how useful he may be. The violation of this universal law of morality may be one key to the interpretation of "GREAT EXPECTATIONS ". Explain this violation on the relationship between Miss Havisham and Estella, between Pip and Joe, between Pip and Magwitch, between Wemmick and Mrs. Jaggers, between Pip and Herbert Pocket, between Pip and Estella.

2. Dickens' writing was greatly influenced by public demand. The Victorian public for which he wrote believed that goodness was desirable and should he rewarded and that evil would ultimately lead to punishment. Show how this attitude is reflected in "GREAT EXPECTATIONS ".

3. What does the change in Pip as he becomes a fashionable gentleman tell the reader about the social structure of 19th century Engand? What was the idea of a "gentleman"?

4. Analyse one of the following themes of the novel:

a) The prison (real, self chose, psychological). Imprisonment as a metaphor.

I. The prison in regard to Magwitch's experience with it.

II The self-created prison of themind

III Real prisons.

b) Revenge

I. Miss Havisham's revenge against men.

II. Magwitch's revenge against Compeyson.

III. Orlick’s revenge.

c) Respectability

I. Victorian admiration for respectability.

II Uncle Pumblechook and Pip.

III. Pip's passion to become a gentleman.

IV. The strange household of the Pockets.

d) The double life

I. Pip as a blacksmith and a gentleman.

II. Wemmick’s home and business.

III. Mr. Jaggers.

IV. Estella.

V. Magwitch as criminal and benefactor.

e) The power of imagination to control behavior

I Pip’s imagination about Miss Havisham.

II Miss Havisham’s imagination about her past.

III Many characters imaginations about Jaggers.

IV Magwitch’s imagination about gentlemen, Pip, and gratitude.

5. How does Dickens explore ideas of guilt and shame?

6. How does this novel explore themes of justice, crime and punishment?

7. Dickens has been called the “novelist of childhood”. How well does he describe a child’s mind and imagination in the figure of Pip?

8. What is the value of education? Does it improve people or corrupt them?

9. One of the oldest thematic traditions in literature is the conflict between city and country. Usually, the city is the scene of corruption, confusion, and problems, while the country hosts innocence and resolution. What about the city and country in “Great Expectations”? How do they function? (Cite the examples).

10. Analyze Pip’s reaction to the criminal in the cemetery. Discuss what you would do if you were in Pip’s situation. Would you report the criminal to the proper authorities or would you do the same thing Pip did? Why?

11. Discuss the role Miss Havisham plays in the novel. Some have said she represents an imprisoned state of mind. What does this mean, and do you agree that this is an apt description of Miss Havisham?

12. In Great Expectations, Pip’s foster father, Joe, comes to visit Pip in the city. They are distant and Pip is embarrassed by Joe even though he realizes all that he has done for him. Analyze a time in your own life when you were embarrassed by a family member. How did it make you feel before, during, and after the incident? Do you think Pip was justified in feeling this way?

13. The last chapters of the novel solve many of the novel’s mysteries. Give examples.

(Chapters 20-31)

14. In Chapter 20 through 31, Pip finds himself with new people in a variety of new settings. Dickens uses carefully chosen details to characterize Pip’s new surroundings. In the chart below, describe each setting. Then explain the atmosphere, or mood, that the details create.

15. How does the novel create a picture of the social structure and what are the problems that an individual faces in a stratified society built upon rather strict class distinctions?

16. What are the differences among the attitudes that various characters have toward the moral values of the society and its institutions?

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1238