Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Beneath this sod
A poet lies, or that which once seem'd he--
O lift one thought in prayer for S. T. C.;
That he who many a year with toil of breath
Found death in life, may here find life in death!"
-Coleridge pg 350 (from Epitaph)

There is nothing like finding the time to write your own epitaph! While this has it's sense of morbidity, I think it sums Coleridge fairly well. I think that he was a critic to himself, which that second line above shows. This is also seen in a lot of his other work and in the way he compares himself with Wordsworth. While this piece should be sad and dark, I also find it to be uplifting. He is anxious for death and hopes to find some peace there. I think that Coleridge truly desired to be happy; although, most of his work alludes to his sadness and misery. All of his writings were confusing to me and even a little annoying. I think a reader has to be ready to expand their mind in an unusual way to experience Coleridge. All at once, in one instance, he can seem sane and mad. Just when he gets your attention in one aspect, there he goes, off on another tangent. (Perhaps the cause of Dr. Glance's headaches! STOP reading Coleridge!) At first, I was leaning towards the Laudanum as the cause of these distractions, but everything seems to be connected. His mind just races all over the place and the reader must keep up. His early critics were probably incapable or didn't realize the task. I am still confused over most of it, but slowly it's coming to me. I will probably read it all again.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I have read before, but not like this. I was probably in 10th grade, and certainly wasn't analyzing it like this. The story within a story is what held my attention. I kept forgetting about the wedding guest as the suspense at sea continued. Sailors are notorious for their superstitions and I thought he captured that notion very well. I thought it was very interesting that most of his poems hint at the sea or winds in some way as well. It is difficult to read the Water, water... stanza seriously as it so overused. I did find it very interesting that earlier in the poem, he wrote "the ice was here, the ice was there." The language of this poem is very vivid and the scenes are like those in a horror flick.

Four times fifty living men
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan),
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one.
(pg 331)

It is so easy to picture this, but imagine if we had never seen film. I wonder if his imagination, especially with Laudanum, was stronger than his critics. I wonder if they all pictured this as he did. As for late critics, I think this was the inspiration for those mediocre Pirates of the Caribbean movies!

I think that The Eolian Harp can be related to Epitaph in that Coleridge leaves his misery in both. He sees himself in a negative light in both poems. I think that he only really sees his need for healing and does not actually think himself bad in either of the poems. In The Eolian Harp, he is brought back to earth and feels that his wife is charged with his goodness or health. In Epitaph, he does not return, but seeks a better life after death. He wants to be forgiven and shown mercy as he feels so much guilt for his life. Coleridge lived a sad life, but had a lot to offer and at least had the kindness of his friends and (I think) of his wife.