Question

Read the passage. “With my crossbow I shot the Albatross… The souls did from their bodies fly— They fled to bliss or woe! And every soul, it passed me by, Like the whizz of my crossbow!” In the excerpt from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” what do these lines indicate about the Mariner’s feelings for the death of his shipmates? He is scared. Each time a shipmate dies, the Mariner thinks an arrow has almost hit him. He feels frustrated. Each time a shipmate dies, he hears the sound of an arrow missing its target. He is relieved. Each time a shipmate dies, he imagines he has escaped being hit by an arrow. He feels guilty. Each time a shipmate dies, he hears the sound of his crossbow killing the Albatross.

Answer 1

He feels guilty. Each time a shipmate dies, he hears the sound of his crossbow killing the Albatross. - Grad Point

Answer 2

The correct answer is D. He feels guilty. Each time a shipmate dies, he hears the sound of his crossbow killing the Albatross.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Coleridge's poem, the Ancient Mariner kills the Albatross with his crossbow because he thought it brought him and his shipcrew bad luck. However, quite the opposite happens - after he kills the bird, it seems as though the entire ship is cursed and all the sailors (except for the narrator) die. He is left alone to live with his guilt because he is the only one who committed the crime.

In the excerpt above we can see the Mariner's guilt over causing all of his friends to die because he killed the beautiful and innocent bird.