The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a poem from the late 1700s that mixes adventure with a deep moral message. The poem focuses on nature, spirituality, and what happens when people make bad choices. It's about an old sailor who tells a story about a frightening trip at sea filled with magic and important lessons. The story starts when the Mariner stops someone from going to a wedding and begins to tell a story about a ship that runs into trouble when the Mariner shoots a good-luck bird called an albatross. This bad deed brings a curse onto the ship, and it all goes bad as nature and the supernatural turn against the crew. Facing loneliness and sadness, the Mariner learns to love all creatures, which helps him get rid of the curse, represented by the albatross falling off his neck. In the end, the wedding guest who heard this story learns how everything in life is connected and why we should treat nature with respect.