Lesson about humanity       

Lesson about humanity       

            Humanity is a moral excellence associated with basic moral philosophy concerning the happiness of other human beings that results in the quality of life both material as well as spiritual derived from the events and situations that compose essential human existence. It’s a set of characteristics used in the definition of human existence. Such characteristics include love, fear humility as well as morals. The poets of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Percy Bysshe Shelley, the author of “Ozymandias” wrote these poems with the need to address the loss of humanity in the society. The aim of this assignment is to compare how the two articles addressed the lesson about humanity and how well they relate in real life.

The poem of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner story tells about a captain and his crew who went out into the sea, describing their travel up to a point where the captain kills an albatross that was following the ship (Lee, 2). His act of violence condemns the ship to its fate. The wind dies followed by the death of the crew and the situation is only averted upon the repentance of the captain. The poem acts as a warning to the readers of the impending danger of making choices with disregard of the consequences. A swift kill of the innocent albatross appeared to be in favor of the majority on board as they all rejoiced at it.

The price of the thoughtless act, however, is high enough to cost each of their lives except the captain. It is only after his repentance that the wind returns (Kim, Chi, 1).

The author educates the readers to able to acknowledge the instances they have made mistakes and try to make up for their mistakes. By seeking redemption and admitting to his mistakes, the albatross releases the captain’s neck and falls into the sea (Kim, Chi, 1). Not only does the winds return but also, friendly spirits possess the bodies of the dead crew who aid in controlling the ship. Lee, (2) argues that despite the facts that the ship sank with the bodies of the dead crew, the mariner is rescued and able to survive the ordeal. The poem brings forth the fact that peace can be found in being responsible for your actions. Moreover, it shows that the effects resulting from a quick decision can be costly.

Ozymandias is a poem that puts across statements about the fall of a tyrant called Ozymandias. His anger and snare could be read on his face as expressed by the sculptor. The tyrant was a passionate dictator, proud, bad-tempered, heartless and ruthless who wished to be immortal by wishing a great statue built (Bode, 2). According to the poet, the sculptor imposed the ruthless nature of the ruler on his statue giving it a full expression of what the ruler signified.  The statue, however, is now shattered and appears as a half-sunk forgotten residue. According to Paley, et at, (1), the poem is satirical as it is aimed at mocking the tyrant’s foolish assumption of the permanent nature of his power. In addition, the poem is anti-tyrannical and against the autocratic nature of the leaders, giving the impression that everything is time bound.

The tyrant’s death proves the undignified end that is a reminder of the fall of many in the modern era. The poets provide adequate evidence that acts against humanity have to be paid in one of the inevitable ways such as death. Despite the difference in the setting, the poems clearly bring out the emphasis on the need of humanity in human nature.

References

Bode, Christoph. “The Complete Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley: Volume Three.” Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik 62.2 (2014): pg. 2. Web.

Kim, Paul Chi Hun. “Ecotheology and The Idea Of Forgiveness In the Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” Literature Compass 11.2 (2014): pg. 1. Web.

Lee, Chung-Eun. “Coleridge’s “The Rime of The Ancient Mariner”.” THE NEW STUDIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE 64 (2016): pg. 2. Web.

Paley, Morton D. et al. “The Complete Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley.” Studies in Romanticism 40.2 (2001): pg. 1. Web.