Alienation in Literature

Paper Summary:

Alienation is often the result of our own behavior. This paper examines three poems that focus on this perspective - "The Book of Thel" and "The Mental Traveler," by William Blake and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The paper shows that in "The Book of Thel," fear becomes the motivating factor for Thel, who chooses to withdraw from the world rather than become involved with it. In "The Mental Traveler," men and women are responsible for the alienation each feels because of their treatment of each other. The paper shows that in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," man alienates himself because of his own selfish behavior. Each poem focuses not only on the theme of alienation, but how mankind gets to that point. In so doing, each poet hopes to convey how we can avoid alienation if we learn from the mistakes of others.

From the Paper:

"The theme of alienation is reinforced as the mariner begins to understand that there are consequences for his actions. To make matters worse, the mariner suffers because of a very careless act. One of the first things that the mariner learns is that one's actions can have a definite impact on others. The mariner's crew begins to suffer almost immediately after the mariner kills the albatross. We are told that "no sweet bird did follow,/Nor any day for food or play/Came the mariners hallo!" (Coleridge 88-90)."

More papers on Alienation in Literature:

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• Analytical Essay # 12607 : "Alienation in Literature"

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