Romanticism Unit
Summative Task
Name_______________________________
Date______________________Blk_______
Using your chart of Romantic characteristics (see below), take notes while you read Samuel
Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and write details that prove this poem fits or does
not fit the qualifications of a Romantic piece of literature. Then, in a three to five paragraph
essay explain how the poem is or is not a quintessential, or prime, example of Romantic
literature. How does Coleridge adhere to the beliefs of his time period? Where does he stray
from them? What kind of hero or antihero is portrayed? These are all questions to consider when
taking notes and writing your essay. Remember to cite using line numbers when giving examples
that are quoted or paraphrased. See the scoring rubric below for essay requirements.
Essay Scoring Rubric
_____/10 Language Conventions/Organization
_____/10 Makes strong claims supporting the Romantic Characteristics
_____/10 Uses effective evidence in proving those claims
_____/5 Explains how the evidence supports the given claims
_____/5 Uses proper essay format
________________________________________________________________________
____/ 40 Essay Total
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Reading Strategy: Analyze Poetic Effects
One of the primary characteristics that sets verse apart from prose is the range of poetic and sound devices
commonly used in poetry. These devices enhance the musical qualities of the language by pleasing the
ear, but they also serve to emphasize meaning and create mood. By paying attention to these devices, you
can become more sensitive to the nuances and effects of poetic language. The following are several
different types of sound devices:
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words
Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of words
Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words or syllables
Internal rhyme: rhymes occurring within a poetic line
Ordinary repetition: repetition of entire words
DIRECTIONS: Use this chart to keep track of poetic effects as you read “The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner.” Each time you encounter a poetic sound device, write the example in the left column. Then, in
the right column, explain the effect of the device, or how it enhances the text. The first passage has been
done for you.
Line or Phrase
1. “Water, water,
everywhere,/
Nor any drop to drink.”
(“Rime,” lines 121–122)
2.
3.
4.
5.
Device
repetition and
alliteration
Effect
Repetition of the word water and of the w
sound emphasizes the amount of water.
Repetition of the dr- sound in drop and
drink also emphasizes the lack of drinking
water. The differing alliteration in each line
contrasts the amount of water with the lack
of drinking water.
Coleridge: Characteristics of Romanticism
Fill in the chart below. In your explanation, do not simply restate the characteristics.
Characteristic of
Romanticism
1. Imagination and emotion
are more important than
reason and formal rules;
imagination is a gateway to
transcendent experience
and truth.
2. Along the same lines,
intuition and a reliance on
“natural” feelings as a
guide to conduct are valued
over controlled, rationality.
3. Romantic literature tends
to emphasize a love of
nature, a respect for
primitivism, and a valuing
of the common, "natural"
man; Romantics idealize
country life and believe that
many of the ills of society
are a result of urbanization.
4. Romantics were
interested in the Medieval
past, the supernatural, the
mystical, the “gothic,” and
the exotic.
5. Romantics were attracted
to rebellion and revolution,
especially concerned with
human rights,
individualism, and freedom
from oppression.
6. There was emphasis on
introspection, psychology,
melancholy, and sadness.
The art often dealt with
death, transience and
mankind’s feelings about
these things.
Line Numbers
Explanation