Coleridge begins his parallels with the setting, a wedding day. One of Christ's most famous miracles, that of turning water to wine, took place at the wedding at Cana, in Galilee. The Ancient Mariner is the quiet guest who performs a miracle of his own in the retelling of his story. He is the Christ figure also in the view of the whole poem, as when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. Like Jesus, the Mariner endures many trials, but his failure at the first costs him dearly during those which follow. The initial "temptation" was to kill the good seabird, which he does without conscience. And, like the temptation in the desert, the Mariner is parched with thirst, "Water, water, everywhere,/Nor any drop to drink." And when the Mariner tries to pray for salvation, he hears

Prevalent also in Rime is the usage of color to signify life and death. Green is typically regarded as the color of living things, such as when spring comes after the grays of winter, bringing life and color back into the world. "Her beams bemocked the sultry main,/Like April hoar-frost spread;/But where the ship's huge shadow lay,/The charmed water burnt away/A still and awful red." [ln 268] The Mariner was on a ship of death-a frost in April, casting a shadow which kills, changing colors to red, the color of death. However, even in death, the Mariner finds life: "Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,/They coiled and swam." [ln 279] This is the turning point for the Mariner, as he is once more able to bless and pray. The overall color of the ocean is also a very deep green, "I viewed the ocean green," [ln 443] and the oceans are considered the source of life. Comparatively, death is tiny next to life. The whole of the ocean, life, holds the entire ship and all of the death aboard, and takes away such death in a moment. "The self-same moment I could pray;/And from my neck so free/The Albatross fell off, and sank/Like lead into the sea," [ln 288] and, "It reached the ship, it split the bay;/The ship went down like lead;" [ln 548] in both, the ocean swallows death without pause. In completion of this life-from-death, "It is the moss that wholly hides/The rotted old oak-stump." [ln 521] However, puzzling is the line, "And ice, mast-high, came floating by,/As green as emerald," [ln53] because such a sight is extremely dangerous to a ship. Of course, Coleridge was possibly trying to be more accuracy than allusion, as polar ice does reflect a great deal of green. Red, as was stated above, is the color of death-blood. "All in a hot and copper sky,/The bloody Sun, at noon," [ln 111] is the signal to the sailors that something wicked is in store for them.

Coleridge also throws in more minor references throughout the poem: "Merrily we did drop/Below the kirk," seems to say more than simple direction; it implies that the ship and crew are approaching an area beyond the reach of their god. The reappearance at the end, "Is this the kirk?/Is this mine own countree?" signifies the return of the Mariner to his god's graces. Not mere reference, but actual characters, the seraph-like angels- are elements of biblical history, as guardians and avengers. "This seraph band, each waved his hand:/It was a heavenly sight!/They stood as signals to the land,/Each one a lovely light." [ln 491] These seraph serve as the former, bringing the Mariner home at last, at the bidding of his guardian

Some common words found in the essay are:
Prevalent Rime, Sun's-and God's-ascent, Death Life-In-Death, Jesus Mariner, Fittingly Mariner, Ancient Mariner, Albatross Sun, Roman Empire, Holy Spirit, Pontius Pilate, bloody sun, ancient mariner, rime ancient mariner, life ocean, rime ancient, coleridge begins, noon ln, sea ln, life death, paints vivid picture, cross crucifixion, paints vivid,
Approximate Word count = 1752
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)