Ancient Mariner Chapter Summaries

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In chapter eight, called A Writer Observes, Myers shared how at age thirteen he began to see the world differently. Myers wanted to see the world as a writer. The problem was with his models. Myers aspired to write like the poets Bryon and Shelley. He began his formal observations at 125th Street and the Hudson River. However, Myers was seeing only what he had seen all his life. He also didn’t know how to see his world with new eyes. So Myers tried instead to write about the people of his neighborhood. In doing so, he became aware of how being black meant being different from whites. Feeling frustrated that he couldn’t write like Shakespeare, Myers stopped trying to write. This decision however didn’t lessen the confrontations that he would face due to being black.By this time there were …show more content…

For the rest of the chapter, Myers write about his hidden voice. Through Elizabeth Barrett Browning, he found a poet to whom he could relate because she wrote of love. The narrative poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner also gave Myers new literary insights. He realized that poems could tell stories and have meaning.

Myers returns to coverage of family problems in chapter ten. In the summer of 1951, financial burdens weighed on the Myers. One came in the form of his grandfather, who had lost his sight and needed assistance. The grandfather moved in with the Myers family, which naturally caused disruptions. First, the grandfather took Myers’ room as his own. Second, because the family didn’t have indoor plumping, the grandfather used a slop bucket in his bedroom. Third, his parents often fought from the stress. Looking back, Myers says, “I can see we were all trapped in our own unhappy circumstances.”
I didn’t know where I was going or even where I should have been

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