Category: Forgiveness

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a poem created by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is actually the longest poem that has ever been written. Coleridge wrote the poem in the year 1797-98 and the first edition of the book was published in the year 1798. The poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner was the first British Romantic literature to be written. The poem is about a seaman who narrates a terrifying and weird tale to another man.

The setting of the poem is in the street in a surrounding where there is a hall where a reception for a wedding was to be held. There are also sailing ships containing 201 crew members together with ancient mariner, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the South Pole. The mode of the poem is inexplicable, ethereal and preternatural.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner instigate with classical Greek catastrophe whereby a young man who has been affronted against the pagan forces is condemned to ramble around the world and reiterate his tale to those people who pass-by after the daemon inside him drove him to do that.

There is much themes covered by Coleridge in the poem and some include fate, death-in-life and fortune. Other themes include divinity and forgiveness. This paper mainly investigates how Coleridge has used the concept of divine and forgiveness in the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Coleridge has wrote about a Mariner telling his own account of forgiveness and sin to a group of young adults who were on their way to take part in a wedding ceremony. The Mariner gives an account of how he became responsible for the loss of lives of those people who had boarded the ship which he was sailing.

This was after he killed a certain creature that would have been responsible for transporting them by supplying them with the winds to sail them back home after the ship had hit a plateau while it was moving in the sea.

The major theme of the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is mainly God’s forgiveness. This is because the Mariner had faith and believed that despite committing the terrible sin, God had freed him from his sins through forgiveness since he blamed himself for the deaths of those who had boarded the sea.

This is why he had the courage to tell other people about his story. He actually thought that it was his divine purpose to tell everyman what God had done to him for them to believe that their sins too can be forgiven. After killing the albatross who was suppose to provide them with wind, all the people in the ship died but he managed to survive because he had asked God to forgive him all the sins that he had committed.

When Mariner prayed to God to forgive him, the curse and the soul of the crew could not manage to enter heaven since its soul was broken. This is why the Mariners life was spared from death and thereafter the heavenly Angels guided the crewman’s soul to the afterlife so that it may not cause any more deaths to other people who did not cause its death. It is the divine purpose of God and the heavenly Angels to protect anyone who believes in him from death especially if they repent their sins.

Every soul that repents its sins shall be spared and protected from the enemy. The albatross fell from Mariner neck after he whispered a prayer and this is when the guilt that he had been carrying left him. After this, the crew’s remains developed to good spirits which made the boat to rise and guide the ship which had broken down back to the dry lands.

However, before the boat docked, it sinks down in a whirlpool and again Mariner managed to survive. This actually a divine intervention since he had now survived death two times. His prayers had truly saved him from all manner of disasters and death.

Forgiveness is also evidence in the poem whereby the Mariner asks Hermit for forgiveness. However, the Mariner is forced to execute his penance in order to be forgiven of his sins by Hermit. After the ship had sunk in the whirlpool, Hermit was the only witness who saw the ship sink.

He Hermit went with a company of a pilot and a boat that belonged to the pilot’s boy to rescue anyone that was still in the boat. After heaving Mariner from the sea, the three believed that he was not alive until he spoke to them. Immediately Hermit decided to pray for Mariner and in the process he joins him in prayer.

The pilot’s boy thinks that the man lying down in the sand is a devil who is able to pray and quote verses from the bible. In the ocean, there was divine intervention when the wind and the waves stopped and the boats could now travel safely and at a speed that is incredible. The boat managed to sail safely and with high speed despite the fact that it was in a poor condition. This was actually unrealistic which means that it must have just been divine intervention.

Another part where there was divine intervention is when Mariner was burning from the inside. Mariner was left with a deep burning heart to share with the people what he encountered in the sea. He walked around teaching people to love one another whether one is big or small since the Lord God who is the creator of the universe loves us all.

The disaster caused by the dead albatross is a lesson to everyone; it shows that humans should respect all God’s creation without looking down on any because you may not know whether it is the devil or it is meant to bring you luck in your life. If humans are able to respect all creatures created by God whether it is a bird or an ant, then it means that they will have totally obedience towards God himself. There is no way humans can claim to love God yet they have no respect for other creatures.

Human beings can only be close to God in prayers if they are willing to respect all the creatures of God whether big or small. He was indeed touched by the miracle that he received from the sea and that is why he wanted to share it out with every individual he met. His story was indeed touching and it managed to change the listener’s minds and hearts concerning love and that is why they woke up the next day feeling wiser and sadder.

The story of Mariner teaches us that despite the fact that humans are creatures full of sins; they can be redeemed of their sins if they humble themselves and repent before their creator who is God. All their wrongdoings and evil pasts will be forgiven. After confessing his sins to Hermit regarding his guilt for killing those people whom he was sailing back home, Mariner is forgiven and given the mandate to travel throughout the world to narrate his strange and mysterious experience to strangers.

Hermit’s divine work is to pray and revere back God’s creatures who have are in misery and have repented their sins. When Mariner failed to honor the commands that had been set by God, he is made to suffer. This was God’s way of making him understand that all things are equal before him hence should be treated with care and dignity without which they shall be punished. Mariner was cast out of the realm of divinity since he was considered a sinner after killing the albatross.

This case is similar to that of Cain in the bible whereby God was angered after Cain killed Abel and cursed him to wander in the world. Anyone who betrays Christ by committing sin cannot go without any form of punishment unless they repent. Their divinity will be lost until they become bold enough to repent their sins.

He can be compared to Judas who slay down the spirit of Christian, the person who was to guide him to deliverance by saving his soul and make him more divine, Mariner too committed the same crime. He killed the animal that was to lead them home and make them understand what divine is. Mariner had to pay dearly for killing the Albatross which is being compared to Christ.

The Albatross hanged itself around Mariner’s neck as a sign of sin. However, Mariner is forgiven his sins after he began to look at the sea creatures in a positive way. That is the time the rain started falling from heaven and it baptized him immediately after he said a prayer but this however was not an assurance of salvation. Mariner was then kept safe by God to act as a prophet to pass across the truth concerning the goodness and greatness of God.

He was to proclaim it to everyone he met so that they too become aware of the importance of God’s creation. He was to make the people aware of how precious God’s creations are before his sight and anyone who things hostile or evil towards them will definitely be punished just like was punished.

Only those who value and view God’s creatures to be beautiful shall find favor before God. Humans should love all creatures the same way and should not consider any as a monster. Mariner did not care that he had stopped the people from attending a wedding because he was aware of his divine purpose and why he was alive on that day and he wanted to share it with everyone who could listen to him.

In conclusion, God wants everyone to value his creation whether small or big, ugly or beautiful and anyone who looks down upon any creation will be punished. God however, is merciful to those who repents from their sins and accept that they had been wrong.

This is exactly what happened to Mariner. Despite being spared from death, he underwent a bitter experience in the sea which forced him to change his mind concerning how he views God’s creation. His life was spared after he changed his attitude towards God’s creation and after realizing and repenting for having killed the Albatross. God spared his life for a divine purpose which he was expected to fulfill.

Overview of Conflict

Jake is a fast-rising employee who has recently been promoted to the position of branch manager at his organization. However, Jake has a strained working relationship with his company’s human resource manager, Monica. The conflict between the two dates back five years ago when Jake was working in lower-level management. During this time, Jake had requested educational support from the company but Monica had denied his request. All the other managers were in support of Jake’s request but the final authorization had to come from Monica. Jake was able to pursue his education goals without the support of the company and he owes his current promotion to this effort. However, Jake has not been able to forgive Monica, whom he feels was unjustified in denying him his valid request. Currently, the silent conflict between the two workers has degenerated in a manner that affects other employees and the company in general. Each of the two individuals has different viewpoints and positions concerning the issue.

According to Jake, his request for educational support was in line with his career aspirations. Each year, the company sets aside a budget for employees who are interested in furthering their education. Furthermore, this support is not free as there are conditions for acquiring this service, which includes having a guarantor. At the time of his request, Jake had been in the company for almost three years. As a dedicated employee, Jake felt that there was no way of justifying Monica’s ‘malicious’ actions.

On her part, Monica reviewed Jake’s request and found that although he had support from other managers, his personnel file had anomalies that led to his disqualification. Records indicated that Jake had three incidents with junior-level employees. Nevertheless, in all these incidences, Jake was absolved of any wrongdoing. It is also customary for the company to give educational support to employees who have been in the company for more than three years. At the time of his request, Jake had only two years and nine months under his belt. Monica had requested Jake to wait another year for him to be approved, but he refused to do so.

The Actual Conflict

The problem with the relationship between the two workers is that Jake feels that Monica is a relatively malicious individual. Consequently, even when Jake encounters issues with his staff, he has trouble forwarding the complaints to Monica. Jake is also of the opinion that Monica does not approve of his promotion and she is likely to undermine his position if the opportunity presents itself. The main problem is that Monica is largely unaware of the depth of the ongoing disagreement. The conflict is an underlying problem for the company now and in the future (Bies, Barclay, & Aquino, 2016). This report lays out an action plan that both parties can use to realize their respective positions.

The Action Research Plan

The following action plan is based on the notion that “forgiveness has a three-tier element; it is a psychological act, a communicative act, and a social act” (Barclay & Saldanha, 2016, p. 701). The psychological tier involves the individuals who are engaging in a conflict letting go of their sustained hurt. At the communication action level, the conflicting parties talk to each other about their willingness to forgive and reconcile. In the next level, the conflicting parties can balance out their relationship and mode of association in a properly functioning manner.

Action Plan 1: Individual Level

The individual action level should be initiated by perception. During this step, both Jake and Monica should ask themselves if the offense conducted has been perceived through seeing, hearing, or feeling (Moore, 2014). In this case, Jake is likely the more offended party and he ‘feels’ that Monica does not have his best interests at heart. Various individuals often perceive various situations differently, and this factor is important to the action plan.

The next step of an individual is to find out the justification behind the conflict. Both of the conflicting parties should ask themselves if their feelings of hurt are justified. In hard-to-forgive conflicts, it is common for one or both of the individuals to ‘own’ the hurt by claiming that the offending party had a right to his/her actions. However, some parties can make their feelings personal and consequently blow the scenario out of proportion. The second scenario is more likely, as in this case, Jake appears to have taken Monica’s actions in a personal manner.

In the third step of the individual action plan, the parties should investigate how the conflict has been sustained over time. In some cases, a conflicting party can feel the offense only for a certain period, while on other occasions it is easier to ‘let go’ within a short period. Researchers have pointed out that several factors affect how conflict is sustained, including culture, gender, and psychological issues (Gerardi, 2015). In this conflict, indications are that Jake has sustained his feeling of hurt, while Monica has been able to let hers go. Both parties will benefit from evaluating how and why their feelings of hurt have been sustained. The threat of past feelings reoccurring can also be examined during this action step.

Action Plan 2: Communication Level

In this action plan, the first step involves exploring how the conflict touches on identities and/or actions. Both Jake and Monica need to ask themselves if the “offense is against their identities (who each of them is) or their actions (what each of them did)” (O’Sullivan, 2017, p. 6). Sometimes the issues of identity and actions can end up being mixed up in the process. For example, Monica’s involvement in the conflict is likely more action-oriented while Jake feels identities are to blame for the conflict. For forgiveness to occur, both parties should be able to communicate whether they are offended by actions or identities.

On another level, the conflicting parties should be able to evaluate how they often deal with offenses against them. For example, some individuals chose to retaliate, go into defense mode, or accept and move on. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that all responses to perceived offenses can be easily justified by the offending parties. Retaliation can also be behavioral or verbal, whereby the offended party can go into defense mode to avoid more problems. In the outlined scenario, Jake is doing all that he can to avoid dealing with Monica. Unless he can forgive her, he is likely to remain in this defensive mode for a long time. Eventually, the parties should explore the history that exists between the offender and the offended. This is the only way for them to find a solution and repair their relationship.

Action Plan 3: Culture Level

This action step calls for the conflicting parties to explore how their respective cultures relate to issues of conflict and forgiveness. The first aspect to be explored in this case is moral values. Both Jake and Monica should find out if they have value for forgiveness outside of their work environment. For example, most religions advocate for forgiveness and if one or both parties are religious the reconciliation process might be easier. The next step in this action plan is to investigate whether trust can be regained and what it takes for it to be restored. Finally, the element of harmony can be explored. This is where the working relationship between Jake and Monica is analyzed in a bid to find out if they can work productively together.

Forgiveness versus Reconciliation

Forgiveness and reconciliation are related practices but they are two distinct responses to workplace conflict. First, forgiveness can be a one-person affair but it takes the effort of two or more people to reconcile. For instance, even though Jake chooses to forgive Monica, the latter can still impede the reconciliation process. Reconciliation is a process that involves all the parties involved in a conflict. The process is initiated by an act of forgiveness and it can involve outside elements such as mediators. Ultimately, both the conflicting parties have to do whatever that is in their power to repair the relationship.

Another distinction between forgiveness and reconciliation is that the former is an inward process while the latter requires outward contributions. Therefore, the action process outlined above has to start with introspective exercises and then move into physical exercises such as talking to each other. Nevertheless, it is important to note that both processes involve some inward processes for them to be successful. Therefore, forgiveness is part of reconciliation but reconciliation is not necessarily part of forgiveness.

References

Barclay, L. J., & Saldanha, M. F. (2016). Facilitating forgiveness in organizational contexts: Exploring the injustice gap, emotions, and expressive writing interventions. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(4), 699-720.

Bies, R. J., Barclay, L. & Aquino, K. (2016). A systems perspective on forgiveness in organizations. Academy of Management Annals, 10(1), 245-318.

Gerardi, D. (2015). Conflict engagement: Workplace dynamics. The American Journal of Nursing, 115(4), 62-65.

Moore, C. W. (2014). The mediation process: Practical strategies for resolving conflict. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

O’Sullivan, M. (2017). The Structural Causes of Workplace Conflict: Understanding the Implications for the Mediation of Workplace Disputes. Bond Law Review, 29(1), 6-7.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a severe economic strain throughout the world. Due to the restrictions plus health recommendations, the economic flow was interrupted, and most companies had to close. The U.S. government was concerned about this and decided to launch an initiative that consisted of in-delivery stimulus, which had its pros and cons. One of the problems is that some companies or business owners report that people working for them have little interest in going back to work since the government is taking care of their financial needs. McDonald’s is among the businesses affected by understaffing, which meant that services would be slower than expected. To counter this, they used a yellow sign at their entrance that apologized to customers for the lack of human resources to serve them quickly. The strategy has helped as many expressed their solidarity with the business, even though social media platforms. The business was wise enough to empower the employees to handle the service recovery without seeking permission from management. McDonald’s applied the best strategy, and it worked well for them since they even received support from the public, which shows the people’s loyalty to the business.

However, there are other strategies that the business would have used in case the apology did not succeed, for instance, taking full ownership of a problem, solving the problem, getting to the root of the matter, offering some additional services plus following up with the customer. A business needs to empower its employees to accept when they are wrong or have made a mistake and find ways to correct it. Business management needs to allow its employees to have control plus see their effort plus time to solve issues raised by the customers, which means letting them utilize business resources to assist customers in recovering from any service breakdown instead of referring them to management.

Studies suggest that after apologizing to customers plus taking responsibility for the problem, getting to the root of the problem is very important to prevent such occurrences in the future. McDonald’s would use this after or before the apology sign and find why employees do not wish to return. Getting to the root of the problem allows a business to prepare for the future.

Another brilliant strategy is offering something extra to customers. Customers may have been greatly inconvenienced by service lapse, plus it is not enough to provide the same service they ought to have received initially. A business may need to give additional something, for instance, a free month’s subscription. It is advantageous to develop creative ways to restore customer contentment with a business’ products plus brand. A point to remember is that customers have been stressed out plus inconvenienced by the service matter, plus the business needs to go an extra distance to make up for the trouble.

Furthermore, it is essential to follow up with customers after dealing with their problems. After closing conversations with customers, (Harrison-Walker, 2019) indicates that it is vital to remember to follow up with them to check whether they are content with the resolution. This result is accomplished by sending a follow-up email or phone call. Through this, a business can identify and address other issues of the customer. Also, it is good to let colleagues understand that the victim of service breakdown is the customer. Any more interaction with them is done with that knowledge to avoid the customer explaining themselves every time.

References

Harrison-Walker, L. J. (2019). The critical role of customer forgiveness in successful service recovery. Journal of Business Research, 95, 376-391.