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In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) the titular mariner shoots the albatross, which is regarded as an act that will curse the ship, so sailor's companions induce him to wear the dead albatross around his neck. Since then saying "An albatross around one's neck" means a burden which some unfortunate person has to carry.
Meaning: a very difficult burden that you can't get rid of or a reminder of something you did that was wrong
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Something that is with you all the time as a reminder that you have done something wrong.
An albatross around the neck means a burden that is particularly difficult to get rid of.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe phrase "albatross around my neck" is found in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
"Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks
Had I from old and young !
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung. "
Origin: In 1798 the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his most famous poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Int he poem a young sailor shoots a large seabird called an albatross. In those days that was considered very unlucky. Sure enough, a lot of bad things happen to the ship, and the crew blames the young sailor. They hang the dead bird around his neck.
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What do the shipmates of the ancient mariner hang around his neck?
A dead albatross
What is a sentence using the word Albatross?
The Albatross flew over the village and landed on the mizzen mast. Because of the scarcity of the item, I felt as though I had an albatross around my neck.
What does the main character in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner hang around his neck?
An albatross.
What does an albatross around his or her neck mean?
It is a burden that some unfortunate person has to carry
Why did the mariner wear the albatross around his neck?
the ancient mariner was an impulsive man. It was an arbitrary act. May be due to boredom or the thought driven action resulted in the shooting of the albatross.
What does the title character in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner hang around his neck?
The title character in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner hangs an albatross around his neck as a punishment for shooting the bird, which was considered a harbinger of good luck. The dead albatross becomes a symbol of his guilt and serves as a heavy burden he must carry throughout the poem.
Why does the crew hang the albatross around the mariners neck?
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," the crew hangs the albatross around the mariner's neck as a symbol of their blame and punishment for killing the bird, which was seen as bringing good luck. It becomes a physical burden and a constant reminder of his crime, causing him to suffer and struggle until he finds redemption.
Why do the sailors think the albatross follows the ship?
Because the mariner had shot the bird, they thought he had brought bad luck upon them. As punishment he had to wear the dead bird around his neck, a symbol of his guilt.
Why does the albatross represent bad luck?
the albatross is said to represent good luck to mariners. when they see a sea bird (albatross) land is near. it has been thought of as bad luck from an old poem where a man shoots one down and has to wear it around his neck by his shipmates, for ruining their good fortune. he is said to have had terrible luck from then on.
What happens to the Mariner and rescues ship right after the Albatross arrives?
After the Mariner kills the Albatross, a ghostly ship appears and its crew members force the Mariner to wear the dead Albatross around his neck as a punishment. The ship is then becalmed, leading the crew to suffer from thirst and eventually die, leaving only the Mariner alive to reflect on his actions.
What does the Mariner see in the light of the moon?
In the light of the moon, the Mariner sees the water snakes. After spotting them, he blesses them and then recites a prayer. Once he prays, the albatross drops from around his neck.
Why is the bird in the idiom an albatross instead of another bird?
It is a line from a poem. A sailor killed an albatross, which was a bird sailors considered a lucky omen, so the other sailors made him wear it around his neck as punishment. This came to mean anything you've done that hinders your future.
