The Albatross Poem Analysis

The Albatross- By Kate Bass. In this poem, the author describes a grueling process of preparing for someone’s return. As the poem goes on, it shows the lack of enthusiasm, or even dread, that the author feels. The theme of this poem could be expressed in many different ways, but my take is that things that must happen are not always enjoyable. Both the child and author do not like being visited by said person, but they know it must happen. This poem speaks to me. I interpreted this not as a poem, but as a story. The story of a family that was once together. Unbreakable. A real family, dare I say. In the third stanza, there is a line that justifies this.”I sit and she fingers the beads until you speak- in a voice that no longer seems familiar, only strange.” This means that in the past, they were all happier and more comfortable to be around each other.

“When I know you are coming home-I put on this necklace” “The necklace lies heavy on my skin, it clatters when I reach down to lift my screaming child.

I swing her, roll her in my arms until she forgets.” The necklace is a sign to the child. When she sees that necklace, she knows that someone is coming home. Seemingly, she is not happy about it. The turn of the poem would be the following line: “I turn as our child tugs at the string.-I hear a snap and a sound like falling rain.” The poem transitions from a melancholy tone, to an alert tone. The subject also changes from the visitation of said person to the necklace suddenly, with no transition. This puts the necklace under the spotlight and shows how important it is to this poem. The Albatross- this title seems odd at first. An albatross is a word used commonly to express a psychological burden that feels as if it is a curse. This is in relation to the poem. This is so because when said person comes home, it is evident that neither parties enjoy the

experience. Them interacting with each other is deemed a mandatory burden on everyone. A literal explanation of the title could be that an albatross is a type of bird. Birds migrate, like said person. This title could be comparing to the person’s unpredictable return to the migration of a bird. The message of this poem is to always expect a return, even if it is unlikely.

In the poem, two key factors that add to the reading quality are poetic form and figurative language. Imagery is evident in this poem. One example would be the following lines: “The necklace lies heavy on my skin, it clatters when I reach down-to lift my screaming child. -I swing her, roll her in my arms-until she forgets. The beads glitter in the flicker of a TV set as I sit her on my lap and wish away the afternoon.” This puts an image in your mind. A scene where a mother is preparing to see her dreaded “albatross” again. The necklace represent the visiting of said person, so when she says it lies heavy on her skin, this shows how much of a burden it really is to her. When the T.V set is mentioned, that shows that she is watching T.V with her child to forget about what will happen in the near future. Another example is anaphora. “I like to think I am remembering you. I like to think you don’t forget.” This has an impact on my reading because it emphasises the meaning the necklace holds to the author. It helps me understand how hard it can be for the author. The last example would be a simile. “I hear a snap and a sound like falling rain.” This means that the necklace was broken, and all the pieces of the necklace hit the ground. This enhances my reading experience because this puts an image in my mind of how the burden on her shoulders is taken off. The child broke the necklace, so this could possibly mean that the child wants this ‘albatross’ to be no more.

I believe that this poem is an exceptional work of art. In only three stanzas, it expresses the maladroit cycle in the author’s life. After reading into it more, I feel I truly understand the author’s fear of the ‘albatross’. What intrigued me to read it was the title. I had prior background knowledge about the ‘albatross’ and it’s meaning. When I read the first line, I knew exactly what this would be about. I truly adore this poem because of it’s subtle parts that make less words speak more, powerful ones. It has more meaning in less words, and the lack of further explanation makes it only more intriguing to analyze. I believe it is effective in expressing its theme because it's simplicity at first. It is only three stanzas, but reading more into it, I understand the point it was trying to get across. The Albatross is a poem I would recommend many others to analyze it to form their own opinion about it. After analyzing it, I only have one question. Do we all have our own ‘albatross’ in life?