The video to the left is a creation a student made after reading the poem. 

Answer the following questions:

1. If you had to summarize the story, what were the major events?

2. How does the music add to you understanding of the story?

3. If you had to create a theme statement for the story based on what you saw, what might a theme be?

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4. After viewing the videos about Albatrosses, what are a few (at least three) significant things you learned about these magnificent birds?

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” Political Analysis

An Albatross Around One’s Neck

Directions: Read the two articles about each (potential) candidate for the 2024 election. Both articles suggest that the candidate has or is an albatross. After reading both articles, reflect on the use of idiom “an albatross around one’s neck” in a one-page typed response using the articles and the poem to justify your claims. You should address all four questions within the response. All responses should be submitted to Turnitin.com and Google Classroom.

• Biden from Politico Magazine: Opinion | Biden is Still a Political Albatross

• Trump from The Independent: Even as they defend Trump, Republicans know he’s an albatross around their necks

1. Do both the articles use the expression/ idea in the same way? Explain.

2. How does the use of the expression relate to the person’s disappointment in something the politician has or hasn’t done?

3. Do both articles have an equal disdain or disappointment in the candidate? Defend your stance with textual evidence in the form of embedded quotes from the article with a sentence or two of analysis.

4. Having read the poem, is the use of the idiom used correctly? Can either of the candidates be forgiven or redeemed for these disappointments/ crimes/ failures? Explain comparing the journey the Ancient Mariner made to the potential changes that would need to happen to redeem the candidate in the eyes of the reporter, or their (politicians) target delegation.

Taylor Swift's "Albatross" 

from The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology

1. What does the speaker mean that “she is the albatross”?

2. How might this relate to the bad press that surrounds Taylor Swift’s dating life?

3. Does this song have any feeling of the sublime?  OR  the mundane? Where or how?

4. How does this song relate to the original "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"? In what ways does it function as entering a conversation with Coleridge?