1. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
A story of sailing, good luck, bad luck and zombie pirates.

2. To say you have an albatross around your neck is to say that something is burdening you.
Some people thought that Obama’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize would be an albatross around his neck because it would create high expectations.

3. Albatrosses in the News…
“The ‘Vanilla Ice’ that we remember, and anthem of that stereotype, ‘Ice, Ice, Baby,’ are no longer a suffocating albatross around his neck. He's come to accept it all and honestly appreciates the fans that fondly remember the tune that marked so many moments of their youth.”
“…Worse still, will No Strings Attached with its ubiquitous trailer and release date four days before the Academy Awards nominations are announced, become an albatross around Natalie’s Oscar neck?”
“…the overall success of Obamacare is seriously in dispute. If the legislation lives out the next two years more or less in tact, it will be a serious albatross around Obama’s neck as he struggles for re-election.”

4. Albatrosses in the News…

5. Albatrosses in the News…
Regarding the Supreme Court nomination hearings of Neil Gorsuch:

6. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Basic plot: A sailor ruins a voyage for his entire crew with his careless action of killing an albatross.
We follow his suffering (and strange encounters) as he journeys across the world.
He is doomed to forever tell his story to the people who need to hear it most.
Frame tale: Mariner tells his story to a Wedding Guest
Ancient Mariner statue in
Somerset, England

7. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The Mariner’s burden is the origin of the saying “an albatross around your neck.”
This is also where we get the phrase “water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge is known for weaving intense, supernatural imagery throughout his storylines.
Illustration from Gustave Dore’s collection based on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

8. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
This is an adventure story, ghost story, and religious parable all rolled into one.
Coleridge was inspired by a story told by Captain George Shelvocke in his book A Voyage Round The World by Way of the Great South Sea.
A crewmember shot down an albatross that had been following the ship.
He was bored, depressed and thought it was bringing them bad luck.

9. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Coleridge’s poem focuses on the ideas of guilt and redemption, and respecting all creatures.
British writers naturally reinterpreted Bible stories and Christian views of heaven and hell because they were constantly exposed to them.
Here, we also see the concerns of the times reflected in this story.
Age of Exploration, slavery, environmental destruction
The general idea of respect still rings true.