So, how does Billy Collins make us understand that we can never repay a mother's love and that that is totally ok? What devices does he use to make that message clear? Where does the tone shift? Give it your best shot!
The poem "The Lanyard" by Billy Collins was truely a very moving work of art. If there was one and only one word to describe this poem it would be nostalgic. NostaLgic is an excessively sentimental yearning of some past period. In the peom Billy kind of pays a tribute to all mothers. By not only saying what his mother did for him but what all mothers do for there children. One of my favorite lines from the poem in which ,I feel he demonstrates his true meaning. Starts at the end of stanza five and i quote "And here is your lanyard, I replied, which I made with a little help from my conselor", The mother then replies "Here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs, bones and teeth". By reading this one can feel very awe-struck. This line was one of many that felt very strong to me when i read it. The boy, which is the author is revisiting the past. In the quote i just took from the poem. I felt that he as a child felt ashamed of himself. when he presented his mother with gift because he relizes , that our moms do so much for us and there is nothing really we can do but love them. A major literary tecnique that i felt had everything to do with the poem is tone. The tone of the poem is demonstrated through out the passage. when the mother replies back. when he as a child replies back to his mom it is a joy ful and excited tone. when the mother replies the tone quickly changes to a strong and assertive voice. Which in my opinion is how we all hear our moms. After all we only have one.
In this poem the author Billy Collins was very precise and clear about making his point. Also getting the reader to understand where he is coming from with this poem called "The Lanyard" he was trying to make us see many things through this writing one in particular was how we can never repay a mother's love and that its totally okay. For example in his poem in stanza four and lines one and two he said "she gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard" meaning the woman that brought him into this world and fed he gave to her but a simple lanyard also how life is a very precious thing that no many people are able to have or give not only give but provide for another person in such a way that something so wonderful and of immense value cannot be repayed back with such a gift but being one of such tender young age wouldn't know such a fact but believes that it may and is proven in his poem in stanza six and lines one through three "here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs,bones and teeth, and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered" which in my opinion shows how all a mother really cares is that her child is healthy and safe and no gift can replace having a healthy child. Billy Collins was able to portray many of his thoughts through imagery and tone for example in stanza one when he was first starting his poem he said in lines three and four " bouncing from typewriter to piano, from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor" one can clear imagine him going from typewriter from one side of the room to the piano at the other end and then running to the bookshelf and looking for books then the envelope catching his eye one the floor. He also used tone which shifted from the beginning of the poem for example in the very first stanza in lines one and two "the other day I was ricocheting slowly off the pale blue walls of this room" clearly how the story started off with him thinking about the other day and then in stanza three lines lines one through four "No Cookie by a French novelist could send one more suddenky into the past a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp by a deep adirondack lake" which shows hime thinking way back in the past now in his present time which shows how at first a boy is thinking back but few days ago and a man is thinking back many years or how in stanza four the first two lines Billy says "she gave me life and milf from her breasts and I gave her a lanyard" whuch shows how he described such a profound feeling then into words without feeling and shame which is how I read into those words. This poem was very deep which made me think and read into what he said
In this poem the author Billy Collins was very precise and clear about making his point. Also getting the reader to understand where he is coming from with this poem called "The Lanyard" he was trying to make us see many things through this writing one in particular was how we can never repay a mother's love and that its totally okay. For example in his poem in stanza four and lines one and two he said "she gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard" meaning the woman that brought him into this world and fed he gave to her but a simple lanyard also how life is a very precious thing that no many people are able to have or give not only give but provide for another person in such a way that something so wonderful and of immense value cannot be repayed back with such a gift but being one of such tender young age wouldn't know such a fact but believes that it may and is proven in his poem in stanza six and lines one through three "here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs,bones and teeth, and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered" which in my opinion shows how all a mother really cares is that her child is healthy and safe and no gift can replace having a healthy child. Billy Collins was able to portray many of his thoughts through imagery and tone for example in stanza one when he was first starting his poem he said in lines three and four " bouncing from typewriter to piano, from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor" one can clear imagine him going from typewriter from one side of the room to the piano at the other end and then running to the bookshelf and looking for books then the envelope catching his eye one the floor. He also used tone which shifted from the beginning of the poem for example in the very first stanza in lines one and two "the other day I was ricocheting slowly off the pale blue walls of this room" clearly how the story started off with him thinking about the other day and then in stanza three lines lines one through four "No Cookie by a French novelist could send one more suddenky into the past a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp by a deep adirondack lake" which shows hime thinking way back in the past now in his present time which shows how at first a boy is thinking back but few days ago and a man is thinking back many years or how in stanza four the first two lines Billy says "she gave me life and milf from her breasts and I gave her a lanyard" whuch shows how he described such a profound feeling then into words without feeling and shame which is how I read into those words. This poem was very deep which made me think and read into what he said
The poem “The Lanyard” by, Billy Collins was about a man recollecting on his childhood and how he repaid his mothers maternal love with nothing but a lanyard. Billy Collins make you understand that we can never repay a mother's. He structures his poem using a series of stanzas and each stanza has a different purpose. The first stanza is in present day, from which he wrote the poem, in the first person. He starts off in a room searching for inspiration. As we go into the second stanza he alludes to a French novelist story that is about a man who gets an abundance of memories from a nibble of a cookie. Then he goes back into his past recalling back in camp when he learned to make the infamous lanyard. With this lanyard he gives it his mother as a gift. Toward the fourth stanza the tone starts to chance into a somewhat humorous mood. He shows you the juxtaposition between his mother love and the gift he gave to her. Weighing the values of both he sees that his mother did more for him and all he gave her a measly, useless, boring lanyard. In the last two lines he comes to a realization that even though he can never repay his mother's love it totally ok.
I thoroughly enjoyed Billy Collin's "The Lanyard." It explained a child's love for his mother and his desire to repay his mother for all her hard work, but we soon see that this is a futile task. Collins uses humerous comparison to get this point across. He compares something as meaningful as "a breathing body, and a beating heart" and then in return giving his mother a lanyard. This drastic comparision shows that we will never be able to repay our mothers for all they have done for us. We find out that it is ok that we cant repay our mothers in stanza 7. Collins says "when she took the two-tone lanyard from my hands, i was sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing i wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even." He conveys the point that sometimes just the thought of doing something for your mother, is enough to make her happy, and give her the emotional satisfaction and support that she gave you. There is a very noticable tone shift in the 6th stanza. the poem goes from the comparison standpoint and then to one of a confessional standpoint. he wishes to say to her now, with the wisdom he aquired as a man, that he appreciates her hardwork and tried to repay her with "sweet emotion"
"The Lanyard," by Billy Collins. You know what I just realized. The anthology of poems that I have, the poems were selected by him, he is the one that put the book together. Back to topic. This poem was truly a good work of art. Even though I never woud have had a connection with my mother like he had, I can totally understand where he is coming from. And I feel like I can really connect with Billy. This poem starts out with him bouncing around in with I think might be a library or his living room filled with books. Then it leads into him getting a peice of lanyard and playing with it. He sat down and started to make the lanyard into d box shape as a gift for his mother. I kind of wish I was like Billy for the soul purpose that he thinks about his mother and he actually wants to give her a gift. I don't think about my parents like that. Then after the third stanze Billy makes a shift in time and jumps through a warp hole back to the past. Billy feels that even after all his mother has done, gave him life, a beating heart and so on, and all he can give her is a peice of lanyard. What Billy doesn't get is that no matter what it is mother's will love it and accept it. There is no way you can match what a mother has given to you its impossible. Plus you are a kid, there is only so much you can do as a kid. One part of the poem I like was the beginning of the first stanza through the sixth. He gave a whole description of all hte things his mother give. It really gives a good image, a good perspective of where he is coming from. It was the half way through the poem and it really caught me and dragged me in. Then at the end after he gives his mother the lanyard he says "I was sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing I wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even." I understand that he would like to repay his mother for all the things she has done for him, and even though he tried he still feels its not good enough. He thinks its useless and worthless. As I said before it is impossible to match the things your mother have done for you.
After reading "The Lanyard" by Billy Collins, I can state that the author here feels that the gift he presents to his mother with all his love and gratitude has no meaning the material itself but moreover the thought that he does in reality appreciates everything she's done for him. This thought all begins when he was looking through dictionary and was in the "L" section where he sets back on old memories as stated in the first paragraph. He uses allusion such as "no cookie nibbled by a french novelist..." this he mentions because he trying to show the reader that there was such thing as this where a french men who wrote a novel began by the mere bite of a cookie where this novel was erected.The theme that collins introduces is the bond between mother and child. Quoting the last paragraph "…is a smaller gift...that this useless thing I wove out of boredom could make us even." I interpret this to mean that in life the dedication of a mother can’t ever be repaid because it is priceless. It is something that when we older we will learn to appreciate and that the value of this innocent gift can only show so much, enough to show and teach that admiration and gratitude is something that has a greater value rather than the material itself, and at the end the author clearly shows that it's the thought that counts. By:Stephanie Cruz [i don't know how to add myself>>> so i'll be posting my name at the end of each journal so you'll know its me... beats beings anonymous! :)]
After reading "The Lanyard", by Billy Collins, I was very touched. Collins begins the poem writing about a simple lanyard and ends it showing how great a mother's love is. The poem begins with the author looking around his room as if he were searching for something to write about. After finding the word 'lanyard' in the dictionary, he is taken back to a time where he was younger, in camp, and making a simple lanyard for his mother. The First shift of tone is found in stanza two where the author uses an allusion(No cookie nibbled by a French Novelist...)to introduce the flash back in time. In this flashback the author remembers all the hard work his mother went through to take care of him as a child, and tries to repay her with a gift. The Poem ends with the authors last words,"I was as sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing I wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even." Although the poem is titled "The Lanyard", the authors real focus or theme is on the love of a mother. The second shift of tone is found in stanza four where he shows how his mother took care of him. The author compares the gifts his mother has given him with the gift he was giving her saying,"She gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard." And again," Here are thousands of meals, she said, and here is clothing and good education.And here is your lanyard, I replied." The last shift of tone is found in stanza eight where he tries to show the real meaning of the whole poem. At the end the boy knows that his mother will receive the lanyard with love and that it would be enough to make them "even". The author tries to imply that his mother's joy is accomplished when she see's that the same boy, whom she invested her time in for so many years, came back to repay her and give her thanks for her love. Collins realized that his mother's love was so great that it didn't matter what he gave her, she would still have been more than grateful for her sons recognition to her as a good mother.
"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins was quite an admirable piece of work. I personally found a heartfelt connection between the author as a young boy striving to impress his mother. I've lived with my mother all my life. My parents divorced when I was 1, and it has been just me and my mother since I was 9. I've always tried to show my mother gratitude for all that she has done for me; as the author looked back on his lanyard as inadequate, I myself have looked back on my past trinkets and felt as if I could have done more.
Analysis
This poem fits the common expression: "short, sweet and to the point." It was a fairly short poem, but packed a lot of literary devices to convey the main theme of this poem. The main theme in this poem is a feeling of nostalgia. This is evident in the transition between recent history (line 1) and non-recent history (started at line 9). The author also shows the bond between mother and child specifically in this poem. All throughout the author's memory, he only tried to impress his mother. There wasn't even a mention of a father, brother, etc. I think the author believes that since the mother physically gives birth to the child, that the bond between them is started very early.
The tone of this poem did start off fairly humorous, through the author's extreme comparisions which I thought had the similar extremities to that of a hyperbole. At the final stanza, the tone shifts to a more serious tone because the author is exposing how he really feels about his own gift in comparision to his mother's gifts. I think that when you are young (like pre teens), you think that things that you create on your own volition are completely sublime. However, when you are older, you realize that sometimes just making things won't be enough to impress your loved ones.
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon every day. It will always be interesting to read through content from other authors and use something from their websites.
I all the time used to read article in news papers but now as I am a user of internet therefore from now I am using net for articles or reviews, thanks to web.
Collins' humorously sets up the poem to strongly contrast the depth of love and giving of a mother towards her son, and the simplicity and commonplace/boringness of a mere plastic lanyard. The reader laughs and enjoys the ridiculousness of the beauty and selflessness of a mother throughout the years of raising a child, juxtaposed with randomly fulfilling an unknown/unplanned task, assisted, and seemingly meaningless project of weaving plastic strips together for a few minutes.
But in the end we learn it isn't meaningless--while we are led to see the lanyard for the mundane and plain object is actually is, Collins' reveals to us that it in fact truly represents the equivalence of his mother's love from his perspective as a boy--an equal giving of himself to his mother ("I was assured...that this...thing...would be enough to make us even"). The emotion and feeling behind what he recognizes his mother has given him growing up (life, milk, nursing, teaching, clothing, education, a body) is reciprocated and shared by him through the lanyard--he is simply limited and far less aware of the meaning of his mother's gifts as a boy at the time. That's all he has to give at the moment, but it nonetheless represents the same degree of selflessness and love.
The poem itself is touchingly Collin's "rueful" admission that this was indeed the truth. That in his heart, a stupid lanyard really did represent an equivalence of these gifts of love extended from his mother.
Collins' divulges a lot the last few lines. First, that this admission is a SMALL gift--it's not as pure and selfless and giving and loving of himself as the lanyard was at the time towards his mother. This, made more powerful as Collins' himself is now a celebrated poet laureate--his admission captured within a beautiful and purposely crafted work of art. And second, a subtle suggestion that the acceptance of the gift by his mother was just as important. Only when "she took [it] from [his] hand" was he "sure" that they would be made "even".
The less obvious and "hidden" gift of the mother was her ability to make him FEEL they were even, by HOW she accepted the lanyard. Collins' implies her warm embrace of his presentation carries with it her understanding and acceptance of it as the full expression of his love reciprocated back.
18 comments:
The poem "The Lanyard" by Billy Collins was truely a very moving work of art. If there was one and only one word to describe this poem it would be nostalgic. NostaLgic is an excessively sentimental yearning of some past period. In the peom Billy kind of pays a tribute to all mothers. By not only saying what his mother did for him but what all mothers do for there children.
One of my favorite lines from the poem in which ,I feel he demonstrates his true meaning. Starts at the end of stanza five and i quote "And here is your lanyard, I replied, which I made with a little help from my conselor", The mother then replies "Here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs, bones and teeth". By reading this one can feel very awe-struck. This line was one of many that felt very strong to me when i read it. The boy, which is the author is revisiting the past. In the quote i just took from the poem. I felt that he as a child felt ashamed of himself. when he presented his mother with gift because he relizes , that our moms do so much for us and there is nothing really we can do but love them.
A major literary tecnique that i felt had everything to do with the poem is tone. The tone of the poem is demonstrated through out the passage. when the mother replies back. when he as a child replies back to his mom it is a joy ful and excited tone. when the mother replies the tone quickly changes to a strong and assertive voice. Which in my opinion is how we all hear our moms. After all we only have one.
In this poem the author Billy Collins was very precise and clear about making his point. Also getting the reader to understand where he is coming from with this poem called "The Lanyard" he was trying to make us see many things through this writing one in particular was how we can never repay a mother's love and that its totally okay. For example in his poem in stanza four and lines one and two he said "she gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard" meaning the woman that brought him into this world and fed he gave to her but a simple lanyard also how life is a very precious thing that no many people are able to have or give not only give but provide for another person in such a way that something so wonderful and of immense value cannot be repayed back with such a gift but being one of such tender young age wouldn't know such a fact but believes that it may and is proven in his poem in stanza six and lines one through three "here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs,bones and teeth, and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered" which in my opinion shows how all a mother really cares is that her child is healthy and safe and no gift can replace having a healthy child. Billy Collins was able to portray many of his thoughts through imagery and tone for example in stanza one when he was first starting his poem he said in lines three and four " bouncing from typewriter to piano, from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor" one can clear imagine him going from typewriter from one side of the room to the piano at the other end and then running to the bookshelf and looking for books then the envelope catching his eye one the floor. He also used tone which shifted from the beginning of the poem for example in the very first stanza in lines one and two "the other day I was ricocheting slowly off the pale blue walls of this room" clearly how the story started off with him thinking about the other day and then in stanza three lines lines one through four "No Cookie by a French novelist could send one more suddenky into the past a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp by a deep adirondack lake" which shows hime thinking way back in the past now in his present time which shows how at first a boy is thinking back but few days ago and a man is thinking back many years or how in stanza four the first two lines Billy says "she gave me life and milf from her breasts and I gave her a lanyard" whuch shows how he described such a profound feeling then into words without feeling and shame which is how I read into those words. This poem was very deep which made me think and read into what he said
In this poem the author Billy Collins was very precise and clear about making his point. Also getting the reader to understand where he is coming from with this poem called "The Lanyard" he was trying to make us see many things through this writing one in particular was how we can never repay a mother's love and that its totally okay. For example in his poem in stanza four and lines one and two he said "she gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard" meaning the woman that brought him into this world and fed he gave to her but a simple lanyard also how life is a very precious thing that no many people are able to have or give not only give but provide for another person in such a way that something so wonderful and of immense value cannot be repayed back with such a gift but being one of such tender young age wouldn't know such a fact but believes that it may and is proven in his poem in stanza six and lines one through three "here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs,bones and teeth, and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered" which in my opinion shows how all a mother really cares is that her child is healthy and safe and no gift can replace having a healthy child. Billy Collins was able to portray many of his thoughts through imagery and tone for example in stanza one when he was first starting his poem he said in lines three and four " bouncing from typewriter to piano, from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor" one can clear imagine him going from typewriter from one side of the room to the piano at the other end and then running to the bookshelf and looking for books then the envelope catching his eye one the floor. He also used tone which shifted from the beginning of the poem for example in the very first stanza in lines one and two "the other day I was ricocheting slowly off the pale blue walls of this room" clearly how the story started off with him thinking about the other day and then in stanza three lines lines one through four "No Cookie by a French novelist could send one more suddenky into the past a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp by a deep adirondack lake" which shows hime thinking way back in the past now in his present time which shows how at first a boy is thinking back but few days ago and a man is thinking back many years or how in stanza four the first two lines Billy says "she gave me life and milf from her breasts and I gave her a lanyard" whuch shows how he described such a profound feeling then into words without feeling and shame which is how I read into those words. This poem was very deep which made me think and read into what he said
By- katherine
The poem “The Lanyard” by, Billy Collins was about a man recollecting on his childhood and how he repaid his mothers maternal love with nothing but a lanyard. Billy Collins make you understand that we can never repay a mother's. He structures his poem using a series of stanzas and each stanza has a different purpose. The first stanza is in present day, from which he wrote the poem, in the first person.
He starts off in a room searching for inspiration. As we go into the second stanza he alludes to a French novelist story that is about a man who gets an abundance of memories from a nibble of a cookie. Then he goes back into his past recalling back in camp when he learned to make the infamous lanyard. With this lanyard he gives it his mother as a gift. Toward the fourth stanza the tone starts to chance into a somewhat humorous mood. He shows you the juxtaposition between his mother love and the gift he gave to her. Weighing the values of both he sees that his mother did more for him and all he gave her a measly, useless, boring lanyard. In the last two lines he comes to a realization that even though he can never repay his mother's love it totally ok.
I thoroughly enjoyed Billy Collin's "The Lanyard." It explained a child's love for his mother and his desire to repay his mother for all her hard work, but we soon see that this is a futile task. Collins uses humerous comparison to get this point across. He compares something as meaningful as "a breathing body, and a beating heart" and then in return giving his mother a lanyard. This drastic comparision shows that we will never be able to repay our mothers for all they have done for us. We find out that it is ok that we cant repay our mothers in stanza 7. Collins says "when she took the two-tone lanyard from my hands, i was sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing i wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even." He conveys the point that sometimes just the thought of doing something for your mother, is enough to make her happy, and give her the emotional satisfaction and support that she gave you. There is a very noticable tone shift in the 6th stanza. the poem goes from the comparison standpoint and then to one of a confessional standpoint. he wishes to say to her now, with the wisdom he aquired as a man, that he appreciates her hardwork and tried to repay her with "sweet emotion"
"The Lanyard," by Billy Collins. You know what I just realized. The anthology of poems that I have, the poems were selected by him, he is the one that put the book together. Back to topic. This poem was truly a good work of art. Even though I never woud have had a connection with my mother like he had, I can totally understand where he is coming from. And I feel like I can really connect with Billy. This poem starts out with him bouncing around in with I think might be a library or his living room filled with books. Then it leads into him getting a peice of lanyard and playing with it. He sat down and started to make the lanyard into d box shape as a gift for his mother. I kind of wish I was like Billy for the soul purpose that he thinks about his mother and he actually wants to give her a gift. I don't think about my parents like that. Then after the third stanze Billy makes a shift in time and jumps through a warp hole back to the past. Billy feels that even after all his mother has done, gave him life, a beating heart and so on, and all he can give her is a peice of lanyard. What Billy doesn't get is that no matter what it is mother's will love it and accept it. There is no way you can match what a mother has given to you its impossible. Plus you are a kid, there is only so much you can do as a kid. One part of the poem I like was the beginning of the first stanza through the sixth. He gave a whole description of all hte things his mother give. It really gives a good image, a good perspective of where he is coming from. It was the half way through the poem and it really caught me and dragged me in. Then at the end after he gives his mother the lanyard he says "I was sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing I wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even." I understand that he would like to repay his mother for all the things she has done for him, and even though he tried he still feels its not good enough. He thinks its useless and worthless. As I said before it is impossible to match the things your mother have done for you.
After reading "The Lanyard" by Billy Collins, I can state that the author here feels that the gift he presents to his mother with all his love and gratitude has no meaning the material itself but moreover the thought that he does in reality appreciates everything she's done for him. This thought all begins when he was looking through dictionary and was in the "L" section where he sets back on old memories as stated in the first paragraph. He uses allusion such as "no cookie nibbled by a french novelist..." this he mentions because he trying to show the reader that there was such thing as this where a french men who wrote a novel began by the mere bite of a cookie where this novel was erected.The theme that collins introduces is the bond between mother and child. Quoting the last paragraph "…is a smaller gift...that this useless thing I wove out of boredom could make us even."
I interpret this to mean that in life the dedication of a mother can’t ever be repaid because it is priceless. It is something that when we older we will learn to appreciate and that the value of this innocent gift can only show so much, enough to show and teach that admiration and gratitude is something that has a greater value rather than the material itself, and at the end the author clearly shows that it's the thought that counts.
By:Stephanie Cruz
[i don't know how to add myself>>> so i'll be posting my name at the end of each journal so you'll know its me... beats beings anonymous! :)]
After reading "The Lanyard", by Billy Collins, I was very touched. Collins begins the poem writing about a simple lanyard and ends it showing how great a mother's love is.
The poem begins with the author looking around his room as if he were searching for something to write about. After finding the word 'lanyard' in the dictionary, he is taken back to a time where he was younger, in camp, and making a simple lanyard for his mother. The First shift of tone is found in stanza two where the author uses an allusion(No cookie nibbled by a French Novelist...)to introduce the flash back in time. In this flashback the author remembers all the hard work his mother went through to take care of him as a child, and tries to repay her with a gift. The Poem ends with the authors last words,"I was as sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing I wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even."
Although the poem is titled "The Lanyard", the authors real focus or theme is on the love of a mother. The second shift of tone is found in stanza four where he shows how his mother took care of him. The author compares the gifts his mother has given him with the gift he was giving her saying,"She gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard." And again," Here are thousands of meals, she said, and here is clothing and good education.And here is your lanyard, I replied." The last shift of tone is found in stanza eight where he tries to show the real meaning of the whole poem. At the end the boy knows that his mother will receive the lanyard with love and that it would be enough to make them "even". The author tries to imply that his mother's joy is accomplished when she see's that the same boy, whom she invested her time in for so many years, came back to repay her and give her thanks for her love.
Collins realized that his mother's love was so great that it didn't matter what he gave her, she would still have been more than grateful for her sons recognition to her as a good mother.
All right, let's get down to business!
Personal Connection
"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins was quite an admirable piece of work. I personally found a heartfelt connection between the author as a young boy striving to impress his mother. I've lived with my mother all my life. My parents divorced when I was 1, and it has been just me and my mother since I was 9. I've always tried to show my mother gratitude for all that she has done for me; as the author looked back on his lanyard as inadequate, I myself have looked back on my past trinkets and felt as if I could have done more.
Analysis
This poem fits the common expression: "short, sweet and to the point." It was a fairly short poem, but packed a lot of literary devices to convey the main theme of this poem. The main theme in this poem is a feeling of nostalgia. This is evident in the transition between recent history (line 1) and non-recent history (started at line 9). The author also shows the bond between mother and child specifically in this poem. All throughout the author's memory, he only tried to impress his mother. There wasn't even a mention of a father, brother, etc. I think the author believes that since the mother physically gives birth to the child, that the bond between them is started very early.
The tone of this poem did start off fairly humorous, through the author's extreme comparisions which I thought had the similar extremities to that of a hyperbole. At the final stanza, the tone shifts to a more serious tone because the author is exposing how he really feels about his own gift in comparision to his mother's gifts. I think that when you are young (like pre teens), you think that things that you create on your own volition are completely sublime. However, when you are older, you realize that sometimes just making things won't be enough to impress your loved ones.
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Eh, the good ol' days...
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Collins' humorously sets up the poem to strongly contrast the depth of love and giving of a mother towards her son, and the simplicity and commonplace/boringness of a mere plastic lanyard. The reader laughs and enjoys the ridiculousness of the beauty and selflessness of a mother throughout the years of raising a child, juxtaposed with randomly fulfilling an unknown/unplanned task, assisted, and seemingly meaningless project of weaving plastic strips together for a few minutes.
But in the end we learn it isn't meaningless--while we are led to see the lanyard for the mundane and plain object is actually is, Collins' reveals to us that it in fact truly represents the equivalence of his mother's love from his perspective as a boy--an equal giving of himself to his mother ("I was assured...that this...thing...would be enough to make us even"). The emotion and feeling behind what he recognizes his mother has given him growing up (life, milk, nursing, teaching, clothing, education, a body) is reciprocated and shared by him through the lanyard--he is simply limited and far less aware of the meaning of his mother's gifts as a boy at the time. That's all he has to give at the moment, but it nonetheless represents the same degree of selflessness and love.
The poem itself is touchingly Collin's "rueful" admission that this was indeed the truth. That in his heart, a stupid lanyard really did represent an equivalence of these gifts of love extended from his mother.
Collins' divulges a lot the last few lines. First, that this admission is a SMALL gift--it's not as pure and selfless and giving and loving of himself as the lanyard was at the time towards his mother. This, made more powerful as Collins' himself is now a celebrated poet laureate--his admission captured within a beautiful and purposely crafted work of art. And second, a subtle suggestion that the acceptance of the gift by his mother was just as important. Only when "she took [it] from [his] hand" was he "sure" that they would be made "even".
The less obvious and "hidden" gift of the mother was her ability to make him FEEL they were even, by HOW she accepted the lanyard. Collins' implies her warm embrace of his presentation carries with it her understanding and acceptance of it as the full expression of his love reciprocated back.
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