Introduction: “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
“The Lanyard” by Billy Collins, initially published in the 1998 collection Picnic, Lightning, is a poignant exploration of parental love and the complexities of human connection. Through the seemingly mundane object of a lanyard, Collins crafts a nuanced meditation on gratitude, indebtedness, and the enduring power of familial bonds. The work’s understated tone, coupled with its vivid imagery and deft use of language, elevates it to a status of lyrical and emotional resonance.
Text: “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.
No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.
I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.
She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light
and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.
Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth
that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
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.
Annotations: “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
| Stanza | Annotation |
| 1 | The poem begins with a casual, almost aimless description of the speaker’s surroundings. He describes himself “ricocheting slowly” off the “blue walls” of his room, moving “as if underwater” from one object to another. This creates a sense of ordinary life before a sudden, unexpected shift in focus. The word “lanyard” becomes the catalyst for a profound memory. |
| 2 | The discovery of the word “lanyard” in the dictionary triggers a vivid flashback, emphasizing the power of memory to transport us to the past. The comparison to a “cookie nibbled by a French novelist” adds a touch of humor while highlighting the abruptness of the memory. |
| 3 | The speaker describes the process of making the lanyard, focusing on the repetitive actions involved. There’s a sense of childlike innocence and a lack of understanding about the lanyard’s significance. |
| 4 | The speaker acknowledges that he had never seen anyone use a lanyard before, but this doesn’t stop him from making one for his mother. The act of creation is imbued with a sense of love and effort. |
| 5 & 6 | The poem reaches a climax as the speaker contrasts the immense gifts of a mother—life, nourishment, care, education—with the seemingly trivial gift of a lanyard. The repetition of “Here is…” emphasizes the disparity between the two. |
| 7 | The speaker acknowledges the impossibility of repaying his mother for all that she has done for him. The “breathing body and beating heart” represent the very essence of life itself, a gift far beyond anything he could ever give her. |
| 8 | The poem ends with a poignant reflection on the speaker’s childhood naiveté. He realizes that the lanyard, which he had made with such pride, was a poor substitute for the love and gratitude he owes his mother. The “rueful admission” underscores his sense of regret and belated understanding. * rueful |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
| Device | Definition | Example from “The Lanyard” | Explanation |
| Alliteration | The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in nearby words. | “laid cold face-cloths” | The repetition of the “c” sound emphasizes the action and the care provided. |
| Allusion | A reference to another work, event, or person. | “No cookie nibbled by a French novelist” | References Marcel Proust’s “madeleine” to evoke a sense of nostalgia. |
| Anaphora | The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. | “Here are… Here is…” | Repetition creates a rhythm and emphasizes the mother’s sacrifices. |
| Assonance | The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. | “Here is a breathing body” | The repetition of the “ea” sound in “breathing” and “body” creates internal rhyme. |
| Consonance | The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words. | “strand over strand” | The repeated “r” and “d” sounds emphasize the weaving motion. |
| Enjambment | The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line. | “when I found myself in the L section / of the dictionary” | The line break mirrors the speaker’s wandering thoughts. |
| Hyperbole | An exaggerated statement for emphasis or effect. | “I was as sure as a boy could be” | Exaggerates the speaker’s childhood certainty to convey innocence. |
| Imagery | Descriptive language that appeals to the senses. | “off the blue walls of this room” | Visual imagery evokes a sense of the speaker’s environment and mood. |
| Irony | A contrast between expectation and reality. | “She gave me life… and I gave her a lanyard.” | The disparity between the mother’s immense sacrifices and the trivial gift. |
| Juxtaposition | Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast. | “She gave me life… I gave her a lanyard.” | Contrasts the significance of the mother’s gifts with the speaker’s lanyard. |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison between two unlike things. | “moving as if underwater” | Compares the speaker’s sluggish movement to being underwater. |
| Metonymy | Substituting a word with a related word or concept. | “life and milk from her breasts” | “Milk” symbolizes nourishment and care provided by the mother. |
| Oxymoron | A combination of contradictory words. | “worn truth” | Combines “worn” (implying tired or old) with “truth” to suggest a universal, yet often overlooked, reality. |
| Paradox | A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth. | “you can never repay your mother” | The statement appears simple, but it reveals a profound truth about parenthood. |
| Personification | Giving human characteristics to non-human entities. | “two clear eyes to read the world” | Eyes are described as actively reading, attributing them with human-like agency. |
| Repetition | The deliberate use of the same word or phrase multiple times. | “Here is… Here is…” | Repeats “Here is” to emphasize the abundance of gifts from the mother. |
| Simile | A comparison using “like” or “as.” | “moving as if underwater” | Compares the speaker’s movement to being underwater, suggesting sluggishness. |
| Symbolism | The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. | “lanyard” | The lanyard symbolizes the speaker’s childhood and the inadequacy of his gift. |
| Tone | The attitude of the speaker toward the subject. | Reflective, rueful | The tone is reflective as the speaker looks back on his childhood, rueful about the insignificance of the lanyard. |
| Understatement | The presentation of something as being smaller or less significant than it is. | “a smaller gift” | The lanyard is called a “smaller gift,” downplaying its significance compared to the mother’s sacrifices. |
Themes: “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
- The Inadequacy of Repayment: One of the central themes in “The Lanyard” is the speaker’s recognition of the inadequacy of any gift he could offer to repay his mother’s sacrifices. The poem reflects on the disparity between the mother’s life-giving care—”She gave me life and milk from her breasts”—and the simplicity of the lanyard he made as a child. The speaker acknowledges this imbalance with a sense of rueful humor, noting, “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.” This highlights the theme that no material object, especially one as trivial as a lanyard, can ever truly repay a mother’s love and sacrifices.
- Childhood Innocence and Naivety: The poem captures the innocence and naivety of childhood, particularly in how children perceive the value of their actions and gifts. The speaker recalls his younger self, who, in his simplicity, believed that the lanyard he made at camp was a worthy offering for his mother’s immense sacrifices. Phrases like “I was as sure as a boy could be” and the description of the lanyard as a “useless, worthless thing” underscore the child’s limited understanding of the true nature of giving and receiving. This theme illustrates how children, in their naivety, often believe that small gestures can balance out the profound debts they owe to their parents.
- Nostalgia and Memory: Nostalgia is a prominent theme in the poem, as the speaker is suddenly transported back to his childhood upon encountering the word “lanyard” in the dictionary. The phrase “No cookie nibbled by a French novelist could send one into the past more suddenly” reflects how a simple word can evoke vivid memories of the past. The poem explores how memories, particularly those from childhood, are often triggered by mundane objects or words, bringing forth a flood of emotions and reflections on the passage of time. The speaker’s nostalgic journey back to his days at camp by the Adirondack lake illustrates how memories of the past remain deeply embedded in our consciousness.
- The Complexity of Mother-Child Relationships: “The Lanyard” delves into the complex and often unbalanced dynamic between mothers and their children. The poem juxtaposes the mother’s selfless acts—nursing the speaker when he was sick, teaching him to walk and swim, providing meals, and ensuring his education—with the speaker’s childhood attempt to reciprocate with a simple lanyard. This comparison highlights the theme of the profound and often unreciprocated nature of a mother’s love. The speaker reflects on the impossibility of ever truly repaying his mother, recognizing that the lanyard he offered as a child, though well-intentioned, pales in comparison to all that she has given him. This theme underscores the deep emotional connection and the inherent imbalance in the mother-child relationship, where the mother’s sacrifices far outweigh any gift the child could give in return.
Literary Theories and “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
| Literary Theory | Application and Analysis |
| Psychoanalytic Criticism | The poem can be analyzed through a psychoanalytic lens, focusing on the unconscious mind and the relationship between the speaker and his mother. The lanyard becomes a symbol of the speaker’s desire to repay his mother’s love, a manifestation of the Oedipus complex. The poem’s exploration of guilt and inadequacy can be seen as a reflection of the speaker’s unresolved issues with his mother. However, some might argue that reducing the poem to a psychoanalytic interpretation oversimplifies its emotional complexity. |
| New Historicism | “The Lanyard” can be examined through a New Historicist lens, considering the poem’s cultural and historical context. The poem reflects the values of mid-20th century American society, emphasizing the importance of family, gratitude, and personal responsibility. The lanyard itself can be seen as a product of its time, representing the craft-oriented and DIY ethos of the era. However, some critics might argue that this approach overlooks the poem’s universal themes of love and loss. |
| Deconstructionism | A deconstructionist reading of “The Lanyard” would challenge the poem’s seemingly straightforward narrative and explore the inherent contradictions and ambiguities within the text. The speaker’s attempt to equate the lanyard with his mother’s love can be seen as a futile and ultimately unsuccessful gesture. The poem’s ending, with its admission of inadequacy, undermines the notion of a stable meaning. Critics might argue that deconstruction can lead to an overly fragmented and subjective interpretation of the text. |
Critical Questions about “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
· How does the poem negotiate the complexities of filial love and debt?
- Billy Collins’ “The Lanyard” masterfully explores the intricate dynamics of parental love and the seemingly insurmountable debt children feel towards their mothers. By juxtaposing the immense gifts of life, nurture, and education against the seemingly trivial lanyard, the poem underscores the impossibility of reciprocation. Yet, the speaker’s ultimate realization of the “rueful admission” that the lanyard cannot bridge the gap between what he’s given and what he can offer signifies a profound understanding of the unconditional nature of maternal love. This negotiation of love and debt is central to the poem’s emotional impact.
· What is the role of memory and nostalgia in shaping the poem’s narrative?
- Memory serves as the catalyst for the poem’s exploration of filial love. The speaker’s recollection of crafting a lanyard for his mother triggers a profound reflection on their relationship. The poem employs a nostalgic tone as it revisits a significant childhood experience, highlighting the power of memory to evoke intense emotions. The contrast between the past and present allows Collins to examine the evolution of the speaker’s understanding of his mother’s love and his own capacity for gratitude.
· How does the poem challenge traditional notions of gift-giving and reciprocity?
- “The Lanyard” subverts conventional ideas about gift-giving by emphasizing the inadequacy of material possessions in expressing gratitude. The speaker’s realization that the lanyard, a tangible object, cannot possibly compensate for his mother’s sacrifices challenges the cultural expectation of reciprocal exchange. The poem instead suggests that true appreciation lies in acknowledging the unquantifiable nature of parental love and the impossibility of repaying such a debt.
· What is the significance of the poem’s form and structure in conveying its themes?
- The poem’s structure, with its straightforward language and enjambment, contributes to its intimate and conversational tone. The use of free verse allows for a natural flow of thought, mirroring the speaker’s meandering reflections on his relationship with his mother. The poem’s relatively short length intensifies the focus on the central theme of filial love, preventing any distractions and allowing for a concentrated exploration of the speaker’s emotions.
Literary Works Similar to “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
- “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden: This poem explores the theme of parental sacrifice and unrecognized love, similar to how “The Lanyard” reflects on a mother’s sacrifices for her child. Both poems highlight the child’s later realization of the parent’s selfless actions.
- “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke: Like “The Lanyard,” this poem delves into the complexities of the parent-child relationship, combining a nostalgic look at childhood with a deeper understanding of the parent’s role. Both poems offer a nuanced view of love and connection within families.
- “The Gift” by Li-Young Lee: This poem reflects on a simple, yet meaningful moment between a father and son, similar to the way “The Lanyard” reflects on the significance of small gestures within familial relationships. Both poems emphasize the emotional weight of seemingly ordinary acts of love.
- “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost: While differing in subject matter, this poem shares with “The Lanyard” the theme of reflection on past choices and their implications. Both works explore the significance of personal decisions and their lasting impact on one’s life.
- “A Birthday Present” by Sylvia Plath: This poem, though darker in tone, similarly reflects on the complexities of giving and receiving gifts within a close relationship. “The Lanyard” and “A Birthday Present” both consider the deeper meanings and emotional resonance behind the act of giving.
Suggested Readings: “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
- Collins, Billy. The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems. Random House, 2005.
- Gioia, Dana, and X. J. Kennedy, editors. An Introduction to Poetry. 13th ed., Pearson, 2016.
- Perloff, Marjorie. Poetry On & Off the Page: Essays for Emergent Occasions. Northwestern University Press, 1998.
- Wolosky, Shira. The Art of Poetry: How to Read a Poem. Oxford University Press, 2001.
- Vendler, Helen. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.
Representative Quotations of “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “She gave me life and milk from her breasts, / and I gave her a lanyard.” | The speaker reflects on the vast difference between his mother’s life-giving sacrifices and his trivial childhood gift. | Feminist Theory: Highlights the traditional maternal role and the undervaluation of women’s labor and care. |
| “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.” | The speaker recalls his childhood innocence, believing that a simple lanyard could repay his mother’s sacrifices. | Psychoanalytic Theory: Represents the child’s naive understanding of value and the development of guilt and realization in adulthood. |
| “No cookie nibbled by a French novelist could send one into the past more suddenly—” | The speaker is immediately transported back to his childhood upon encountering the word “lanyard” in the dictionary. | Intertextuality: Alludes to Marcel Proust’s concept of involuntary memory, emphasizing how memories are triggered by sensory experiences. |
| “Here are thousands of meals, she said, / and here is clothing and a good education. / And here is your lanyard, I replied,” | The speaker juxtaposes his mother’s significant contributions to his upbringing with his humble offering of a lanyard. | Marxist Theory: Reflects the disparity in value between the mother’s labor and the child’s gift, highlighting class and labor inequities. |
| “that when she took / the two-tone lanyard from my hand, / 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.” | The speaker admits his childish belief that a simple, homemade gift could equate to his mother’s sacrifices. | Reader-Response Theory: Invites readers to reflect on their own childhood experiences and the universal realization of the inadequacy of repaying parental love. |