Building Background

The Scottish Hero Robert Burns’ poetry flourished during a time when the English-controlled British government was trying to subdue Scottish patriotism by depriving Scots of civil liberties. Highlanders were forbidden firearms, could not wear their native tartans or play bagpipes, and were governed by Lowlanders loyal to England. Only Standard English was allowed to be taught in schools. As Samuel Johnson noted: “Their language is attacked on every side.”

The favorable reception of Burns’ Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect did much to restore a sense of pride to his fellow Scots, and Burnss later preservation of traditional Scottish songs raised him to the status of folk hero. He was seen by later generations as a protector of traditional Scottish language and an embodiment of the cultural identity of his people. Today, Scots the world over observe “Burns Night” on his birthday, January 25. Bagpipes play, traditional food and drink is enjoyed, and the words of Robert Burns help Scots commemorate their beloved homeland.

The Language of Burns’ Poetry Burns wrote his most celebrated poems in Lowland Scots, a dialect of English that had been spoken by most Scottish people since the 1300s. He also wrote poems in Standard English, but most of these are thought to lack the force and originality of his poems in Scots. When writing in Scots, Burns drew inspiration for much of his phrasing and verse technique from the golden age of Scottish poetry—written in the 1400s and

1500s. When writing in Standard English, on the other hand, he catered to the tastes of the day, which called for phrasing that soon seemed hackneyed and postures that soon seemed excessively sentimental or moralizing.

The “Ploughman Poet” Burns’ Scots poems reflect his familiarity with Scottish peasant

life as well as his deep connection with nature. Much of his poetry celebrates simple, often earthy, pleasures, such as love between two people. Other poems show his respect for the animals that lived around him. Burns is supposed to have composed “To a Mouse” after turning up a mouse’s nest while ploughing and saving the mouse from the spade of the boy who was holding the horses.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16