1. “ To A Mouse” By: Robert Burns Robert Burns was born in January 1759 and died in 1796. Burns often wrote poetry, however he did not make his living through writing. He supported himself by farming and he gained most of his fame after his death. For the poem, “ To A Mouse”, the inspiration came from when he was working in the field and he disturbed a mouse’s nest. "Robert Burns Biography." Robert Burns Biography. Web. 07 Feb. 2011..

2. “To A Mouse” Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty Wi bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee, Wi' murdering pattle. I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union, An' justifies that ill opinion Which makes thee startle At me, thy poor, earth born companion An' fellow mortal! I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve; What then? poor beastie, thou maun live! A daimen icker in a thrave 'S a sma' request; I'll get a blessin wi' the lave, An' never miss't. Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin! It's silly wa's the win's are strewin! An' naething, now, to big a new ane, O' foggage green! An' bleak December's win's ensuin, Baith snell an' keen! Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste, An' weary winter comin fast, An' cozie here, beneath the blast, Thou thought to dwell, Till crash! the cruel coulter past Out thro' thy cell. That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble, Has cost thee monie a weary nibble! Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble, But house or hald, To thole the winter's sleety dribble, An' cranreuch cauld. But Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promis'd joy! Still thou are blest, compared wi' me! The present only toucheth thee: But och! I backward cast my e'e, On prospects drear! An' forward, tho' I canna see, I guess an' fear! "To a Mouse." The World Burns Club. 2004. Web. 07 Feb. 2011..

3. “To A Mouse” Paraphrase Small, sleek, cowering, timorous beast, O, what a panic is in your breast! You need not start away so hasty With hurrying scamper! I would be loath to run and chase you, With murdering plough-staff. I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union, And justifies that ill opinion Which makes thee startle At me, thy poor, earth born companion And fellow mortal! I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal; What then? Poor beast, you must live! An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves Is a small request; I will get a blessing with what is left, And never miss it. Your small house, too, in ruin! It's feeble walls the winds are scattering! And nothing now, to build a new one, Of coarse grass green! And bleak December's winds coming, Both bitter and keen! You saw the fields laid bare and wasted, And weary winter coming fast, And cozy here, beneath the blast, You thought to dwell, Till crash! the cruel plough past Out through your cell. That small bit heap of leaves and stubble, Has cost you many a weary nibble! Now you are turned out, for all your trouble, Without house or holding, To endure the winter's sleety dribble, And hoar-frost cold. But Mouse, you are not alone, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes of mice and men Go often askew, And leaves us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy! Still you are blest, compared with me! The present only touches you: But oh! I backward cast my eye, On prospects dreary! And forward, though I cannot see, I guess and fear! " To a Mouse." The World Burns Club. 2004. Web. 07 Feb. 2011..

4. “To A Mouse” The small smooth coated shy timid creature, do not be afraid, there is no need to scamper and scuttle away making such a noise of fear. I am very sorry that because we as men have to plough the land and terrorize you. I can understand why you being so small an animal is scared. But mouse I want to tell you that I am your friend and can understand how you feel. I understand you have to take a few grains of corn to keep yourself alive. One or two small grains out of twenty four sheaves will not be missed by me. Your little nest has been destroyed and blown away by the wind and shelter to protect you from the stormy December winds which are cold and biting. Poor little mouse you have saw the fields bare and there is no food left. And winter will be here soon you would be cozy and comfortable in your nest if I hadn't destroyed it with my plough. Your little house must have taken you a long time to make. Now you have been turned out for all your efforts to brave the winter's sleety dribble and severe hoar frost. But my little friend you are not alone with your troubles perhaps it is just as well that we only know what is happening minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. No matter how well you planned for the future your plan may have to be altered to suit the new circumstances, if may be painful to do all this but if we are to survive we have to make the best out of any set back. But mouse if it is any comfort to you I too have many problems but my problems are much more serious than yours. We as humans can look and think either backwards or plan for the future. As I look forward I can only make a guess at what might happen. At the thought of what might happen I am afraid and I dread of a bleak future for me too. Derek. "Paraphrasing of To a Mouse." World Burns Club. 2004. Web. 7 Feb. 2011..

5. Diction of the Poem The poem uses formal, concrete and vivid language. Even though the poet is talking to a mouse, he still uses formal words and structure. The wording of the poem allows the reader to picture how the poet feels and what the situation is like. Example: “ I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken Nature's social union” -Burns is using formal language to show his remorse to the mouse.

6. Tone and Mood Tone The tone of the poem is sympathetic. The speaker feels sorry for the mouse. He feels bad for destroying the mouse’s shelter. But towards the end of the poem, the speaker starts to realize that he has it worse off and he starts to feel sorry for himself. Mood The mood in the poem is also sad. I feel the author is trying to make the reader realize what a bad thing he has done to the mouse. At the end of the poem, the speaker is then in turn speaking of more sadness, but towards the speaker’s situation, making the audience feel sad for him.

7. Rhetorical Situation Robert Burns is speaking to the mouse in the beginning of the poem. When the mood of the poem starts to change, Burns realizes he is not only talking to the mouse, but he can also apply this to his own life as a farmer. You can imply that the speaker is Robert Burns, when he uses the pronoun I.

8. Figurative Language The poem does not contain many similes and metaphors, it does however have personification in some parts. Example of Personification: “…the winds are scattering!” Overall, the poem itself does not have a lot of usage of figurative language.

9. Imagery Robert Burns creates vivid images by using bold words. Example of Imagery: - “…winter’s sleety dribble,” -”An’ bleak December…”

10. Sound Rhyme Scheme: AAABAB CCCDCD EEEFEF GGGHGH IIIKIK LLLMLM NNNONO PPPQPQ The poem has some repetition, but like the figurative language, it does not contain a lot. Example: I ; An’ ; Thy

11. Structure of the Poem Burns uses the six-line stanza in rime couée, a favorite with him. It’s a old stanzaic form used often in Renaissance Scottish verse. The first three lines develop the idea in each stanza, reinforcing the logic by maintaining line length and using the rhyming triplet. "To a Mouse." The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Web. 08 Feb. 2011..

12. Conclusion/Evaluation The poem itself was very hard to comprehend. The language that the poem was written in was hard to tell what the poet was trying to say. It helped to have a English Version of the text to see the point the author was trying to get across. The poem was very sad in depressing together, there weren’t a lot of happy points.