Transcript To a Louse By: Robert Burns

To a Louse
By: Robert Burns
Nick Haggarty and Kenny Knudsen
Introduction
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To a Louse By: Robert Burns
Robert Burns, or Rabbie as he is sometimes known, is a significant iconic figure in
Scottish Culture and History and is also know as one of the worlds most famous poets.
Born into a poor family on 25th January, 1759, in Alloway, Ayr, Burns started his career by
working on the family farm. Robert's father recognized the importance of education and
together with other friends, a local teacher was hired to educate Burns. Even from an early
age Burns began to show signs of his writing talent.
Moving into adulthood Burns was known for his great passion for Scotland and his
dynamic and contemporary vision became an important source of inspiration to the
founders of both socialism and liberalism.
He later rose to fame, in 1786 when his first works "Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect"
were published by John Wilson of Kilmarnock, and so began his flourishing career in
writing.
Much of the influence for Burns' songs and poetry were gathered from his surroundings,
the places he travelled to, the culture and politics of the day and of course the people he
loved.
Now, more than 200 years after his death, Robert Burns is still one of the most celebrated
men in Scottish culture and social history throughout the world.
http://burns.visitscotland.com/who/
Poem
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Original Text
Ha! Whare ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly,
I canna say but ye strut rarely
Owre gauze and lace,
Tho' faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.
Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,
Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her -Sae fine a lady!
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.
Swith! in some beggar's hauffet squattle:
There you may creep, and sprawl, and spr
Wi' ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whare horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.
Poem
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Now haud you there! ye're out o' sight,
Below the fatt'rils, snug an' tight;
Na, faith ye yet! ye'll no be right,
Till ye've got on it --The vera tapmost, tow'ring height
O' miss's bonnet.
My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose ou
As plump an' grey as onie grozet:
O for some rank, mercurial rozet,
Or fell, red smeddum,
I'd gie ye sic a hearty dose o't,
Wad dress your droddum!
I wad na been surpris'd to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy:
Or aiblins some bit duddie boy,
On's wyliecoat;
But Miss's fine Lunardi! fye!
How daur ye do't.
Poem
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O Jenny, dinna toss your head,
An' set your beauties a' abread!
You little ken what cursed speed
The blastie's makin!
Thae winks an' finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin'!
O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion:
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
An' ev'n devotion!
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http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/To_A_Louse.htm
Paraphrased Poem
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Modern Translation:
Ha! Where are you going, you crawling wonder?
Your impudence protects you sorely,
I can not say but you swagger rarely
Over gauze and lace,
Though faith! I fear you dine but sparingly
On such a place
You ugly, creeping, blasted wonder,
Detested, shunned by saint and sinner,
How dare you set your foot upon her Such fine a lady!
Go somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body
Off! in some beggar's temples squat:
There you may creep, and sprawl, and scramble,
With other kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Where horn nor bone never dare unsettle
Your thick plantations
Paraphrased Cont.
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Now hold you there! you are out of sight,
Below the falderals, snug and tight;
No, faith you yet! you will not be right,
Until you have got on it --The very topmost, towering height
Of misses bonnet.
My sooth! right bold you set your nose out,
As plump and gray as any gooseberry:
O for some rank, mercurial resin,
Or deadly, red powder,
I would give you such a hearty dose of it,
Would dress your breech!
I would not have been surprised to spy
You on an old wife's flannel cap:
Or maybe some small ragged boy,
On his undervest;
But Miss's fine balloon bonnet! fye!
How dare you do it.
Paraphrased Cont.
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O Jenny do not toss your head,
And set your beauties all abroad!
You little know what cursed speed
The blastie's making!
Those winks and finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takiing!
O would some Power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!
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(http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100512140720AAom2UO)
Diction
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The poem To a Louse is written in Scottish
slang.
Tone and Mood
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In this poem Burns creates sort of a
humorous atmosphere.
He uses the poem to distinguish between
classes
Rhetorical Situation
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The speaker is a man sitting behind a
woman in church
The speaker is addressing a louse that is
lurking on a fine woman
Figurative Language
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As plump an' grey as onie grozet – Simile
There you may creep, and sprawl, and spr
- Personification
Swith! in some beggar's hauffet squattle –
Metaphor
Imagery
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How daur ye set your fit upon her -Sae fine a lady!
(How dare you set your foot upon her Such fine a lady!)
I wad na been surpris'd to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy:
Or aiblins some bit duddie boy (I would not have been
surprised to spy
You on an old wife's flannel cap:
Or maybe some small ragged boy)
Sound
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2nd, 3rd, and 5th lines of each stanza rhyme
with each other
No alliteration
Structure of the Poem
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It’s a teen themed poem
expressing various emotions which are
expressed by the use of variety of
techniques including metaphors, similes
and onomatopoeia
Conclusion/Evaluation
Works Citations
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"Comments and Analysis on To A Louse - A Poem by Robert
Burns - Poetry Connection." PoetryConnection.net :: Your
Connection to Great Poetry. Web. 08 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.poetryconnection.net/poets/Robert_Burns/5934/c
omments>.
"To a Louse." Types of Poetry. Web. 08 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/teen-poetry/37-to-alouse.htm>.
"To A Louse." Untitled Document. Web. 08 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.worldburnsclub.com/poems/translations/552.htm
>.