To a Mouse: Stanza 4-6

“To a Mouse: Stanza 4-6” - Overview and Context

  • Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse” offers an insightful perspective into human condition and the plight of a small creature disrupted by agricultural work.
  • These stanzas particularly explore the disparity between man’s concerns and nature’s indifferent progress, revealing Burns’ empathetic and philosophical attitude.

Character and Narrative Summary

  • The narrator, who is assumed to be Burns himself, expresses sympathy towards the mouse whose home he has destroyed.
  • His internal monologue reflects upon the plight of the mouse and how it mirrors the struggle of the human condition.

Understanding Themes - Nature and Man

  • The theme of Nature and Man underscores that unlike humans, nature does not dwell on past or future, symbolised by the uncaring bitter winter and the mouse’s resilience.
  • The mouse is used as a metaphor for the poor and homeless, with its struggles reflecting the hardships of human life.

Understanding Themes - Plans and Providence

  • Another evident theme is that of Plans and Providence. While the mouse’s plan for winter goes awry, so too, Burns asserts, do human plans often end in failure.
  • This theme is exemplified in the phrase, “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft agley”, meaning that even with thorough planning, outcomes can still go astray.

Language and Tone:

  • The Scots dialect used by Burns enhances the authentic and raw emotions expressed in the poem.
  • Though sorrowful for the mouse’s disrupted plans, the tone of the poem is equally philosophical, contemplating upon the uncertainty of life.

Imagery and Symbolism:

  • Burns uses nature imagery to set the sombre tone, with the leafless November landscape and destroyed mouse’s nest evoking sensory images of cold and desolation.
  • The “mouse” serves as a potent symbol of vulnerability and the consequences of unchecked human actions.

Poetic Devices:

  • Burns employs apostrophe by addressing the mouse directly, giving a personal touch and empathy to the poem.
  • He also uses alliteration and assonance for creating a melodic and rhythmic quality, imparting a softer, contemplative tone to the narrative.