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- The mouse not only symbolizes the resolve students need to accomplish meaningful literary analysis, but also draws attention to the physical structure of the poem itself.
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The mouse’s nest has a twofold symbolic significance in the poem. On the one hand, it symbolizes the universal need for shelter. The speaker suggests as much when he refers to the nest as the mouse’s “wee-bit housie” (line 19).
- To a Mouse: Summary & Analysis - SparkNotes
The speaker of this poem is a farmer who expresses remorse...
- To a Mouse: Summary & Analysis - SparkNotes
- Stanza One
- Stanza Two
- Stanza Three
- Stanza Four
- Stanza Five
- Stanza Six
- Stanza Seven
- Stanza Eight
In the first stanza of ‘To a Mouse,’the speaker begins by describing the mouse about which the poem has been written. The adjectives used by the speaker are quite visual and multilayered in that they speak to the mouse’s physicality and emotional nature. It is “Wee,” or small, as well as “sleeket,” or sneaky, “cowran” and “tim-rous.” These final wo...
In the second stanza, the poet begins apologizing to the mouse for the nature of humankind. They have had “dominon” over the world and have been unwilling to accept creatures that are not like them. Unfortunately, the mouse is a very prominent figure on this list. In “Man’s” desire to control all parts of the world “he” has “broken Nature’s social ...
In the third stanza of ‘To a Mouse,’the speaker addresses the way the mouse lives. In the first lines, he tells the mouse he understands that “thou may thieve.” The fact that the mouse must steal food from humans does not bother the speaker. It is not the mouse’s fault that it has been degraded to this level. The mouse is only a “poor beastie” whic...
At the halfway point of this piece, the speaker turns to address the “housie” in which the mouse lives. It is no grand structure; it is “in ruin!” The walls are weak and are often “strewin” by the wind. Burns’ choice to emphasize the Scottish dialectis very evident in these lines. Particularly in the words “win’s” and “wa’s” which would not traditi...
The speaker finally turns to the mouse’s current situation. He understands that the mouse tried to shelter in a “field” where it could “cozie…beneath the blast.” It was here it “thought to dwell but then, “crash!” The wind came through and destroyed the home it has built. A reader should take note of the use of alliterationin this section. The poet...
The sixth stanza of ‘To a Mouse’ elaborates on what the mouse’s old home was like. It may now be in ruins, but the speaker still wants to share what the tiny creature built. It was only a “wee-bit heap o’leaves an’ stibble,” or pieces of grass and hay. It was made from minimal materials but cost the mouse a lot. All of the work has gone to waste as...
In the second to last stanza, the speaker wants the mouse to understand that it is not alone. Often one’s plans go awry, and “foresight” may often be in “vain” or pointless when one never knows what’s going to happen. The following lines became quite well-known after this poem’s publication, especially after they were used for John Steinbeck’s nove...
In the final stanza of ‘To a Mouse,‘ the speaker states that the mouse is “blest, compar’d wi’” him. It is only the “present” that hurts the mouse. The little “beastie” does not have to worry about the past or, really worry about the future. On the other hand, the speaker is able to “backward cast” his “e’e.” His prospects appear “dear” when basing...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
- “To a Mouse” Summary.
- “To a Mouse” Themes. The Relationship Between People and Animals. See where this theme is active in the poem. The Unpredictability of Life.
- Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “To a Mouse” Before Line 1, Lines 1-6. On Turning up in Her Nest with the Plough, November, 1785. Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie,
- “To a Mouse” Symbols. The Mouse. See where this symbol appears in the poem. The Destruction of the Nest.
To a Mouse. Based on a vivid personal experience of ploughing up a mouse’s nest and of being a struggling tenant farmer, this poem epitomises Burns’ compassion, empathy and ability to...
Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse” is a perfect example of how poetry can inspire change. The poem, written in 1785, is a reflection on the relationship between man and nature. Burns uses the mouse as a symbol for the vulnerable and oppressed, and the plow as a symbol for the powerful and destructive.
As the poem delves into explorations of human intervention in the natural world, and into the broader differences between humans and nonhuman animals, the symbolism of the mouse becomes increasingly rich and complex, intertwining with its actual experiences as a character.
The speaker of this poem is a farmer who expresses remorse after accidentally destroying a mouse’s nest while plowing his field. He feels genuine compassion for the mouse’s difficult circumstances, particularly as harsh winter weather approaches.
