Research project «Robert Burns and his Poetry»

Administration of Podolsk
The Committee of Education
Secondary school No17
T.r. Podolsk, Moscow region,
Vysotnaya Street, 17

 

Research project: “Robert Burns and his Poetry”

 

The work done
by Stupak Olga,
9 "B" form, secondary school No. 17
Teacher Pechckurova Elena Anatolyevna,
Secondary school No. 17
 

 

T.r. Podolsk, 2019

 

Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………….…3

Main Part……………………………………………………………….…5

2. 1. Robert Burns’ Biography…………………………………….…………..5

2.2. Conditions for Burns’ formation as a man and as a poet………………….6

2.3. Features of Robert Burns’ lyrics…………………………… ………….....7

2.3. 1. Burns’ stanza………………………………………………………….7

2.3.2. Metaphor………………………………………………………………8

2.3.2.1. Floral metaphor………………………………………………………8

2.4. Analysis of the poem «My Heart's in the Highlands»…………………….9

III. Practical part………………………………….…………………………….10

3.1. Social survey "What do you know about Robert Burns and his poetry?"

IV. Inference……………………………………….…………………………..11

V. Conclusions …………………………………….………………………….12

VI. Literature…………………………………………………………………..13

VII. Applications……………………………………………………..……….14

 

“When Scotland forgets Burns, then history will forget Scotland”.

J.S. Blackie.

I. Introduction

The relevance of the topic: Currently, within the apparent strengthening of the role of English language in Russia there is also an interest in the creative legacy of poets and writers of the English-speaking countries. One of them is ROBERT BURNS. He is a great national Romantic poet in the late 18th century of Scotland and England.

In English lessons, we have learned that any Scot will not forget to have a traditional “Sopa” on the day of Burns’ birth on the 25th January, which is called Burns Night Supper. Of all the countries in Europe, as far as I know, Scotland is the only one that has turned into the main holiday of the year, the birthday of its "main" poet. It remains to be glad that Russia also reads and sings his poems, including Scottish poems in Russian.

Robert Burns is a representative of the XVIII century; I am a representative of the XXI century. We are separated by about three centuries. But in my opinion, Burns is surprisingly modern. He is in comedy and in musical, in a serious movie and in pop lyrics. For example, the feature film "Hello, I'm your aunt!" In it we can hear Kalyagin’s hero, who is singing the song “Love and poverty forever caught me in the network. For me, poverty does not matter, does not be love in the world." In the film "Office romance" the song on Burns’ poem is performed by Freundlich: "My soul is no peace. I've been waiting all day for someone...»

While I was working on the topic, I learned that R. Burns's lyrics have occupied a significant position in the history of British literature. His works are unique and exceptional in their kind, as noted by many contemporaries of the poet. Burns was close to the natural world and this explains the peculiarity of his perception of the world and the artistic originality of the lyrics.

Analysing the poems of Robert Burns we can get the opportunity

- To learn more about the era in which he lived and worked,

- To learn some, perhaps, unknown facts of the history of the country, which he gave the birth in his brilliant poetry.

So, the purposes of research: to examine the artistic originality of the poetry of Robert Burns, to obtain information and evaluate the knowledge of students of my school about Robert Burns.

To achieve the purposes of the research project, the following tasks are set:

1/ to get acquainted with the biography of R. Burns;

2/ to study lyrics of Burns;

3/ to explore means of artistic expression in the poetry of the Scottish poet;

4/ to conduct a sociological survey among students of our school on the theme "What do you know about Robert Burns and his poetry?" and interpret the results

5/ to make a booklet "Robert Burns and his Poetry"

The object of study: poetry.

Subject of research: the specific features and the artistic originality of the poetry of the Scottish poet and the depth of knowledge them by students of our school.

Hypothesis: We assume that through analysis of the poems of Robert Burns we can get the opportunity to learn more about the era in which he lived and worked, learn some possibly unknown facts from the history of the country, which gave birth to a brilliant poet.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the materials and results of our study can be used by students in the preparing reports, abstracts in English, in the analysis of poems and extracurricular activities in literature and English.

In the work we used both general scientific methods and methods of sociology, linguistics and lexicology:

1. Study, analysis and synthesis of literature on the research topic;

2. The analysis of the facts from online resources

3. A synthesis of the material

4. Statistical studies (counting, calculations):

- Survey; - Comparison; -interview.

Especially productive in studies of this type, in our opinion, is the method of sociological surveys.

Structure of the work. The work consists of introduction, theoretical and practical chapters, conclusions, references and applications.

Thus, our research is both theoretical and practical.

II. Main Part

2. 1. Robert Burns’ Biography

Robert Burns is a poet of Scotland. He wrote his best poems in Scottish dialect. His favourite characters are ordinary Scots. They are poor, work hard, but they prefer every wealth a pure heart that knows no greed, any deceit but true loves, free from calculation.

Robert Burns was born January 25, 1759, in a straw-thatched cottage, to William and Agnes Burns. His mother had a great store of folklore songs and ballads, and his father tried at all costs to surround his children with good reading and conversation. At the age of seven, his father moved the family to Mt. Otiphant from Alloway. In 1773, at the age of only 15, Robert composed his first song, Handsome Nell, in honor of the village blacksmith’s daughter. Since childhood Robert had read the Bible, English Augustianska poets (Pope, Edison, Swift and Steele) and Shakespeare. From his father Robert learnt to understand people. Robert’s mother, Agnes, knew many old songs and ballads of the countryside. In the evenings she told her children folk-tales. He admired mother’s singing traditional Scots songs and a distant cousin, Betty Davidson, told him the tales about ghosts and witches.

In 1777 family moved to Lochlea. In 1778, Robert was fortunate enough to have a summer term of schooling at Kirkoswald. Returning to the farm, he composed Poor Mailie’s Elegy, Winter, and other early pieces, under a blooming interest to become a poet of the people, or as he put it, "a Scottish bard." In 1784 his father died, and Robert, with his brother Gilbert, moved to Mossgiel, in Mauchline. Most of Robert’s best work was accomplished here. At the age of 26, Robert helped his brother out on the farm. Every chance he got, during the day, he would pull his book out of his pocket and begin to read, and think out themes. At night, he climbed up into his attic room, where he wrote his thoughts down before going to bed. He wrote ballads, epistles, epitaphs, satires, and dedications. He wrote about winter, spring, and summer, rivers, braes, and uplands. He wrote about anything, and everything, that could have ever passed his mind working through those hard days on his farm.

After his father’s death, twenty-year-old Robert became a head of the family. He still worked tirelessly on the farm, and in the evenings often went to dance with the local beauties, to whom he devoted so many poems. Here Robert met seventeen-year-old Jean, the daughter of a rich and harsh contractor, who became his destiny, his love for all his life. That summer, the first summer of their love, Robert wrote many of his best works: it seems that he even forgot how to speak prose, he seemed to breathe poetry. One of his poems was "A Red, Red Rose”.

In April 1787 the second edition of Bums’ poems appeared in Edinburgh. It brought him money and gave him an opportunity to see more of his native land. Robert made several trips around the country and saw beautiful landscapes and lochs of the Highlands. He visited some historical places, which made a great impression on him. The poem «My Heart's in the Highlands» was the result of his tour.

The last years of the poet were very difficult. He left farming and with the help of his friends got a job in Dumfries, where he bought a house. In 1795 he became seriously ill and owed a large sum. Autumn 1795 and winter 1796 were fatal for Robert Burns. He died on the 21st of July.

1. Conditions for Burns’ formation as a man and as a poet

Walter Scott called Robert Burns, a poor peasant who became an outstanding artist of the word," the most extraordinary of people " and "the most brilliant poet of Scotland".

As a man and as a poet, Burns was shaped by the cross-influences of two national cultures, Scottish and English. Their interaction has long, after the Union English became the national language and Scottish was relegated to the level of dialect.

Robert Burns was able to rise above the slave worship of English culture, and over the national limitation, was able to incorporate into his poetry all the best of both literary traditions, in his own way understanding and synthesizing them

The formation of the poet's creative method proceeded in the conditions of struggle with outdated canons and dogmas. Creating his own method Burns could not be calculated with the past, to overcome the impact of the naive metaphysical materialism.

Creativity of Robert Burns consists of hundreds of poems, songs and letters. Most of the works are the result of his inspiration, but some have been reworked old and partially lost works of the Scottish people. His poems about love are written in simple accessible language and are full of tenderness and true charm.

Through the poems of Robert Burns, we can learn more about the era in which the writer lived and worked, learn some perhaps unknown to him facts from the history of the country, which gave life to a wonderful poet.

1. Features of Robert Burns’ lyrics

Getting acquainted with the poetry of Robert burns, we noticed that the composition and style of his works are dominated by elements of folk poetry – he uses repetitions, refrains, beginnings, etc., which are characteristic of folk songs, tales, and ballads. The mixing of different genres, the free combination of strings with different size and rhythm, the mixing of strings of different metric lengths – all this was taken by Burns from folklore, but creatively reworked and acquired, therefore, a new strength, beauty and value.

Mixing genres into lyric poetry, epic dramatic elements are extremely enriched it and made more flexible, allowing deeper and more truthful to show him the world of the senses ambient and event flow.

The main themes of his poetry are love and friendship, man and nature (man is the son of nature and the worker in it, he feeds and generates from it), clashes of personality and people with public violence and evil. In his works the free spirit of the Scottish people lives. The Patriotic spirit of national pride inspires Burns's poetry, and in the native song folklore he finds an inexhaustible source of poetic images, themes and motives.

1. 1. Burns’ stanza

Burns' name is associated with a special form of the stanza: AAABAB with shortened fourth and sixth lines. And at the same time all the stanzas of Burns are permeated with the melody of old Scottish poetry and music. Such scheme is known in medieval lyrics, in particular, in Provencal poetry (from the XI century), but since the XVI century its popularity has faded. It remained in Scotland where had been widely used to Burns, but is associated with his name and known as the "Berns’ stanza", although its official name is the standard Gabby, it goes from the first works that brought fame to this verse in Scotland, - "Elegy on the death of Gabby Simpson, Piper of Kilbarchan" (CA. 1640) Robert Sempill of Bistrita; "Gabby" is not a proper name, but a nickname for the natives of the town of Kilbarchan in the West of Scotland. This form was used in Russian poetry, for example, in Pushkin's poems "Echo" and "Collapse".

In Russia, Robert Burns became known at the turn of the XIII – XIX centuries. The attempts of translation of his poems did such Great Russian poets as Pushkin and Lermontov. But the most widely known Burns gained thanks to the excellent translations of S. Marshak. In many poems the main value for the poet is the nature of his native Scotland, village life in general. In his poetry Burns often used comparisons and metaphors.

2.3.2. Metaphor

Getting acquainted with the literature, we learned that metaphors occupy an important place in the poetic speech. Metaphor makes poetry poetry, as it creates a special imaginative world, characteristic of the poetic vision of the world.

Robert Burns created a special metaphorical world. Burns' metaphors overwhelmingly reflect the phenomena directly noticed by him in reality. If he, for example, compares a girl with a flower, then with one of those flowers that grew in the meadows where he mowed hay, or in his small garden. In Burns, we also discover the aesthetic function of the metaphor. It seems to us that he is the only poet of his time who created a special metaphorical world.

2.3.2.1. Floral metaphor

His creativity is characterized by extremely frequent using of plants, i.e. floral metaphors. The floral metaphor of Burns is deep, bright and of particular interest to translators.

In the poem "To a Mountain-Daisy" the girl who has suffered her fate is identified with a flower, namely with "mountain Daisy". In the first five verses, Burns describes the flower and its demise. In verse six, "the flower "and its fate are identified with the fate of the girl: "sweet flow ret of the rural shade". Thanks to the metaphor " ... is laid low in the dust” we understand that a person dies not only literally (death), but also figuratively: he can lose honour, dignity, which for a poet is equivalent to death. Thus, the idea of the whole poem is revealed to us.

In Burns's poem "John Barleycorn” the theme of cultivation of the land, the returning of the ear becomes the key in this poem. The idea is realized in the system of motives of the work: agricultural tools-plow and plow; grass, barley ear and grain; water, sun, seasons and others. But other than nominative, Burns ' symbols are full of metaphorical meanings.

"Plough" - agricultural tools is a metaphor of life, of its beginning and origin. "Clod" - a lump of earth, dust-in this context, "put clod upon his head" - a metaphor for the emergence of a new generation of life, when the seed is thrown into the ground and it sprouts. Thus, the motive of the change of generations, the line between life and death, is embodied in such expressions as "dig a grave with a plow," "did not come out of the ground." Further Burns animates the seasons, with the help of metaphors reinforcing the expressivity of the image.

Thus, Burns expresses his love for folk traditions through the images he created of floral metaphors: agricultural tools – plough, plow, cultivating, cultivation, seed, sprout, flower, etc., using metaphorical comparisons of color and light, the metaphorization of the seasons and the annual cycle. So, in his work there is a single, dominant metaphor of life.

1. Analysis of the poem «My heart's in the Highlands»

The lyrical hero of the poem: "My Heart's in the Highlands" (Application 1), written in 1787 by R. Burns creates an image of a wanderer driven by fate, conveys the feelings of a refugee left without a homeland, but continues to keep it in his heart. Saying goodbye to his native North, he swears in the eternity of his FILIAL love for his father's land. Emotion, the power of feeling sound in sentences expressing the main idea of the poem:

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North

The birth-place of valour, the country of worth;

Wherever I wonder, wherever I rove,

The hills of the Highlands forever I love.

The essence of his love lyric hero finds in the whole flow of images. "The Highlands", "the North", "the mountains," "the birth-place of valour, the country of worth" - contextual synonyms, proud, reverent and devoted love. This is a large, single sum of small - close to a pain familiar. Vivid images of native nature are drawn with the help of expressive epithets: "the mountains high covered with snow", "green valleys", "wild-hanging woods", "and loud purring flowers". So great is the heart, blood connection of the lyrical hero with his native land, that nature is perceived by him as alive, spiritualized. This is expressed by personifications ("Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods";" Farewell to the torrents and loud purring waters") and a number of appeals.

Appeals to the Motherland are accompanied by a persistent repetition of the word "farewell", in the third stanza, which is anaphora, which repeatedly emphasizes the rupture of the lyrical hero with his native and dear. The gap reinforces the antithesis: "My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go." The soul, the heart with the sweet and expensive. In the mind of the lyrical hero there to this day:

"My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;

Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe -".

Mountains of the Motherland symbolize the height of the ideal towards which the hero, but find, unfortunately, cannot. Two worlds ("...wherever I go" is an imperfect reality) reveals the romantic attitude of the lyrical hero. The phrase "My Heart's in the Highlands" is reinforced by a six-fold repetition. And the whole first stanza is repeated at the end of the poem, closing the composite ring, emphasizing the idea of the devotion of the hero of the poem his native Scotland. The poem consists of 16 lines, which are organized into 4 stanzas-quatrains with paired rhymes. Written 4-stop the amphibrach, it sounds slowly and solemnly. Male rhymes with an accent on the last syllable form a line, emphasizing the hero's break with the Motherland.

For the lyrical hero his Homeland is a favourite, familiar territory. Saying goodbye to his native North, he swears in the eternity of his filial love to his Motherland. Emotion, strength of feeling sound in sentences expressing the main idea of the poem. We can see so big heart and blood relationship between lyrical hero and his Mother Earth, that nature is perceived as alive and inspired.

We can notice different senses of the main hero when he thinks about his Home. The feeling of joy while he is hunting; a sense of pride and a sense of deep devotion to his Homeland; a sense of sorrow; pain and anguish and sense of injustice when he had to leave it .

The mood of the hero is changing: enthusiasm - pride - sadness - melancholy.

The intonation of the poem is melodious, which is characteristic of R. Burns's lyrics in General. Due to this musicality of the poem and the feeling of love and devotion to the native land, it could well become a folk song.

Practical part

3.1. Sociological research "What do you know about Robert Burns and his poetry?"

I was interested to know what students of our school know about the national poet of Scotland Robert Burns. Therefore the questionnaire consisting of 3 questions was made.

The survey involved students in grades 9, 26 people were interviewed (Application 2).

The following survey was proposed to students:

Responses’ group: Students of 9th forms (26 schoolchildren).

Questions:

1 / Have you heard about Robert Burns?

2 / What was he?

3 / Can you tell me any poems of Robert Burns?

Here are the results I’ve got

On the first question about Robert Burns: «Have you heard about Robert Burns?”

1 / 15 students (58%) out of 26 gave a positive result.

Further, the survey involved 15 students.

On the second question, "Who was he?"11 students from 26 or 42% of 26 respondents were able to answer that Robert burns was and is the great national poet of Scotland.

On the third question: "Can you name poems or songs of the poet?" 8 students out of 26 were able to name them. This was 19% of 26 respondents.

After analyzing the results of the survey, I came to the conclusion that few respondents from my school were able to answer questions about Robert Burns and his poetry, although in English lessons we talked about him and his poetry. My task is to acquaint students with the poet and his poetry.

Of course, the results were unexpected for me. It seemed to me that more students know about the national poet of Scotland.

IV. Inference

Robert Burns is famous all over the world. And yet it is our country the Scots call his second home. Samuel Yakovlevich Marshak made the most complete translations of the great poet, and they are all stored in the Museum of Robert Burns in Alloway.

Alexander Tvardovsky wrote: "Marshak made Robert Burns Russian, leaving him Scottish."

260 years passed since the birth and 223 years passed since the death of Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), but the memory of him still alive. Its influence on English literature, especially in the period of romanticism, is so great that it is difficult to define.

Burns is primarily a poet of joy of life. Many masterpieces of his lyrics is an enthusiastic hymn to the glory of youth, beauty, courage, loyalty, justice. He combined nature and the world of human feelings. In his poetry, descriptions of natural phenomena serve the purpose of a deeper disclosure of the inner world of the characters, to convey grief, joy, fun, sadness. Burns wrote simple and beautiful songs that were sung all over Scotland.

Working on the project and getting acquainted with the literature, we realized that many authors extol Robert Burns as a romantic poet — in the everyday and literary sense of this definition. However, in our opinion, Burns's worldview was based on the practical sanity of the peasants, among whom he grew up. With romanticism he, in essence, had nothing in common.

In addition, it can be assumed that his poetry is much ahead of his time, the era of Enlightenment, which, as the researchers note, is more characteristic of the allegory, which is based on ethical, that is, moral sense.

Having studied the topic of our project, we’ve realized that this theme is still relevant in our days, because Robert Burns is considered one of the most influential writers in the eighteenth century and new facts are appearing constantly in our days. We’ve understood how his poetry was close to people’s lives and he helps us to understand some facts from British history.

Thus, the purpose and tasks are reached. Hypothesis of this work is proved.

Conclusions

1/ Robert Burns was a poet of all forms.

2/ He knew how to touch the soul, and how to move its feelings.

3/ Poems, letters, songs accurately portray the life of Scotland of the eighteenth century.

4/ Today Burns’ work is known and loved by many people.

5/ Lots of countries have translated Burns’ work into their own languages.

 

VI. Literature

1.Горбунов А. М. Сквозь даль веков. Из сокровищницы зарубежной поэзии. - М.: Книга,2005. - С. 260-264.

2. Елистратова А.А. Роберт Бернс. Критико-биографический очерк. - М.,1997. - 159 с.

3. История зарубежной литературы XVIII века /Под ред. Е.М. Апенко, А.В. Белобратова, Т.Н. Васильевой и др. - М.: Высшая школа, 2011. - 333 с.

4. Коптелов А. На родине великого шотландца. К 200-летию со дня рождения Р. Бернса. Сибирские огни. - 1959. - №1. - С.159 -162.

5. Райт-Ковалёва Р. Роберт Бернс. М.: Молодая гвардия,1985. - 352 с.

6. Роберт Бернc в переводах С. Маршака. М.: Художественная литература, 1986. 382 с.

7. Твардовский А. Роберт Бернс в переводах С. Маршака. «Статьи и заметки о литературе». М., «Советский писатель», 1961, стр.74.

8 http://s-marshak.ru/

9. Burns R. Selected Poems. London: Penguin Group, 2006. 283 р.

 

 

Application 1

MY HEART IS IN THE HIGHLAND

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer -

A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;

My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North

The birth place of Valour, the country of Worth;

Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,

The hills of the Highlands forever I love.

Farewell to the mountains high cover'd with snow;

Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;

Farewell to the forrests and wild-hanging woods;

Farwell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer

Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;

My heart's in the Highlands, whereever I go.

С. Маршак: В ГОРАХ МОЕ СЕРДЦЕ

(Из Роберта Бернса)

В горах мое сердце... Доныне я там.

По следу оленя лечу по скалам.

Гоню я оленя, пугаю козу.

В горах мое сердце, а сам я внизу.

Прощай, моя родина! Север, прощай,-

Отечество славы и доблести край.

По белому свету судьбою гоним,

Навеки останусь я сыном твоим!

Прощайте, вершины под кровлей снегов,

Прощайте, долины и скаты лугов,

Прощайте, поникшие в бездну леса,

Прощайте, потоков лесных голоса.

В горах мое сердце... Доныне я там.

По следу оленя лечу по скалам.

Гоню я оленя, пугаю козу.

В горах мое сердце, а сам я внизу!

 

 

Application 2

Sociological research "What do you know about Robert Burns and his poetry?"

1/ Have you heard about Robert Burns?

2/What was he?

3/Can you tell me any poems of Robert Burns?