To A Mouse Tone

Robert Burns, author and speaker of “To a Mouse”, reveals a deeper meaning of mankind and the relationship between him and a mouse. The poem begins with Burns plowing a field and finding a mouse after destroying its nest. The poem’s apologetic tone was introduced during a passage located directly after Burns finds the mouse and can be seen through Burns’ use of diction, rhythm, and vocab. The passage shows the audience a view of Burn’s perspective of not only his relationship with the mouse but with the rest of the surrounding world. The stanza begins with Burns’ apologizing to the mouse, “I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion...” (I. 7), over mankind’s mistakes and selfishness. This statement shows how the speaker takes his relationship with the mouse very
The man represents humankind while the mouse represents nature and the whole Earth. The volta, or “turn”, at the beginning of the stanza suggests an unexpected apologetic tone and theme. The readers sense that the farmer was mournful and expressed the feeling of sorrow. Burns refers “Man’s dominion” as to not only the previous scene where the mouse’s nest is destroyed but also, compromise nature’s integrity. Burns was able to show expression of loss and devastation universally and uncertainty and vulnerability personally through this line. Line 8, “Has broken Nature’s social union,” reveals the effects of mankind's dominance in society on nature. The social hierarchy formed throughout humankind has not only hurt personal views but nature itself. The word “broken” is described as the past tense of to break, which means to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock,