(…or weans, if you are in certain areas of the country)
The language of Robert Burns is sometimes described as ‘heritage’ Scots, which indicates that this literary form of 18th century Scots can prove to be challenging for today’s modern Scots speaking audience. So how can we make the study of our national Bard accessible and relevant to young Scots? Here are some suggestions to help you celebrate this January.
- What is your favourite Burns poem? Why do you like it? What pictures does it conjure up in your mind when you read or hear it? Illustrate a scene from a Burns poem or song that you really enjoy using paint, pencils, pens or collage – or a mixture of techniques! Remember to add the quote and title of the poem that you are illustrating somewhere on the picture.
Click here to find resources to help you.
- Burns wrote a lot of poems that featured animals. How many can you find – and can you list the different types of animals mentioned? Why do you think he wrote about animals so much? Julia Donaldson’s book ‘The Gruffalo’ features woodland animals and has been translated into Scots by James Robertson. Click here to find Scots language activities that will help you to write your own Scots Gruffalo verse.
- Burns liked to tell stories in his poems. Choose a Burns poem and create a storyboard for it. If this storyboard were made into a film, what would a promotional poster look like?
- In some poems, Robert Burns created great characters such as Tam O’Shanter ,Holy Willie or even animals like the mouse.
Choose a character from a favourite Burns poem and draw what you think he/she/it looks like. Around your illustration, add some Scots adjectives that best describe this character. In blue, highlight all the words that describe their appearance. Now highlight all the words to do with how they think, feel or behave in red. Can you write a paragraph about this character using these adjectives?
5. Burns Night is synonymous with the haggis. You can see an actor playing Robert Burns here and hear him reading ‘Address to a Haggis’, which is traditionally recited at Burns Suppers. Haggis is still a popular Scottish food today but we can eat all sorts of things which were unknown in Burns’ day. Having studied the structure of Burns’ poem, can you bring the poem up to date by writing an address to your favourite food?
6. Auld Lang Syne is the second best known song in the Western World, beaten only by Happy Birthday to You. In 2014, Scottish group Whisky Kiss led a world-wide sing-along of this famous song. You can view the film of this here
What do the words of this song mean? Why do you think it is so popular? Explore the symbolism of the actions/dance moves that go along with the traditional singing of this song. Where and when do we sing this song in Scotland? Can you find out more about some of the places which joined in with this sing-along? Can you write about them in Scots? Do people in other countries sing the song in the same places and at the same time as we do?
7. ‘The Selkirk Grace’ is often attributed to Burns and is said at Burns Suppers. You can read the poem here first verse only) along with Richard Medrington’s additional verses. What are some of the reasons behind the sentence ‘Some hae meat and canna eat’? How was this different in Burns’ time? What are reasons ‘some wad eat that want it’? Has this changed since Burns was alive? Why do you think Medrington added the extra two verses? What points is he trying to make about the food we eat? Design a poster about healthy eating, food miles or food waste following further research about some of the issues raised.
- It’s good to challenge aspects of Burns’ work, too. In the secondary setting, why not ask your teenagers to think about ‘Tam O Shanter’ from the female point of view? This approach can give girls a whole new way into the poem, and will also encourage boys to consider it in a new light. Think of the presentation of women. Kate, who sits at home, bad-tempered and angry – is she being her true self, or is it Tam’s fault? Or Meg, the faithful servant who saves Tam’s skin – don’t women always do this for men? Is Nannie the beautiful, wicked enchantress – or a figment of Tam’s depraved imagination? Even Mungo’s Mither, the tragic suicide who has ‘hanged hersel’ – is she defined by her son? Would we say today that she suffered from clinical depression? A whole new depth and dimension opens up. Essay question? ‘Is ‘Tam O Shanter’ a sexist text? Discuss.’
For more ideas for Burns Celebrations, see http://www.visitscotland.com/about/robert-burns/supper-whats-involved
And for a comprehensive set of recordings of famous Scots reading Burns poems, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/robertburns/
