Lesson Overview 

Quiz / Test

Because this lesson will take the entire period - and because the reading was SO short (about 5-10 minutes) - and because the students may have had trouble understanding Robert Burn's coloquial Scottish-English - there is no quiz today.  Though sometimes - because this class is SO important, I will give a super easy quiz with 1 question on it (like: "What was Robert Burns's first name?"), just to help me keep track of who was in class today.  I usually will give the students 200 points just for being in class - because, as I said, the class and what we cover is so important.  See my handwritten Lesson Notes for more details on what follows.

Power Point Presentation

The last two years that I taught this lesson - I was moved by Remote Learning to create a Power Point for this lesson.  It's not necessary - but it may help with focus.  That presentation can be found below - both in Power Point and PDF formats.  It also have extensive notes for "To a Mouse" and less so for the other poems and songs.

Biographical Material

Usually, I just ask - "What can you tell me about Robert Burns?"  During remote - and when we switched to horrible Block Scheduling, we read the through the book's intro to Burns and talked about it a little.  See the Power Point.

A Very Bad Rendition of a Robert Burns song

Immediately after the bell rings, I ask the students if they had ever heard of Robert Burns or his works - before they did the reading last night.  Most, if not all, of them will say - "No, we haven't".  Ah-ha I say - that's where you are wrong.  I then take out my harmonica and play (very badly, but recognizably) Burns's "Auld Lang Syne".   After the students react - they admit, that "Yes - we have heard that before".

I then point out that what I just did is a very good way to start because much of what Burns wrote were songs.  And that can be too easily forgotten when you are reading through a text book.  The first text we look at though is a poem (though I've seen it appear as a song - apparently done later).

To a Mouse

What an important poem - as I said about, at one time this poem was going to start the entire school year (I think I did it once) and some lines are referenced as early as a Grendel Group Work.  Again - please see my handwritten notes for more, but I will go over some of the points that we talk about during the reading of the poem.  I read the poem myself (something I generally try to avoid) but the words in the strange colloquial form are challenging.  It also gives me a chance to use my terrible Scottish (Scotese means Scottish in Italian) accent.  For the questions that I asked - see either my notes with the Power Point (or PDF) or my handwritten Lesson Notes (also found below as a PDF.  Here a very few representative points:

• Why does this poem fit in the Romantic category?

• Though the first part of the poem is the most quoted - the 2nd part about humans being cursed compared to the mouse - is far more original and sublime.

• The titling of the novel/play "Of Mice and Men" will suddenly make much more sense after reading through this poem.

John Anderson, My Jo

Have a student read the poem - then I ask the students if it sounds familiar.  Usually I get a few great answers.  Then I play the sequence from the Pixar film "Up" about a couple growing old together (I've included a link below) that closely follows this poem/song.

A Red, Red Rose

Rather than reading this poem – I play a version of this song – sung by Eva Cassidy – who a few days earlier in our lesson on the intro to The Romantics – sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Her own tragic early death follows naturally the previous poem, “John Anderson, my Jo”

Auld Lang Syne

Almost as important as “To a Mouse”.  If “To a Mouse” postulates that we are cursed compared to mice, because we are constantly looking forward and back into the past.  This song takes the exact opposite tack.

First I have s student (or 4 students – one for each stanza) read the song aloud.  Then I ask what is the persona or speaker asking? 
(Should we forget the past? The answer seems easy given what he say in “To a Mouse”)  And yet?  

What is his answer? (No – not only should the past not be forgotten – we should drink a toast to it.)

WOW!  I love the ambiguity of having these two opposing texts by the same author – it points out the complexity of the question and the idea that nothing is simple or black and white.

I then play a number of different versions of “Auld Lang Syne” (the playlist can be found on the lesson page – and see if the students can identify who is the artist (these include: Barenaked Ladies, Jimmi Hendrix, Guy Lombardo.

Two Songs

Next – I will play two songs – The first one is “Another Auld Lang Syne”.   It’s a soft, sweet song by Dan Fogelberg – I just instruct the students to write down any connections they see directly on the handout (found on the Lesson Web Page). We don’t have time to – but I think even if we did, the class wouldn’t discuss it – sometimes it’s best just to let students make their own critical and emotional connections. Besides the connections to “Auld Lang Syne” – I love the ending of the song.  It echoes are Carpe Diem Lessons huge theme of: “Where are the snows of yesteryear?”

The next song, "Taxi" by Harry Chapin  covers the same ground as the previous one – two lovers who meet after being apart after many years – but it has a much harder edge to it than the Dan Fogelberg song. In this case, it seems to answer – perhaps the past is just the past – and is indeed best left alone.  There are no lyrics for this song on the handout – and it should be noted that there is, at the end, a brief drug (marijuana) reference.  It sad, poignant tone is a perfect way to end the lesson.