Презентация - "Robert Burns. Childhood and youth of a poor farmer"

Robert Burns

Childhood and youth of a poor farmer

Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759 in Alloway, a village located on the River Doon in South Ayrshire, Scotland. At the time of his birth, his father, William Burnes, was a tenant farmer at Ayrshire and wrote A Manual of Religious Belief for the use of his children.

His mother, Agnes nee Broun, sang legends from local oral traditions as well as folk songs while she continued with her heavy chores.  Listening to her, Robert developed his love for songs at a young age.

Born eldest of his parents seven children; he had three brothers and three sisters. Next to him was Gilbert, born in 1760, followed by Agnes, Annabella, William, John and finally Isabella.

Robert Burns was initially schooled at home by his father, who taught him reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history. From 1765, Robert started attending an adventure school established by John Murdoch.

In the Easter of 1766, the family moved to Mount Oliphant farm, located southeast of Alloway. For next two years Robert and Gilbert continued to attend the adventure school in Alloway, walking to and fro each day, learning bit of Latin, French and Mathematics, concurrently working at the farm.

Soon he acquired a superficial reading knowledge of French and a bare smattering of Latin. His teacher, John Murdoch, also instilled in him a love for reading, introducing him to the eighteenth-century English literature. He continued to keep in touch, sending them books even after leaving the area in 1768

From 1768 onwards, Robert Burns studied with his father, eventually entering Dalrymple Parish School in 1772. But as the harvest time approached, he had to return home to work at the farm. In the following year, he was sent to lodge with Murdoch for three weeks to study grammar, French, and Latin.

By 1774, he had started taking up most of the loads at the farm, laboring all day long. Young, ambitious and restless, he also continued to study at home, reading most of the important 18th-century English writers as well as Shakespeare, Milton, and Dryden.

In 1784, William Burnes passed away, leaving Robert to look after the family. Initially, he and his brother Gilbert tried to maintain the farm at Lochiea, but on failing to do so they moved to the farm at Mossgiel, near Mauchline.

Although he was not very successful as a tenant farmer, Robert Burns rapidly developed his skill in poetry-writing during his stay at Mossgiel. He now began to express his emotions such as love, friendship, amusement or his reactions on social happenings through verses.