Nature and Environment (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Nature and Environment
Burns's historical context and relationship with nature
Robert Burns composed his poetry at the end of the eighteenth century, during a period of transition between two major literary movements. The Enlightenment emphasised humanity's ability to control and master the natural world, which manifested in practices such as agricultural improvement across Scotland. The emerging Romantic period of the early nineteenth century took a different approach, viewing nature as a source of inspiration and placing emphasis on the individual's emotional response to the natural world.
Although Burns worked as a farmer and participated in agricultural improvement, his poetry frequently demonstrates concern for the natural world and sympathy for creatures affected by human activity. Other poems from the same collection as 'Composed in August', including 'To a Mouse' and 'To a Mountain Daisy', show Burns expressing regret for the small elements of nature destroyed by farming practices.
This dual perspective—understanding agriculture's necessity whilst mourning its impact—creates tension throughout his nature poetry. Burns occupied a unique position as both a practical farmer who understood the need for agricultural improvement and a sensitive poet who mourned its consequences on the natural world.
Literary traditions: pastoral, georgic and romantic influences
Burns's poem draws upon established literary traditions whilst simultaneously moving towards new poetic approaches. Neoclassical poetry of the eighteenth century looked to ancient Greek and Roman models for inspiration. Two traditions particularly relevant to understanding 'Composed in August' are:
Pastoral poetry presents an idealised vision of rural life, often featuring shepherds and peaceful countryside scenes. Georgic poetry addresses more practical themes such as agriculture, seasonal changes, and humanity's working relationship with the land. Elements of both traditions appear in Burns's poem, particularly in his depiction of an idyllic countryside setting during August.
However, Burns's poem also exhibits characteristics of early Romanticism. Romantic poets developed a distinctive approach to writing about nature, establishing a relationship between the natural world and the poet's consciousness. In this approach, nature serves as inspiration for the poet's thoughts and feelings, and the poet's personal perception of nature becomes the poem's central focus.
This occurs in 'Composed in August' when the speaker's encounter with natural scenes prompts him to reflect on his beloved. The natural world becomes more than scenery—it becomes a catalyst for emotional and philosophical contemplation.
Comparison with Alexander Pope's Windsor Forest
Burns's poem contains clear references to earlier neoclassical works, particularly Alexander Pope's Windsor Forest (1713). Both poems describe autumn scenes involving hunting, and both use similar phrases. Pope writes "With slaught'ring guns th' unweary'd fowler roves", whilst Burns opens with "Now westlin winds and slaught'ring guns".
Comparing Pope and Burns:
Pope describes a pheasant shot whilst hunting:
"See! from the brake the whirring Pheasant springs,
And mounts exulting on triumphant wings.
Short is his joy; he feels the fiery wound,
Flutters in blood, and panting beats the ground."
Burns echoes this imagery but transforms its purpose and perspective, shifting from celebration to condemnation of hunting.
Despite these parallels, Burns transforms the tradition rather than simply imitating it. Pope's poem describes the exclusive royal hunting grounds of Windsor Forest, focusing on elite social activity and providing elaborate poetic descriptions of the landscape.
Burns's poem, by contrast, centres on ordinary life—a defining characteristic of Romantic poetry. The speaker and Peggy are not wealthy landowners engaged in sport hunting; they are common people from a rural background, observing nature rather than exploiting it. This shift represents a democratisation of poetry, making ordinary people and their experiences worthy subjects of literary attention.
The poet in nature: romantic observation and reflection
'Composed in August' demonstrates the Romantic technique of positioning the poet within the natural environment, where direct experience of nature triggers personal reflection. The speaker's walk through the countryside exposes him to various natural phenomena: "westlin winds", "blooming heather", and moonlight. These encounters with natural beauty lead him to "muse upon my charmer", connecting external observation with internal emotional states.
This structure—moving from natural observation to personal meditation—distinguishes Romantic poetry from earlier traditions. The natural world does not simply provide a decorative backdrop; it actively shapes the speaker's thoughts and emotions. The transition from describing the landscape to addressing Peggy directly shows how nature prompts psychological and emotional responses rather than remaining separate from human consciousness.
Ecological awareness: birds in their natural habitat
The poem displays what we might recognise today as ecological awareness—an understanding of the relationship between living creatures and their environment. The second stanza catalogues various bird species within their specific habitats:
"The paitrick loves the fruitful fells,
The plover loves the mountains;
The woodcock haunts the lonely dells,
The soaring hern the fountains:
Thro' lofty groves the cushat roves,
The path of man to shun it;
The hazel bush o'erhangs the thrush,
The spreading thorn the linnet."
This verse demonstrates detailed knowledge of local flora and fauna. Burns identifies where different birds naturally live:
- Partridges prefer fertile uplands
- Plovers inhabit mountains
- Woodcocks frequent isolated valleys
- Herons seek water sources
- Wood pigeons deliberately avoid human paths
- Thrushes shelter under hazel bushes
- Linnets nest in thorn bushes
This precise observation shows Burns's intimate familiarity with the Scottish countryside and his awareness that each creature occupies a particular ecological niche.
The language "loves" and "haunts" attributes preference and belonging to the birds, suggesting they have natural rights to their habitats. This personification creates empathy between reader and wildlife, encouraging recognition of birds as sentient beings with their own needs and territories.
Environmental critique: condemning human violence against nature
The poem moves beyond mere observation to offer direct criticism of human destruction of the natural world. Burns explicitly condemns hunting as a cruel practice that violates the natural order. The fourth stanza delivers a forceful denunciation:
"Avaunt, away, the cruel sway!
Tyrannic man's dominion;
The sportsman's joy, the murd'ring cry,
The flutt'ring, gory pinion!"
The word "Avaunt" means "begone", immediately establishing a tone of rejection and disgust. Burns characterises human control over nature as "cruel" and "tyrannic", using political language that associates hunting with oppression and abuse of power. The phrase "man's dominion" references the biblical concept of humanity's God-given authority over creation, but Burns questions this assumed right.
The description "the murd'ring cry" treats hunting as a form of murder, extending moral consideration to animals and challenging the view that killing them for sport constitutes legitimate entertainment. The final image—"The flutt'ring, gory pinion"—presents the visceral reality of a wounded bird with bloodied wings struggling in death. This graphic detail contrasts sharply with the peaceful habitat descriptions earlier in the poem, emphasising the violence hunting inflicts upon creatures that would otherwise live undisturbed.
This environmental stance connects to Burns's other nature poems, such as 'On Seeing a Wounded Hare', where he similarly condemned human cruelty towards defenceless animals. His criticism extends beyond individual acts of hunting to question humanity's broader relationship with the natural world and the ethics of treating nature as something to dominate and destroy for pleasure.
Key Points to Remember:
- Burns wrote during the transition from Enlightenment to Romantic period, reflecting both agricultural improvement and sympathy for nature
- The poem combines pastoral and georgic traditions with emerging Romantic characteristics, particularly the poet's personal response to nature
- Unlike Pope's elite focus on Windsor Forest, Burns celebrates ordinary rural life and ordinary people's relationship with nature
- The detailed cataloguing of birds in their specific habitats demonstrates ecological awareness and intimate knowledge of the Scottish countryside
- The poem contains a powerful environmental critique, condemning hunting as "tyrannic" and treating violence against animals as a form of murder