This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
Nexus resource
To a Mouse
Comprehension Text
Subject(s):
English
Age group(s):
7–11
Topic:
Poetry
Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. ©British Council 2015
Source | This resource was originally developed by Christine McCormack and has been adapted by
EAL Nexus.
To a Mouse
The poem ‘To a Mouse’ by Robert Burns is about a man who is
ploughing a field and accidentally digs up a mouse’s nest. The mouse
is shivering and frightened. The man stops working to try and
comfort the mouse. He tells her to be calm and that he didn’t mean
to break her nest.
When he thinks about it, the mouse is right to be frightened of
humans. People set traps for mice, send cats after them and now dig
up their homes. The man apologises to the mouse on behalf of all
humans. He says that the mouse might steal little bits of food from
human farms, but this is OK; one little mouse doesn’t eat much. Now
her little house is ruined.
He imagines the mouse planning ahead for the winter – she worked
so hard to make her nest her home and then the human ruined it
with his plough.
The man then says that this is life. No matter what plans you make,
they can often be messed up. The mouse has an easy life compared
to a human. Mice live in the present, while humans look to the past
with regret and to the future with fear. Lucky mouse!
©British Council 2015