Burns poem “Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn” is a very
passionate and emotionally-charged piece. The speaker, who is apparently Robert
Bruce seems to be some sort of general or leader of the military who is trying
to inspire his troops for battle. There is clear passion and love for the
mother-country Scotland, which seems to be a typical trait of these Scottish
historical ballads, as described by Scott in his work, “Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.” He refers to the other army as “traitor-knaves”
and “cowards,” which I assume in this case would be England, considering their
embattled history. The powerful and strong emotion is conveyed especially in
the last two stanzas because every single line is punctuated with a question
mark, the last line having three. It is clear at this point he is shouting and
they are about to march out in to battle, culminating with the last line all in
capitals, “let us DO—OR DIE!!!”
I agree, the poem is incredibly emotionally charged. However, the more I think about it, historically regarded, the more complicated it really is. Yes, Bannockburn was the first decisive victory for the Scots under an actual King (William Wallace had been wrecking shop for a while, but he was more barbarian than noble), but actual independence didn't come for another ten odd years after the battle. More bitterweet still, though, is that the Scots would once again fall under English rule, and by the time of Burns' writing had been under the thumb of England for the past one hundred years.
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