Robert Burns Research Paper

Robert Burns was born on the 25th of January in 1759 in the town of Alloway, Scotland. He was the eldest of his seven siblings. His father was William Burns and his mother was Agnes Burnes. He had very little education from school. Most of his education was taught by his father, who taught him how to read and write as well as arithmetic, geography, and history and also wrote for them a manual of Christian belief. Despite his ability and character, William Burnes was consistently unfortunate, and migrated with his large family from farm to farm without ever being able to improve his circumstances. Robert Burns was initiated into masonic Lodge St David, Tarbolton, on 4 July 1781, when he was 22. In December 1781, Burns moved temporarily
His stay in the city also resulted in some lifelong friendships, among which were those with Lord Glencairn, and Frances Anna Dunlop, who became his occasional sponsor and with whom he corresponded for many years until a gap developed. He embarked on a relationship with the separated Agnes "Nancy" McLehose, with whom he exchanged passionate letters under pennames (Burns called himself "Sylvander" and Nancy "Clarinda"'). When it became clear that Nancy would not be simply seduced into a physical relationship, Burns moved on to Jenny Clow, Nancy's domestic servant, who gave him a son, Robert Burns Clow, in 1788. He also had an affair with a servant girl, Margaret "May" Cameron. His relationship with Nancy ended in 1791 with a final meeting in Edinburgh before she sailed to Jamaica for what turned out to be a short-lived settlement with her alienated husband. Before she left, he sent her the manuscript of "Ae Fond Kiss" as a farewell. Burns's years in Dumfries were years of work and hardship, but contrary to reports written after his death, he was not rejected by others and he did not fall into moral decline. His fellow townsmen and his coworkers respected him. His health, which always caused him problems, began to fail, and he died of heart disease on July 21, 1796. His wife gave birth to their last child on the day of his