Question

What is the main message in "To a Louse" by Robert Burns

Answer 1

Don't be vain and foolish is the answer

Answer 2

"To a Louse" is a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It tells the story of a lady in church who looks elegant, fancy and beautiful. However, he notices that she has a louse in her bonnet. He begins talking to a louse about how elegant the woman is, and how the animal would be more at home with a beggar. However, at the end of the poem, he realizes that for the louse, any human being is prey.

The main message is an attempt to highlight how underneath all our fancy clothes, every human is ultimately just another human being, and that there is no difference between any of us to a louse, because we are all equal.