Epigram on Mr James Gracie

Epigram on Mr James Gracie - form Summary

Epigram's Sharp Ironic Turn

This short piece is an epigram: a compact, witty statement that praises James Gracie while ending in a playful, paradoxical curse. Burns uses compressed rhetoric and ironic solemnity to turn apparent compliment into a comic flourish. The poem’s form forces economy of language and a sudden tonal shift, so admiration and mock severity coexist in a single, memorable line. Read as light social banter, the epigram trades on exaggeration and wit rather than sustained argument or narrative, delivering character judgment through sharp contrast and brevity.