The white mans burden

Kipling was born in indian, he was half-indian. He considered himself

anglo-indian.
Britain imperialism- in literature a lot. National allegiance will
become prominent motifs in his poetry. It was the duty of the Empire
to act as a global law-force. The poem is an excellent example of how
Kipling takes a snapshot of his time, instils it into future generations.
It is a bit racist, but it was 19th century. Although many will find the
racial prejudice repugnant, during the 19th century this was
considered the social norm. This poem itself can be considered an
artefact for which we can relate to social, emotional, and personal
reflections of Kipling, by gaining an insight into his world.
The poem was planned for the Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee.
1899- in American magazine McClure as a response to the American
controlled the Philipines. This controversial poem lit the fuse of the
debate: whether the Empire was beneficial or not.
Although the poem mixes exhortation to empire with the sober
warnings of the costs involved, for the American people this poem
represents that imperialism justified, this policy as a noble enterprise.
It appears to be a rhetorical command to white man to colonize,
rule others for their benefits. It has become emblematic of Eurocentric
racism. After 100 years, the poem still rouses strong emotions, and
can be analysed from a variety of perspectives.
Eurocentric racism.
This poems title was embraced by the colonists in America and it
almost became a slogan. They decided to ignore the warnings of
Kipling blatantly transcribed in this poem. The poem had such fame
that it was used for the advert titled: The white mans poem
(marking, highlighting, the importance of hygiene).
In February 1899, British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a
poem entitled The White Mans Burden: The United States and The
Philippine Islands. In this poem, Kipling urged the U.S. to take up the
burden of empire, as had Britain and other European nations.
Published in the February, 1899 issue of McClures Magazine, the
poem coincided with the beginning of the Philippine-American War
and U.S. Senate ratification of the treaty that placed Puerto Rico,
Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines under American control. Theodore
Roosevelt, soon to become vice-president and then president, copied
the poem and sent it to his friend, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge,
commenting that it was rather poor poetry, but good sense from the

expansion point of view. Not everyone was as favourably impressed

as Roosevelt. The racialized notion of the White Mans burden
became a euphemism (say the same with other words) for
imperialism, and many anti-imperialists couched their opposition in
reaction to the phrase.
Some academics conclude that Kipling had a very Eurocentric (they
thought of themselves as the centre of Europe) view of the world. The
ones that are not like the whites are thought of as insignificant
savages. Along with the title, the poem proposes that the white
people control the lives of these simpletons and teach them
proper ethnic and cultural Western ways.
The term "the white man's burden" has been interpreted as racist,
or taken as a metaphor for a condescending view of non-Western
national culture and economic traditions, identified as a sense of
European ascendancy which has been called "cultural imperialism".
An alternative interpretation is the philanthropic view, common in
Kipling's formative years, that the rich have a moral duty and
obligation to help "the poor" "better" themselves whether the poor
want the help or not. Within a historical context, the poem makes
clear the prevalent attitudes that allowed colonialism to proceed.
Although a belief in the "virtues of empire" was wide-spread at the
time, there were also many dissenters; the publication of the poem
caused a flurry of arguments from both sides.
An opposing view of this is the argument that Kiplings writing was
satirical. Nevertheless, Kipling was a very pro-imperialist believer, he
was not ignorant of the ugly side of the imperialism twin headed face.
Activity:
Make a list of most important words or phrases. Found poem make a
poem with these words that is different. The poem should transmit
your own ideas over the topic of imperialism.