In the poem “The White Man’s Burden”, Rudyard Kipling has simultaneously described how force-led occupations of distant lands by the British and Americans were perceived by the local people who lived there, as well as by the colonial forces that travelled many miles to conquer them. While a first reading might indicate that Kipling is a supporter of Imperialism and is defending the expansionist policies of the self-proclaimed ‘civilized’ western countries, a closer analysis brings to light the caution Kipling is advising in going to war. “Go bind your sons to exile
These words imply that the poet is of the view that the most highly trained and noble soldiers should be selected for this fight, since they are tasked with more than just fighting on the battlefield. Since the people they are attempting to liberate are “sullen peoples, Half-devil and half-child”, they need to exercise a great deal of restraint in helping them and not allow their pride or sense of superiority to cloud their judgement . Critics who have stated that presenting such a picture of the Oriental population, the South Asians and the Hispanics (all three were ethnicities were being targeted by Britain and the U.S. at the time Kipling wrote the poem in the late 19th century), as uneducated and almost barbaric societies that had to be enlightened, explicitly states Kipling’s own inherent ethnocentrism.
Works Cited
Kipling, Rudyard. "The White Man's Burden ." McClure’s Magazine. New York: S.S Mc Clure Co., 5 February 1899. Print.
