“White Man’s Burden” Essay - 905 Words

Rudyard Kipling’s 1899 poem â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† epitomizes the European man’s view on imperialism, Euro-centrism and social Darwinism. Four centuries before 1899, such ideas were briefly hinted in the letter from Christopher Columbus to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, however by 1899 these attitudes strengthened and developed fully into their complete meaning. The U.S and Europe’s imperialism in the nineteenth century were the most influential ever in the history of human civilization. The immense motive for imperialism came from social factors including religion and Social Darwinism. Missionaries frequently rushed to Africa and Asia to convert its people to Christianity. On the other hand, social Darwinism argued the survival of†¦show more content†¦Taking care indicates improvement of their culture until they reach that of the Euro-American standards which makes it clear that â€Å"The White man’s Burden† proposes that the phase after exploration is the self-centered education of the colonial population. The same month Kiplings poem was published, the Treaty of Paris was ratified and the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam were acquired by the United States while Cuba remained occupied by the military. Advocates of this acquisition gravitated to the poem and popularized it as the literary voice of benevolent assimilation. The poem makes clear Kiplings view of attitudes that allowed colonialism to proceed. Although a belief in the virtues of empire was widespread at the time, there were also many dissenters; the publication of the poem caus ed a flurry of arguments from both sides, most notably from Mark Twain and Henry James. Mark Twain asserted that Kipling wrote the poem to help persuade many doubting Americans to seize the Philippines, which seemed to be a fair point of view for that time period. In the New York Herald, October 15, 1900, Twain describes his transformation and political awakening, in the context of the Philippine-American War. He recognizes his transformation from being Pro- imperialist to Anti- imperialist. Many Anti-imperialists like Mark Twain acted on the popularity of the poem to attack the McKinley’s policies as too great a burden orShow MoreRelatedEssay of the White Mans Burden976 Words   |  4 PagesEssay of â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† (1980), Jan Needle. This is a short story by Jan Needle. We follow the teenager Tony Robertson, who really wants to be friends with immigrants and thinks very positive of the multi-cultural society. It is pretty ironic that although his amiable behavior, two Paki-stanis eventually end up beating him up. Tony is liberal, he thinks that everyone should have the same chances, and he doesn’t prejudice anyone. â€Å"He’d brought Tony up to be liberal, to reckon onRead MoreEssay The White Mans Burden and The Recessional529 Words   |  3 PagesThe White Mans Burden and The Recessional In â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† and in â€Å"The Recessional†, Kipling outlines his idealistic concept of empire which is based on service and sacrifice. England sends some of their best man to defend and help India. The white man has the mission to civilize the Indians. It is their responsibility to culture them, to put them on the right path. They are there to make India a better place to live and bring the population up to date on the style of living. ThisRead MoreThe White Mans Burden1574 Words   |  7 PagesWhat was once perceived to be ‘the white man’s burden’ has engulfed all developed nations – we’re all quixotic fools of imperialism. If you think that you’ve heard of ‘the white man’s burden’ before you’re correct, it is a poetic piece by Kipling; written in 1898 for the purpose of the US (United States). The finale verse is poignant to all: Take up the white man’s burden, have done with childish days, the lighter proffered laurel, the easy, ungrudged praise. Comes now, to search your manhood throughRead MoreImperialism: the White Mans Burden890 Words   |  4 PagesImperialism: The White Mans Burden and the The Real White Mans Burden Well in order to show how imperialism was used in the nature of those two poems, I have to define it. Imperialism is the extension of sovereignty or control by one people or state over another. The objective is the exploitation of the controlled people or state. Imperialism has four major components: economic, military (strategic), political, and humanitarian. Imperialist powers are not bound to follow the laws, internationalRead MoreWhite Mans Burden1523 Words   |  7 PagesWhite Man s Burden The movie we watched in class was called White Man s Burden. According to some sociologists the white man s burden is an unwanted burden that white men, who are in the upper part of society, must bring the minority classes up to their status. For example, if it were applied today white folks would have to help bring black folks up into a higher class. While this theory was used many years ago, it is still in consideration today. This movie took a very unique approachRead MoreEssay on Colonialism and Imperialism - The White Mans Burden1602 Words   |  7 PagesImperialism: The White Mans Burden      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In one of his most famous poems, Rudyard Kipling said, Take up the white mans burden! (146). He was only one of many who believed in the virtues of imperialism in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. During that period, imperialism was on the rise, and Africa was being swallowed up by competing European nations. The imperialists had many arguments supporting imperialism. They said it was beneficial and, in some cases, essentialRead MoreAnalysis Of Conrad s The Heart Of Darkness794 Words   |  4 Pagesan ox to till his field. When the people â€Å"sickened, became inefficient†, they went to a grove to die (Conrad). Another stereotype shown was that imperialism hurts the conquerors and those being conquered. â€Å"White Man’s Burden† by Rudyard Kipling was originally titled â€Å"The White Man s Burden: The United States and The Philippine Islands† (GMU). America took control of the Philippine government. This led to political turmoil which escalated into the Philippine-American war. In the the war, thousandsRead MoreThe Height Of Colonialism Between The 18th And 20th Century2818 Words   |  12 Pagespaintings and writings, helped construct this image of native populations as lesser beings. One such piece, a poem â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† written by English poet Rudyard Kipling in 1899 was originally written to address the dangers of empire building, but has also been taken at face value and used by imperialists as a way to promote colonialism as a noble cause: Take up the White Man s burden Send forth the best ye breed Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives need; To wait in heavy harnessRead More Comparing Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness and Kiplings Poetry1515 Words   |  7 PagesImperialism in Heart of Darkness and Kiplings Poetry   Ã‚  Ã‚   Imperialism sprung from an altruistic and unselfish aim to take up the white mans burden1 and â€Å"wean [the] ignorant millions from their horrid ways.†2 These two citations are, of course, from Kipling’s â€Å"White Man’s Burden† and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, respectively, and they splendidly encompass what British and European imperialism was about – at least seen from the late-nineteenth century point of view. This essay seeks to exploreRead MoreHeart of Darkness Imperialism, Hegemony, and Othering1570 Words   |  7 Pagesangry, he could have been killed. He simply did not have a win- win situation. So he chose what he thought was best for him. One of the more famous lines in â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† is, â€Å"When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.† What I perceived from this quote was when a white man becomes tyrant he destroys his own free will. Orwell will constantly be doing what he thinks the Burmans want. He will live as a fake. When he put himself in a hierarchy over the Burmans and