Final answer:
In "The White Man's Burden," the speaker characterizes imperialism as a noble but thankless duty that involves enduring blame and providing aid to colonized peoples. The poem's tone is paternalistic, depicting the task as a form of exile and sacrifice for Western sons.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the third stanza of Rudyard Kipling's poem "The White Man's Burden," the speaker suggests that to take up the white man's burden means to undertake the responsibility of imperialism, despite the hardships and ingratitude that come with it. The phrase 'Take up the White Man's burden' encapsulates the belief that Westerners had a duty to colonize and civilize non-European peoples. This stanza emphasizes the idea that the colonizers will face blame and hate from those they 'better' and 'guard,' and that serving in the colonies is akin to a form of exile for the colonizers’ sons, who are sent to administer these territories.
The speaker presents the colonial endeavor as something done for the benefit of the colonized peoples, rather than for the wealth it might bring the colonizers. Despite the supposed nobility of the task, the underlying tone of Kipling's work is condescending, painting non-Western societies as 'half devil and half child' in need of the West's guidance. The poem communicates the view, prevalent at the time, that imperialism was a moral obligation—an attitude that has since been heavily criticized for its patronizing view of other cultures and for justifying imperial control.