Question

How does H. T. Johnson use sarcasm in his poem "The Black Man's Burden"?

A. He says that the natives "tolerate" the imperialist armies' rifles, when those rifles are actually killing the natives.
B. He scorns the concept of labeling people by their skin color by labeling people "Red" and "Brown."
C. He ridicules Britain's soft-hearted dealings with the natives, who have shown only hard-hearted aggression towards civilization.
D. He says that the British have solved the "Black Man's" problems but have created their own "White Man" problems.

Answer 1

A). He says that the natives tolerate the imperialist armies' rifles, when those rifles are actually killing the natives.

Answer 2

A. He says that the natives "tolerate" the imperialist armies' rifles, when those rifles are actually killing the natives.

Step-by-step explanation:

The natives tolerate the rifles while fighting with sticks. This is clear sarcasm, since they were dying because of the oppression caused by the fire arms of the European people. The "fearless" soldiers who had a clear unfair advantage on the battle field.

Hail ye your fearless armies,

Which menace feeble folks

Who fight with clubs and arrows

and brook your rifle’s smoke.