Question

Read the following excerpt from Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden":

Take up the White Man's burden—
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:—
"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden—
Ye dare not stoop to less—
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your gods and you.

Take up the White Man's burden—
Have done with childish days—
The lightly proferred laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!

Analyze the author's word choice and use of language in this excerpt.
How do they suggest that the speaker holds an imperialistic attitude?
Be sure to include specific examples from the excerpt to support your answer.

Answer 1

This poem transmits the ideas and opinions that the author has regarding imperialism. He talks about imperialism from the perspective of those who conquer, and he has a mostly good opinion of this act. He tells us that imperialism is in fact a burden for the people who pursue it, the white people. This is the "white's man burden." The burden is the fact that, even though they try to help those they conquer, they only receive the blame and hate ("the blame of those ye better/the hate of those ye guard") from those being "protected," or "colonized." Therefore, he finds that the burden is to continue fighting for the "improvement" of mankind even while being blamed and hated for it.