Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Mans Burden”

Rudyard was born in British India in December, 1865

He was a writer known for his celebration of British Imperialism

Background Information

People considered him racist especially African Americans

Many believed he thought white European males were superior

Public Response

Take up the White Man's burden--Send forth the best ye breed--Go bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives' need;To wait in heavy harness,On fluttered folk and wild--Your new-caught, sullen peoples,Half-devil and half-child.

Stanza One

Take up the White Man's burden--In patience to abide,To veil the threat of terrorAnd check the show of pride;By open speech and simple,An hundred times made plainTo seek another's profit,And work another's gain.

Stanza Two

Take up the White Man's burden--The savage wars of peace--Fill full the mouth of FamineAnd bid the sickness cease;And when your goal is nearestThe end for others sought,Watch sloth and heathen FollyBring all your hopes to nought.

Stanza Three

Take up the White Man's burden--No tawdry rule of kings,But toil of serf and sweeper--The tale of common things.The ports ye shall not enter,The roads ye shall not tread,Go mark them with your living,And mark them with your dead.

Stanza Four

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?"

Stanza Five

Take up the White Man's burden--Ye dare not stoop to less--Nor call too loud on FreedomTo cloke (1) your weariness;By all ye cry or whisper,By all ye leave or do,The silent, sullen peoplesShall weigh your gods and you.

Stanza Six

Take up the White Man's burden--Have done with childish days--The lightly proferred laurel, (2)The easy, ungrudged praise.Comes now, to search your manhoodThrough all the thankless yearsCold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,The judgment of your peers!

Stanza Seven

Urging men in U.S to establish the Philippines

To take the “burden” that European Nations did

What’s the Poem About?

It shows Kipling’s high regard for the act of imperialism

He thought it was a tough task but would ultimately help the U.S

What Does it Mean?

Rudyard had just moved back to England when he published this poem

The Philippines was also just granted to the U.S after the Spanish-American war

Circumstances

The poem was published in McClure's Magazine in 1899

Publishing

Previously mentioned the public considered him racist and favoring one race of men

It did, however, make others feel the need for Imperialism and growth

Publish Response/American Reaction

http://www.wsu.edu/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/kipling.html

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/Kipling.html

http://historymatters.gmu.edu

Works Cited

This is a parody to Kipling’s poem and shows the offense African Americans felt after it’s publish

“The Black Mans Burden”