"The White Man's Burden": Ignorance or Sarcasm? - Writers Forum

krazyklassykat · 05-13-2008, 12:30 PM

Until recently, I had not read anything by Kipling. I had only heard of him in vague contexts, and assumed he was one of those rare forward-thinking individuals from before the world wars. I was startled, therefore, when I read his poem "The White Man's Burden". But after I read it a few more times, I began to wonder if he wasn't being sarcastic. I then discovered that this is a common discussion still had about the poem, and wondered what other people think.
I'm thinking that if I had read more by Kipling, I might have more context to interpret this poem (the Jungle Book movie doesn't seem anything like how my history text describes the book) but for now I just wondered what everyone thought of the poem.
Here it is:

Quote:

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 harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.

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

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

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 make them with your living,
And mark them with your dead.

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 cloak 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.

I'm starting to lean more toward sarcasm, mostly because he so unnecessarily emphasizes the supposed good Europeans (or actually, Americans) are doing for uncivilized nations, and how little appreciation they gain from it. Also, though, the lines "to seek another's profit // and work another's gain" stump me. When I first read it, I actually thought it meant taking profits from others. This probably isn't what it is supposed to imply, but it occurs to me that he might have done it on purpose.

Olly Buckle · 05-14-2008, 05:27 PM

I recently read "Gunga Din" to my teenage daughter, she was horrified when it got to the bit about "Beneath your dirty hide you're white, pure white inside". "That is just so racist" and then after a moment's thought she added "But not like nowadays, he likes him", then there is East is East and West is West, remember he grew up in India. He sees people as different, but the white man's rule is by right of conquest, which was still seen as legitimate in those days, rather than as racial superiority. My favourites are the short stories, he wrote lots of them and is a real master, in children's books Puck of Pook's hill and Rewards and Fairies are far superior to the others. In old age he lived in an old ironmasters house in Burwash about eight or ten miles away from here, it's now a National Trust house.

The Backward OX · 05-14-2008, 05:41 PM

Beyond saying that on a very superficial level I enjoyed the poem – it rhymes – I’m not about to attempt an analysis. I’m not that way inclined. I happened on the post purely by chance – I saw Olly was reading it and thought ‘Aha! What’s this?’ But I just wanted to say I’m going to come back in the future and see what responses you’ve obtained.

I would be most surprised if you gain much in the way of in-depth and intelligent analysis of the type I think you seek, from the denizens of this site.

I might be wrong. I’m often wrong.

But from what I’ve seen elsewhere on this site, intellectualism doesn’t seem to loom large.

The Backward OX · 05-18-2008, 05:45 PM

Ninety-six hours and counting

Mike C · 05-19-2008, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I would be most surprised if you gain much in the way of in-depth and intelligent analysis of the type I think you seek, from the denizens of this site.

Ho Hum.

You have to view the poem in its historical context. Kipling wrote this encouraging American expansionism (bet he wishes he hadn't!) after the US conquest of the Phillipines, but warning of the responsibility that goes with conquest (a warning we've all forgotten in Iraq).

This was in the post-conquest days of the Empire. British public schools were less about turning out well rounded individuals and more about training administrators. In every far flung provice of the world you'd find a desk with an old Etonian behind it. The Empire was seen (by those who ran it) as a benevolent organisation less involved with world domination and more with making the trains run on time and looking after its citizens. That was the burden - the obligation to care for and protect the people within the Empire.

Further reading - George Orwell's Burmese Days.

lin · 05-19-2008, 09:59 AM

It's neither sarcasm not "ignorance". It's a description of colonialism from the standpoint of a Englishman who grew up in the Raj and went pretty much completely native.
Without the advantages of our remove in time, he tended to see bringing railroads and hospitals and such into a confused, teeming country with a viscious racially-based caste system and ruled by a handfull of obscenely rich poobahs while people starved as being a bit of a gift to them. And a gift that could be burdensome.

It's doubtful that the British took more out of India than they put into it, actually. Or the United Stares for that matter.

It's very fashionable to go back and find little non-PC nits to pick off people of different times and cultures (kind of an intolerance in itself, no?) but it's all fashion.
For instance, Kipling's start has begun to rise again recently as people get tired of the kneejerk liberalism and start to appreciate his work.
This is the author of "Kim" let me remind you.
And if you want a deeper nuance of the feeling of Indian soliders towards their white officers, try reading "The Grave of the Hundred Head".
So somebody can scream out, "One white man's death is worth a hundred Burmese????"
Without realizing that it's the INDIANS saying it. And Kipling didn't dream it up.
Another interesting essay of colonialism that tends to confound simplistic moralism is "The Man Who Would Be King"...a wonderful movie with Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer, by the way.

Mike C · 05-19-2008, 03:33 PM

I love that movie.

lin · 05-19-2008, 04:40 PM

It was a real masterpiece in my book. As cool as Indiana Jones, but without the real homage it deserved.