The White Man’s “Burden”

Subject Area

This activity has been designed for the History (HWT 4A1) curriculum following the introduction to the “Beginning of The Century” unit.

Learning Outcomes

Teaching, learning and evaluation will focus on the student’s ability to:

• Recognize how social attitudes of imperialism and domination can be expressed in the point of view of a writer;
  
• Contrast the attitude of the writer with those of the oppressed;
  
• Discuss critically the value of a poem as historical evidence in understanding the values and conditions of the time.
  

Classroom Development

Have students complete the attached “Student’s Guide” after reading and discussing the poem “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling.

References

Christopher J. Modern Western Civilization. p. 182. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Timing

Allow one period for the completion of this activity.

Cross-disciplinary Links

Within the English curriculum, a class and instructor who are sophisticated in both textual exegesis and issues of racism and bias may wish to address this text on more than one level. In a group discussion or in small groups, discuss and debate the possible use of satire in the poem. Consider the possibility that the poet is criticizing imperialistic attitudes rather than merely aping contemporary public opinion. Discuss whether this makes any difference in our understanding of the text, the author, or the culture in which it was produced. Biographical material referring to the poet’s life and work may help students consider the validity of these possibilities.

Internet Resources

For those with access to the World Wide Web, there is a WWW page dedicated to ŗThe White Manšs Burden.˛ It can be accessed via the following URL: http://http://web.syr.edu/~fjzwick/kipling/whiteman.html

Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 11:42:02 -0500 (CDT)
To: net-happenings
Subject: WWW> "The White Man's Burden" and Its Critics
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 08:11:12 -0600
From: fjzwick@mailbox.syr.edu
Subject: "The White Man's Burden" and Its Critics
http://web.syr.edu/~fjzwick/kipling/whiteman.html
Rudyard Kipling's classic exhortation to empire appeared at a critical moment in the debate about imperialism within the United States. While it gave imperialists a phrase that seemed to justify their policy, anti-imperialists responded with parodies in verse, essays, and cartoons. Kipling's poem and eleven anti-imperialist responses to it are included in "The White Man's Burden" and Its Critics.

The White Man’s Burden (1899)

Take up the White Man’s burden_
Send forth the best ye breed_
Go bind your sons to excile
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 of others sought,
Watch Sloth and heathes Folly
Bring all your hope to naught.

Take up the White Man’s burden_
Notawdry rule of kings,
But toil of self and sweeper_
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
To roads ye shall not thread,
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 ye 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 proffered 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!

Student Activity

Poetry Analysis: “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling
Read the poem, reflect on the term imperialism, and answer the following questions. Collaborate with a partner to share ideas and complete the task.

1. Describe the subject of the poem. Specifically:
   What is the poet describing?
   b. Approximately when was the poem written?
   c. Who wrote the poem and what was his nationality?
   d. Why do you think the poem was written?
   
2. What is the content of the poem? Specifically:
   a. According to the poem, what is the role of the white man in the undeveloped world?
   b. At what cost does the white man accept this “burden”?
   c. What is the motivation of the white man to accept this “burden”?
   d. How do the people they are claiming to help respond?
   
3. Evaluate the poem as historical evidence. Specifically:
   a. How do Canadians of Asian, African and Western European extraction in the class react to the poem? Would the reaction change for students living in Asian, African and Western European countries?
   b. Do you think this poem was representative of how people thought at this time? Justify your answer.
   

The White Man’s “Burden” - Teacher's Guide

1. What is the subject of the poem?
   a. The poem describes the mission or “burden” of white European society in the nonwhite developing world.
   b. It was written in the late nineteenth century during the period of imperialism in Africa.
   c. Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book) was a British author of the period. Though he had considerable colonial experience in India as well as sympathy for Asians, his writing clearly reflects the British (and Western) imperial attitudes of his day.
   d. It was written as both a propaganda piece, and a justification for self-sacrifice and dedication to the “civilizing” of African society.
   
2. What is the content of the poem?
   a. In the poem, the white man is seen as the agent of civilization. Without recognizing the civilizations of Africa that proceeded colonialism, it claims that white society sacrifices years of hard work to bring progress and enlightenment to the blacks of Africa.
   b. Aside from the material costs of building infrastructure (ostensibly) for someone else’s use, the white man bears the blame and hate of “those ye better.”
   c. The motivation is seen by the poet as the respect and judgment of their peers (other members of white Western society).
   d. The response is thankless, full of hate, and accusatory comments.
   
3. Evaluate the poem as historical evidence.
   a. The poem is racist and insulting. Blacks and Asians are depicted as “half-devil and half-child”. They are called other things such as: “silent sullen people,” “heathen”, and “slothful.”
   b. It was probably fairly typical of general European attitudes towards the developing world. Based on ignorance, racism and an opposition to all non-Christian cultures, it reflected social Darwinism and imperialism.