The White Man's Burden

In Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden” was issued shortly after the Spanish-American War in 1899. It happens to be one of Kipling’s most well-known works and was published in The New York Sun as well as McClure's Magazine. The poem was set under a theme of imperialism along with racial ideology. Kipling advises the “white men” of the United States to take up the “burden” by civilizing with the individuals from colonized areas (and/or simply non-white people). Ironically, this the same man from a country that was known for its infamous imperialism in India. It is clearly evident that the author wanted the message to be read by Theodore Roosevelt (who was the U.S’ current president at the time) and certain Americans from the 1800’s. This response will evaluate how an upper-class American man and a
During the time, the United States was under a policy of isolation. The isolationist country wouldn’t necessarily interfere with other country’s problems or business. With this policy, it advised other countries to stay out of America’s concern as well. However, in the 1890’s, the U.S was sent off to battle against Spain. The reason being that the United States supposedly wanted to assist Cuba in obtaining their independence from Spain. Soon enough, the aftermath of the Spanish-American war led to the Treaty of Paris which gave the U.S complete control of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines but temporarily acquired Cuba. The once isolated country completely transitioned into being an imperialist country with a few words of encouragement from Kipling. Rudyard wrote 'The White Man's Burden' as a motivation and warning to America about how having imperial powers is a noble yet an enduring task. As he noted with emphasis regarding the duty; “Go bind your sons to exile…To serve your captives' need; To wait in heavy harness…” (Kipling, Rudyard) depict its