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Comparing Kipling and Crosby: The White Man's Burden

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Comparing Kipling and Crosby: The White Man's Burden
I chose the documents The White Man’s Burden by Kipling, and The Real ‘White Man’s Burden’ by Crosby. In The White Man’s Burden, Kipling’s poem is advice urging the U.S. to imperialize the Philippines, yet he is also warning us of the costs involves with it.
“Take up the White Man’s burden-- Send forth the best ye breed—“
Kipling starts off his poem stating that we are the best breed. While I was reading this poem the first time I didn’t really take most of it in, because I was trying to figure out exactly what the white man’s burden was. After reading it a few more times, I realized that the white man’s burden is imperialism. The burden is the white man’s assumed responsibility to govern and pass on their culture to the other races.
“Take up the White Man’s burden! Have done with childish days—“
Kipling expresses to the U.S. that to be a mature country, we must be done with our ‘childish days’ and accept the responsibility we have to civilize, ‘Americanize’, or culturally develop the other countries.
“Take up the White Man's burden,
And reap his old reward--
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard—“
“By all ye will or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you.”
Kipling also warns that our reward will be resentment, not thanks. He also warns that even though we will be guarding them and keeping them safe, they will blame us for their problems. He also tells us that the people will judge our culture and our God by our actions. Therefore, we need to be careful how we handle these situations that will arise because it will effect our reputation as a nation. However, I cannot help but wonder how is such a racist nation supposed to go and improve other races that we so despise? Or is it that since we are the superior race it is our duty to help the less fortunate races? The Real ‘White Man’s Burden” by Crosby was an anti-imperialistic poem. The two lines that get

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