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Essay / Cultural Imperialism in Kipling's Works
The White Man's Burden was written by Rudyard Kipling. You could say it's a fight song, an anthem and a song of encouragement that he wrote for white people, speaking to white people. This was the time when white people were considered superior. The poem basically gives us a glimpse into what the white men were thinking when they were sent to the Philippines. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayKipling believes that since they are superior, rich and powerful, it is their duty to help those who are not doing well in their lives. Kipling also says that they should be patient and accept their responsibility to provide food in order to end famine and get rid of illnesses and diseases and bring them to light because according to Kipling the natives or the colonized were backward, in the dark and he thought that they, the whites, were doing them a favor by colonizing. He also states that white people would not get any appreciation and would face resistance and hatred from the people but they should not stop from achieving their noble goal and should be patient as all this is for one greater good. What I think about this poem is that it is an insult to people of color and it shows "non-whites" as inferior and dependent on white people and that without their help, people of color could not not prosper. What is important is that the poem was written at a time when people of different races had no rights and all rights were given to white people. We must also keep in mind that this was a period of colonialism and during this same period different empires struggled to expand and spread their wings, just like the Americans. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essaySo what Kipling actually did was he struck down cultural imperialism by portraying natives (non-natives) as brutes, barbarians and uneducated people. Kipling aroused the sympathy of white people, but at the same time he gave them a sense of pride and made them feel that they were superior and had the right to rule over people of color. In my opinion, all Kipling did was present and defund racism, imposition, imperialism and colonialism as something philanthropic..