Reading Rudyard Kipling's, The White Man's Burden, was disturbing to say the least. The tone of this poems suggests that whites should and have an obligation to rule over people of other ethnic backgrounds. Kipling comes across as a racist in this poem. He refers to non-whites like some referred to the Native Americans, "half-devil and half-child". This two words suggest two things, non-whites are like beasts and are evil. And secondly, this other people are stupid and childish. Kipling says we should approach these people, with "open speech and simple", as if the people are too dumb to understand sophisticated speech. Later on Kipling's poem he writes, "go mark them with your living, and mark them with your dead", signifying the bloodshed in a white man's burden.
Honestly, I am disgusted by Rudyard Kipling's poem. I disagree with everything he says and I don't believe at all in white supremacy. Kipling was obviously sick in the head and anyone who agrees with the poem needs to rethink their beliefs. No man has the right to judge another man based on the color of his skin. Every race is equally as intelligent and able to comprend difficult speech. Colonization is good if it helps the other nations, not if it hinders and imprisons them.
Question: What is your view on white supremacy? Disgusting or like Kipling says necessary?
You're right to question Kipling's motives,but you seem to undo yourself by suggesting colonialism could work for a native population's benefit--is colonialism always an assertion of superiority?
You're right to question Kipling's motives,but you seem to undo yourself by suggesting colonialism could work for a native population's benefit--is colonialism always an assertion of superiority?
ReplyDelete