Lesson30 - White Man's Burden

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Check også dette link
http://blellol.blogspot.dk/2013/01/british-empire.html

White Man’s Burden

Rudyard Kipling
/Modern History Sourcebook

The white man’s burden

3: What are the peoples of the colonies like? What is your reaction to this description?

Kipling describes the people of the colonies like half-devil and half-child. He also writes that they are new-caught, sullen people. At first I was surprised. You would think that it is the American who would be the bad ones but Kipling makes it sound like it’s the peoples of the colonies that are wrong.

9: How will the colonial peoples react to the white man’s attempt to improve their lives?

They don’t react very well. They react with anger and hate.

10: Explain the meaning of the words ”light” and ”night” here: What do you associate with

those two words?

Light and night are opposites. It seems like the Americans are trying to “help” the colonial peoples but they don’t want that help.

13: How does Kipling compare life in the home country (England) to life in the

Empire?

The life in the home country is much safer compared to life in the empire. When they move from England to the Empire they go from being boys to being men. They are forced to act like men now.

14: What would ”the judgment of your peers” be, if the white man did not take up his burden?

They have no choice. The white men can’t be weak and that is also why Kipling calls it a burden. If the man doesn’t take up to his burden his “friends” would judge him and consider him weak.

A: What is the white man’s burden?

The white man’s burden is that he is supposed to help and make sure that the colonial peoples are doing well but that can be very hard when the people don’t want help and fight against him. The job is very hard and that is why Kipling calls it a burden.

B. How would you describe Kipling’s attitude to the peoples of the colonies?

     He doesn’t like them and he even calls them half-devil and half-children. Maybe he feels that the colonial people really needs help to get a higher standard of living and he thinks that they are unfair and ungrateful to the white men whose job is to help. But you can also understand the colonial people. 

C. How should white people behave towards the natives?

They should treat them with respect. It was their country after all.