Racism in Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden”
Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “The White Man’s Burden” clearly shows that the role of white men around the world is based on eurocentric values and that any racial counterparts should abide to white men and their acts of kindness around the world. In the poem, Kipling expresses his pro-imperialist attitude, and opinion by presenting the eurocentric values of white superiority. Furthermore, he expresses how white men are only completing acts of kindness by a path for natives to reach salvation. This salvation is indeed for god’s service and genuinely gifts the Europeans their deeds and prosperity. The motive that leads these young explorers is, “God, Glory, and Gold”, and so they embark on a long journey to discover what is best for humanity.
The poem begins by stating, “Take up the White Man’s burden”, a burden is something heavy, and is similar to an immense responsibility. “White Man” is also capitalized indicating the significance and immense importance, as well as the superiority of white men. Furthermore, the words “Take up” are powerful, and demanding of the rest of the population, as eurocentrism should be a valued set everywhere. The first sentence of this poem is hugely notable as it is the most repeated sentence, and its vital role in the poem is to present the weight of eurocentrism, often referred to as “The White Man’s burden”. The burden is remarkably inspiring to a pro-imperialist Europe, that “sends forth the best breed” to explore, and serve “their captives needs”, the captives who are savages that require immediate guidance. Europeans and their best breeds are nothing more than compassionate, and kind young humans prepared to serve God, and gain the glory they truly deserve. Continuing on, the white men have a massive responsibility to “wait in harness”, and their job is not simple, and can be compared to a horse in harness carrying a huge sizable load. The significance of this description associated to white men illustrates how filled with responsibility their job is as young, compassionate, explorers. The heavy harness these Europeans are required to hold shows true patriotism, and goodness that is instilled within their hearts. Their empathy has no limit, and the amount of help they are providing is presented clearly as they provide support to “fluttered folk, and wild…sullen peoples, [who are] half child, half devil”; these savages, are uncivilized humans who fly similar to wild butterflies in no care for the rest of the world. They are sullen, gloomy, and devil-like people who have not received salvation yet, and therefore these savages have no understanding of the world or god. The best breed of explorers are only there to gift them salvation, and a kind welcomes from god regardless of the indefinite sins they may have committed. The Europeans are consequently taking on the role of angels and are the real saviors of humanity. The implication of the first stanza is to amplify that even though, Europeans are eurocentric, their care for humanity and God is indefinite, and definitely gold-worthy in the end; however, their other racial counterparts are merely devilish children who are in deep need of help.
In the second stanza of the poem, “Take up the White Man’s burden” is repeated to amplify the superiority, and the responsibility other racial counterparts need to take in order to respect white men and their role in humanity. It is because these men are white that they deserve an honorable role, and a massive responsibility to save uncivilized humans. In the second stanza, a metaphor is presented that describes the quality of white men as, “to veil the threat of terror, and check the show of pride”, illustrating that white men stamp out fear, however, they do not consume too much pride. The humbleness of white men displayed in the second stanza clearly elucidates their significance for this world, and its people. Kipling continues to explain the characteristics of these men who “By open speech, and simple...seek another’s profit, and work another’s gain”, describing that white men have to repeat to savages (natives) salvation, and human ethics countless times, yet they do not understand; however, despite all the effort, white men persevere to do these acts of kindness for other people. The significance of this quote is that white man, who are prestigious, and prosperous humans, are diligently working every day, and hour to guide others, and to help them to salvation, even though they are constantly challenged with obstacles of foreign languages.
In the third stanza, figurative language is very common, and specifically illustrates the expectation of a white man. A paradox is used in this stanza to amplify “savage wars of peace”, which are supposedly wars against the natives for peace, should occur for the sake of peace, and harmony. This paradox reports that white men have an immense responsibility of peace in this world, and therefore they can gain it through war, if it is required of them to bring savages to salvation. The third stanza also uses many personifications to indicate white supremacy, and privilege, because, white men are expected to stop “bid the sickness cease”, where sickness is personified into having ears that only white men can communicate to. This recognizes the supremacy of white men compared to all other racial counterparts merely due to the huge responsibility they are gifted with as they are born. The other racial counterparts are described by Kipling as “sloth”, lazy, “heathen”, uncivilized, and “Folly”, foolish, which is a personification, and influences foolishness to be the cause of in itself of white demise. The natives will end all goals, and aspirations of white men “Bringing all hopes to nought”, after being extremely near achievement, showing how foolish, lazy, and uncivilized the natives were. After all the hard work, failure, and effort, white men, and their job is not as simple, and easy, as they cannot even enjoy the fruits of their labor.
In the fourth stanza Kipling informs the audience of the fruits of white men and their labor with no glory, but only a mark of legacy. White men and their job is “No tawdry rule of kings, But toil of serf and sweeper”, displaying that white man and their effortless labor is real work, and not similar to the cheap (tawdry) rule of the monarch. What white men have to perform in their job is real, and unglamorous, similar to a servant (serf), or a domestic worker (sweeper). This explains that white men do in fact work at an unglamorous place, merely for humanity, and its goodness. Being white is a huge burden, and in the end, there seem to be fruits for the laborious performance. They cannot enter the “ports” they have built or “tread” the “roads” they have paved, further amplifying the struggles and adversity white men must face for their work. This stanza is significant as it recognizes the laborious work of white men, and their award, which is merely a small “mark”, and legacy. This displays that the relationship between white men and their racial counterparts contains vast differences and that because white men are white, and they follow Christianity, they are above other racial counterparts. Kipling continues to describe the mere simple reward white men receive from their hard work in the next stanza, using allusions, metaphors, and other forms of figurative language.
Rudyard Kipling explains the other reward white men receive for their work is hatred, and blame. They receive “blame from those ye better/ the hate of those ye guard”, emphasizing the terrible type of reward white men receive for their labor. This quote is crucial to the understanding of white men, and their relationship with their racial counterparts, because Kipling clearly states that the blame is from those “ye better”, meaning that it is from the natives or those who white men are better than. Furthermore, Kipling demonstrates how all that hatred is from those that the white men guard, which shows the amount of disrespect natives had for white men, who were merely helping them. The amount of exploitation among the natives could only be demolished by white men, despite the number of hours they worked striving for the best of the world, the natives responded in disregard and hatred. White men are to deal with the “cry of hosts ye humour”, in which case “humour” means to help, and “hosts” refers to the disrespectful natives to a civilized way of life, or better known as a European lead life. In this line, Kipling explains how white eurocentric values are above, and beyond every type of human, including uncivilized humans existing on Earth. This displays that white men are higher in value, important for humanity, saviours of countries, and closer to God than their racial counterparts who are the uncivilized, animal-like natives. The allusion used to illustrate the life of natives describes how the life of a native is in the form of “Bondage” and can be compared to the “loved Egyptian night”; or the Biblical reference of Jews who were freed from slavery in Egypt. Kipling is trying to connect this Biblical allusion as metaphorical evidence and support to explain that the life of natives was “Bondage” or slavery. This association of slavery demonstrates that white men are more valuable, and important compared to their racial counterparts, because their racial counterparts live lives like slaves, and although white men are helping, the natives reject.
Rudyard Kipling effectively shows in the next stanza, the judgments white men are obliged to receive from the natives, the sullen people who white men are guiding to a better way of life. Kipling uses a personified version of “Freedom” as he capitalizes the letter “F” to emphasize, and personify “[the] call too loud on Freedom”, that white men place to “cloak” or cover up the “weariness” or fatigue. The significance of this line elucidates the hard work white men practice on a daily basis and the humble way they use to hide their fatigue in the form of freedom. Rudyard uses this description of white men to compare the response of natives to this form of diligence, who will “weigh white men’s gods, and white men” as a way to respond. From the perspective of this stanza, the negative feedback of natives shows how “sullen” these people are, and the positive feedback from white men shows how patriotic, and humble white men are.
This poem implicates the many responses, and comparisons between white men, and their racial counterparts, and shows the value of white men, and their heavy responsibilities, as well as all the negative feedback from natives. The poem clearly presents that white men are completing acts of kindness, and achieving good for the world on a daily basis, yet the natives are weighing, judging, ignoring, and responding disrespectfully to all the help white men have provided them. This poem amplifies that white men are indeed much better, and beyond the civilization of natives because of eurocentric values, in comparison to the barbaric lives of natives.
