The White Man's Burden

What is the "White Man's Burden?"

The "White Man's Burden" is a poem which describes the duties of the white man. In the "White Man's Burden," Rudyard Kipling states that it is up to the white men to save the world, Christianize, and civilize other countries. According to Analysis #3, it is like having Europe and America as "world policemen."

Do you agree with the analysis on the website(s)?

I do agree with the most common, straightforward analysis. The "White Man's Burden" was written to present a Eurocentric view of the world. Kipling wanted to show that Europeans were superior to other countries and that other countries were "childish" and outdated.

There is a more eccentric analysis which also caught my eye. In this analysis, readers believed that Kipling was actually undermining imperialism, and that he was not an Imperialist at all. Rudyard Kipling simply wanted to give readers the perspective of an Imperialist, and not provide his own thoughts. I do not lean toward this analysis because there is no sarcasm whatsoever in the poem. Kipling writes it with sincerity and seriousness.

Are we still living the "White Man's Burden" today?

I do not believe that we are still living the "White Man's Burden" today. While we are still imperialistic to a certain extent, we are not totally imperialistic. If we truly were fully imperialistic, we could take over most of the world with our technology and weapons. The war in the Middle East is one example of America being partially imperialistic. Another way we are imperialistic is influencing international government. America tells other countries what to do and how to rule their countries. I believe that we should just have a hands-off policy and worry about what we need to worry about as a country.