Explication, “The White Man’s Burden” By Rudyard Kipling

Explication:  The White Man’s Burden  by Rudyard Kipling

Take up the White Man’s burden —

Send forth the best ye breed —

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives’ need;

To wait in heavy harness,

On fluttered folk and wild —

Your new-caught, sullen peoples,

Half-devil and half-child.

Take up the White Man’s burden —

In patience to abide,

To veil the threat of terror

And check the show of pride;

By open speech and simple,

An hundred times made plain

To seek another’s profit,

And work another’s gain.

Take up the White Man’s burden —

The savage wars of peace —

Fill full the mouth of Famine

And bid the sickness cease;

And when your goal is nearest

The end for others sought,

Watch sloth and heathen Folly

Bring all your hopes to nought.

Take up the White Man’s burden —

No tawdry rule of kings,

But toil of serf and sweeper —

The tale of common things.

The ports ye shall not enter,

The roads ye shall not tread,

Go make them with your living,

And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man’s burden —

And reap his old reward:

The blame of those ye better,

The hate of those ye guard —

The cry of hosts ye humour

(Ah, slowly!) toward the light: —

“Why brought he us from bondage,

Our loved Egyptian night?”

Take up the White Man’s burden —

Ye dare not stoop to less —

Nor call too loud on Freedom

To cloak your weariness;

By all ye cry or whisper,

By all ye leave or do,

The silent, sullen peoples

Shall weigh your gods and you.

Take up the White Man’s burden —

Have done with childish days —

The lightly proffered laurel,

The easy, ungrudged praise.

Comes now, to search your manhood

Through all the thankless years

Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,

The judgment of your peers!

This poem was written during the Philippine and America War which lasted between 1899 and 1902.  The author Rudyard Kipling thought of this war as Imperialism and believed that it was a action of racism.  In which the Americans was trying to gain control over the filipino people and their country. “Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. ”(Wikipedia) From reading his poem, I got the notion that he was not blaming the white Americans.  He knew that they too was under the control by their government. Hince, why it became a white man’s burden to fight a war they did not want or have to fight.  The first stanza. He says a white man’s burden is sending the best or breed, (the best fit soldiers). Sending even our sons to fight and die to serve your captives need, (serve our countries need)  I think he is agreeing that this is a great move for our Country at the time. This is why he was known as an imperialist type believer. In my opinion Kipling thinks of this as America using our power and strength to take over the Philippians but in doing so it also places them under our wing.  Like big brothers or as protectors of sort.

In the second stanza he is talking about the American military as powerful as they were.  To place fear and terror on the filipinos as we open relationships and connections. We take pride in our victory.  Yet we white lives do all the work as the government takes the profits and gains. He then goes on to say “Savage wars and peace.”  As if Americans are using this war and power with the hopes of peace in the future. As the philippine economy crashes, sickness and famine sweep the country.  Then is when we know the time is near for them to bow to American’s demands.

Kipling continue these thoughts.  Americans block the roads and ports to make it hard for their country to live.  While doing this task many soldiers and innocents probably died on these streets as they tried to retaliate or push through.  Why he said “mark them with the dead”.

In the next stanza his meaning kind of seems blurred.  The white man burden and reward is the sweet smell of victory and honor.  To be in war you must have friends and enemies. The ones that is hated and the ones that they host.  But now that the war is finalized. The Americans and Filipinos can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The phillipians can feel better as they gain assurance that the war will better both sides in the end. So the filipinos started to see us as the white knights in shining armour.  

This next stanza kind of collides.  The Phillipians are still praising the Americans, but they are also holding judgments on the beliefs and values of the Gods that Americans serve.  The filipino people knows that there is still a lot of hard work ahead and they encourage the white people to push through.

The final two stanzas are talking about the war being over.  That the Americans had a tough battle and now is over. It is time to be praised, and to stand with their heads high.  Knowing that they will have to explain the loss of lives and war time set backs to their peers.