Topic > Cultural Imperialism in Kipling's Works

The White Men's Burden was written by Rudyard Kipling. We can say that this is a fight song, an anthem and a song of encouragement that he wrote for white people, addressing white people. This was the time when whites were considered superior. The poem basically gives us an idea of ​​what the white men thought when they were sent to the Philippines. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Kipling believes that because they are extremely rich and powerful, it is their duty to help those who are not doing well in life. Kipling is also saying that they should be patient and accept their responsibility to provide food to end the famine and get rid of diseases and illnesses and bring them to light because according to Kipling the natives or the colonized were backward, in darkness and he thought that they, the whites, they were doing them a favor by colonizing. He further states that white people would not get any appreciation and would face resistance and hatred from people but they should not stop achieving their noble goal and should be patient as all this is for the greater good. What I think about this poem is that it is an insult to people of color and that it portrays “non-white” people as inferior and dependent on white people and without their help people of color would not be able to thrive. What is important is that the poem was written in a time when people of different races had no rights and all rights were given to white people. We must also keep in mind that this was a time of colonialism and it was during this time that several empires struggled to expand and spread their wings, as were the Americans. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay So, what Kipling actually did was to target cultural imperialism by describing natives (non-native people) as brute, barbaric, and uncultured people. Kipling made white people feel sympathy but at the same time gave them a sense of pride and made them feel as if they were superior and had the right to rule over people of color. In my opinion, all Kipling did was present and defund racism, imposition, imperialism and colonialism as something philanthropic.