White Man's Burden
What arguments did Kipling make to justify European expansion in Africa and Asia?
How does the selection by Edward Morel challenge or undermine Kipling's beliefs?
The dialogue “White Man’s Burden” is a condescending and patronizing text. The text was written in response to the winning of the Spanish-American war. In the first stanza, Kipling says we need to “take up” this burden. That what the white men have to do is so heavy and the responsibility of this burden is on their shoulders fully. This responsibility is that it was solely up to white people, the captors, to civilize these “wild” people, as he says in line 6. The wild people being native Filipinos. Kipling’s opinion throughout the text, using such words as “new-caught” and “sullen” (line 7) and “half-devil and half-child” (line 8) is how a parent might refer to a bad child. White people are the saviors and parents of their new, terrible mannered child, the Filipinos. Kipling justifies expansion by belittling these people. He pretends that without white people’s interference they might hurt themselves. That even though it might take the “savage wars of peace” (line 18) the white men are willing to sacrifice the native people to …show more content…
Clemenceau, in his Grandeur and Misery of Victory speech, was bitter towards Germany. He blatantly states, in the opening of this, that the “Germans are responsible” (Clemenceau, Grandeur and Misery of Victory). He saw Germany as a vile, inhumane country, whose own citizens were afraid of. On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson’s speeches paint the Germans in a much different light. He recognizes their mistakes but also that the United States wanted to “be just to the German people...” and to “deal fairly with the German power…” (Wilson, April 6, 1918) Wilson wanted to bring back peace and right the wrongs of the world. Clemenceau wanted to punish the Germans above anything
How does the selection by Edward Morel challenge or undermine Kipling's beliefs?
The dialogue “White Man’s Burden” is a condescending and patronizing text. The text was written in response to the winning of the Spanish-American war. In the first stanza, Kipling says we need to “take up” this burden. That what the white men have to do is so heavy and the responsibility of this burden is on their shoulders fully. This responsibility is that it was solely up to white people, the captors, to civilize these “wild” people, as he says in line 6. The wild people being native Filipinos. Kipling’s opinion throughout the text, using such words as “new-caught” and “sullen” (line 7) and “half-devil and half-child” (line 8) is how a parent might refer to a bad child. White people are the saviors and parents of their new, terrible mannered child, the Filipinos. Kipling justifies expansion by belittling these people. He pretends that without white people’s interference they might hurt themselves. That even though it might take the “savage wars of peace” (line 18) the white men are willing to sacrifice the native people to …show more content…
Clemenceau, in his Grandeur and Misery of Victory speech, was bitter towards Germany. He blatantly states, in the opening of this, that the “Germans are responsible” (Clemenceau, Grandeur and Misery of Victory). He saw Germany as a vile, inhumane country, whose own citizens were afraid of. On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson’s speeches paint the Germans in a much different light. He recognizes their mistakes but also that the United States wanted to “be just to the German people...” and to “deal fairly with the German power…” (Wilson, April 6, 1918) Wilson wanted to bring back peace and right the wrongs of the world. Clemenceau wanted to punish the Germans above anything