The White Man's Burden

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In "The White Man's Burden" and in "The Recessional", Kipling outlines his idealistic concept of empire which is based on service and sacrifice.

England sends some of their best man to defend and help India. The white man has the mission to civilize the Indians. It is their responsibility to culture them, to put them on the right path. They are there to make India a better place to live and bring the population up to date on the style of living. This journey will be hard, and a lot of sacrifice will have to be made from the Englishman. It will be difficult to be far away from their home land and their family. A lot of hard work will be needed to reach the final goal, to have a civilize and up to date India. What they will achieve will have the no reward, except for wisdom and respect from their own people. The point of the mission is not for the white man's satisfaction, it is for the good of the Indians. The Englishman is doing all of this for the native of the country, all for their good. The Indians won't understand what the white man is doing for them; they will see the white man as a threat. The English man will receive no gratitude or respect from the native.

The white man has to remember that they are not there to control the Indians or to take over the country but they are their help them, to bring a better life to them. They will have to sacrifice a lot to obtain what they want for the other culture. A lot of time and effort will have to be put in the mission. A lot of sweat and blood will be lost during the journey but it will be all worth it. The British can not let the power go to their heads; they are there to serve the native, to help them out, to bring them closer to God.

I find that Kipling embellish a lot on the role/responsibility/mission of the man white. He made the British look very good, even superior and made he native looks naives and helpless. The Indians are seen as "half devil and half child" said word per word in the "White Man's Burden". Kipling is making the white man look better then he actually is. The British might actually though they where there to help the natives out but in the end they used the Indians for their good, even though this is not said or mention in the poems.

If people would think or act the way the British did back