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The white man's burden
History of colonial america
American colonization history
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“The White Man’s Burden” is a poem that was written to defined the time in which the United States became an imperialist country and was in control of Guam, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines. At the beginning of the poem the narrator has a tone as if they are commanding instructions. The poem is written as if the Americans had a burden because they felt the necessity to educate the natives. Also, there is also a change in tone from the author’s tone from the beginning to the end of the poem. I can personally relate this to the United States in modern time with the Middle East. Americans have tried to liberate Iraq for example, from their cruel leaders, but once they did they people did not know how to function in a society similar to the
The institution of slavery was part of a significant portion of American history, along with human history. Additionally, it is also one of the greatest human tragedies of the New World and the United States. The White Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States was written by Winthrop D. Jordan and tells the history of racism in the United States. The author discusses the very origins of racism and the nature of slavery within the United States through the attitudes of the white slave owners. In the book, the author addresses the problem of slavery through the negative stereotypes, racist laws, and the paradox of Thomas Jefferson.
Without the use of stereotypical behaviours or even language is known universally, the naming of certain places in, but not really known to, Australia in ‘Drifters’ and ‘Reverie of a Swimmer’ convoluted with the overall message of the poems. The story of ‘Drifters’ looks at a family that moves around so much, that they feel as though they don’t belong. By utilising metaphors of planting in a ‘“vegetable-patch”, Dawe is referring to the family making roots, or settling down somewhere, which the audience assumes doesn’t occur, as the “green tomatoes are picked by off the vine”. The idea of feeling secure and settling down can be applied to any country and isn’t a stereotypical Australian behaviour - unless it is, in fact, referring to the continental
This essay will explore how the poets Bruce Dawe, Gwen Harwood and Judith Wright use imagery, language and Tone to express their ideas and emotions. The poems which will be explored throughout this essay are Drifters, Suburban Sonnet and Woman to Man.
I believe people lack respect for the flag and what it stands for. Although most people are proud to be an American, some don’t understand what it truly means to be an American. The flag has a history, and should be respected because of that history. Although most believe that respect should be earned, our flag has earned this many times over. And I believe that our flag is taken for granted.
Australian poets Bruce Dawe and Gwen Harwood explore ideas and emotions in their poems through vivid and aural poetic techniques, the poets also use symbolism to allow the readers to relate to the text. In Dawes “Homecoming”, the poet explores the ideas in the text using language techniques such as irony, paradox and visual imagery to construct his attitude towards war and the effect. While in Gwen Harwood’s, “The violets”, she uses prevailing imagery and mood to emphasize fertility and growth. Contrastingly, In Bruce daws, “Life cycle”, the poet uses the idea of sport to symbolise and represent religion with the use of clichés and juxtaposition to convey his ideas of religion, myths and Christianity in the language use, similarly Harwood poem
For my recitation I chose the poem, “Monstrance Man," by Ricardo Pau-Llosa. I selected this poem from the Poetry Out Loud archive because I liked the way it was structured and written. As I first skimmed the poem my understanding of it was shallow, but as I began to practice it I gained a deeper knowledge of its story and meaning. I realized the depth of the protagonist and how greatly I empathized with him. Specifically, I learned the definition of the term “Monstrance” and that
This idea justified the stealing of land from the native people and unfair practices of expansion. As Americans turned overseas for expansion, they came up with a different defense: the white man’s burden. The theory of the white man’s burden argued that the white, civilized men of the world have a moral obligation to rule non-white, uncivilized men through colonization. This theory was popularized when the western frontier was completely settled and Americans were looking for more land and opportunity and it stressed the superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race as proof for its existence (Document B). One of the first examples of white man’s burdens use as a justification was during the refusal of U.S. to allow the Philippines to become independent. The U.S. government had promised the Filipinos their freedom after the Spanish American War, but eventually refused it based on the idea that they were not civilized enough to rule themselves. Not limited to acquired territories, the white man’s burden to Teddy Roosevelt could be used to interfere in any sovereign government if he deemed it inefficient or indecent (Document F). With this idea, the inhabitant of these “uncivilized nations” were completely subjected to unlawful American rule and were
This darkly satiric poem is about cultural imperialism. Dawe uses an extended metaphor: the mother is America and the child represents a younger, developing nation, which is slowly being imbued with American value systems. The figure of a mother becomes synonymous with the United States. Even this most basic of human relationships has been perverted by the consumer culture. The poem begins with the seemingly positive statement of fact 'She loves him ...’. The punctuation however creates a feeling of unease, that all is not as it seems, that there is a subtext that qualifies this apparently natural emotional attachment. From the outset it is established that the child has no real choice, that he must accept the 'beneficence of that motherhood', that the nature of relationships will always be one where the more powerful figure exerts control over the less developed, weaker being. The verb 'beamed' suggests powerful sunlight, the emotional power of the dominant person: the mother. The stanza concludes with a rhetorical question, as if undeniably the child must accept the mother's gift of love. Dawe then moves on to examine the nature of that form of maternal love. The second stanza deals with the way that the mother comforts the child, 'Shoosh ... shoosh ... whenever a vague passing spasm of loss troubles him'. The alliterative description of her 'fat friendly features' suggests comfort and warmth. In this world pain is repressed, real emotion pacified, in order to maintain the illusion that the world is perfect. One must not question the wisdom of the omnipotent mother figure. The phrase 'She loves him...' is repeated. This action of loving is seen as protecting, insulating the child. In much the same way our consumer cultur...
This Social Darwinism also led to the concept of “White Man’s Burden,” which held the “superior” races responsible for civilizing the “inferior” ones. Martial Henri Merlin also states that “We are entitled to go out to these peoples and occupy their territories; but when we exercise this right, we, at the same moment, are charged with a duty towards these peoples, and this duty we must never for one instant forget.” This view might have occurred due to an exposure to the “White Man’s Burden” concept which had spread throughout Europe. There was also exploitation, which is illustrated by a letter from George Washington Williams, a Baptist minister, lawyer, historian and legislature, sent to King Leopold II of Belgium. According to his account, “There were instances in which Mr. Henry M. Stanley sent one white man.to make treaties with the native chiefs.
Analysis of Leroi Jones' A Poem Some People Will Have To Understand There is an implied threat in "A Poem Some People Will Have To Understand" by Leroi Jones. Ostensibly, there is no intimidation. The poem is confessional, even reflective; the theme is one of mutability and change. However, there is something frightening and ominous in Jones1 vision, which he creates through attention to word choice and structure. Jones' warning is immediately evident in the title through his manipulation of words.
The poem "The Race" by Sharon Olds depicts a woman struggling to overcome the obstacles that are set before her so that she can spend her father's last moments with him. Through her use of repetition and alliteration she is able to convey the daughters anxiousness to her audience.
Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden” articulates the imperialism of the English empire into India, Cambodia, China, and Africa. The English thought it their duty to go out and take over these barbaric nations to civilize them. They justified their act of westernizing and destroying others’ cultures as the “burden’ they were born to bear. “And when your goal is nearest the end for others sought, watch sloth and heathen folly bring all your hopes to nought.” They blamed the ineffectiveness of their efforts on the native’s laziness. They are the ones whose whole world is being flipped upside down; being submerged in a new culture with new laws and strange people. Yet, somehow they are the lazy ones and despite the trails for the white man at the end of the day it is beneficial to the savages.
In a historical context, the two texts differ greatly: Heart of Darkness is Conrad’s autobiographical description of his trip up the river of Congo and his encounter with the atrocities of European rule in Africa.3 Conversely, Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” was written to welcome the United States of America to the club of imperialistic nations. The event that prompted Kipling to write this poem was the United States’ intervention in the Philippines. Under the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the Philippine sovereignty was transferred from Spain to the United States and thus the United States emerged as an imperialistic nation dedicated to progress. This is the core of the matter – progress. Kipling speaks of ‘a Law’ in his poem “Recessional.” The code of behaviour and the enlightenment that Kipling wished to be aggrandised to all ‘primitive’ nations. In other words: Progress in the means of railroads across continents, telegraph lines over deep seas, commerce beyond boundaries and steam boat lines criss-crossing the earth.
In the “White Man’s Burden”, Rudyard Kipling claims that it is the duty or burden of the white men to civilize the non-whites, to educate them and to religiously lift them (lecture notes, 2/8). Kipling is specifically talking about the colonized non-whites (lecture notes, 2/8). The idea that the newly colonized non-whites were lacking and needing help from a greater society was common among American whites at this time (lecture notes, 2/8). Rudyard uses the whites’ public feelings towards the issue and writes “The White Man’s Burden” in an attempt to move the whites to help the non-whites because he thinks it is a very beneficial movement for the U.S.
In 1899 Kipling released White Man’s Burden. White Man’s Burden is Kipling's idea that the task of every white man should be to impose their civilization on the black inhabitants of their colonies. When Kipling