What Is The Criticism Of The White Seal By Rudyard Kipling

The thesis of this story and what the author is trying to persuade the reader is that intelligence is gained though trying your best and working hard. This thesis becomes apparent throughout the story because Seal seems to back up the Asian point of view. She uses the reoccurring theme that Asian culture is centered around hard work and this is where the

Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, Europeans developed a superiority complex when comparing themselves to the people of less-developed nations. During the age of imperialism, many European powers ventured into Asian, African, and South American lands in order to colonize and impose the rules of Western society. Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “The White Man’s Burden”, properly depicted the racist ideals that developed with imperialism, as Europeans believed it was their duty to civilize the people they viewed as savages. Europeans held a racially superior point of view for almost an entire century. In the latter half of the twentieth century, however, waves of immigrants began flooding into various European nations. This caused the perception

“Take up the white man’s burden--send forth the best ye breed--Go bind your sons to exile to serve your captives’ need…” -Rudyard Kipling, The White Man’s Burden, 1897

War is often thought about as something that hardens a soldier. It makes a person stronger emotionally because they are taught not show it and deal with it internally. People say that death in war is easier to handle because it is for the right reasons and a person can distance themselves from the pain of losing someone. However, there is always a point when the pain becomes too real and it is hard to maintain that distance. In doing so, the story disputes the idea that witnessing a traumatic event causes a numbing or blockage of feelings. Rat Kiley’s progression of sentiment began with an initial concern for the buffalo, transforming into an irate killing of the animal, and then ending with an ultimate acceptance of death. These

In “The White Man’s Burden,” Rudyard Kipling writes, “Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half-devil and half child...” Kipling is referring to people that were ‘uncivilized’ in accordance to European standards, and in this case, Africans. This demonstrates the superiority they felt in comparison, and in their minds, giving them the right to go in and civilize these people themselves with religion, clothing, education, etc. Kipling also mentions, “Take up the White Man’s burden—The savage wars of peace—Fill full the mouth of Famine—And big the sickness cease.” By this, Kipling meant it was an obligation for the Europeans to feed the starving and to help the sick. It illustrates the mindset of the Europeans who thought they were sacrificing and help the African colonies by colonizing them, whether it was what they truly believed or a mean to make themselves look better. The nationalistic and superior beliefs that Europeans harbored were significant motives for European imperialism in

In history, colonization was a truly popular tradition practiced by great and powerful empires in order to extract and retrieve all materials necessary to support their homeland. However, in order to achieve such sense of commerce and well-being, those colonists who had the power, had to colonize weaker and far less advanced societies. Great powers such as Britain and France would then travel to these societies and implement their rule in order to gain prosperity. Some, those who benefited from colonization, felt that the practice of colonization was an obligation to better the “uncivilized,” societies and help them advance, but the emotional and physical hurt that came from colonizing outweighed the positive aspects. The intention was good, but the manner in which colonization was carried out was poor. This topic is immensely controversial that pieces such as Kipling’s poem, “A White Man’s Burden,” and Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart,” have been written in order to support or go against colonization. But despite much debate, colonization has been a tradition that has caused those regions being colonized much struggle and negativity.

During the weakest points of the British rule, the narrator, a sub-divisional police officer, presents at once the dilemma he is in – after seeing the “wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups” and the “scarred buttocks” (Orwell 1, par. 2, lines 5-7) of the men who had been beaten, he was secretly “all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British” (Orwell 1, par. 2, lines 3,4). But the Burmese, seeing him as just another white colonist, mock and laugh at him and make petty transgressions. As long as the narrator keeps his job, he will forever hate the British for their harsh treatment and the Burmese for trying to “make his job impossible” (Orwell 1, par. 2, line 13). Later on, the police officer is called to take care of a ravaging elephant. After seeing that the elephant has already killed an Indian coolie, he now approaches the elephant with a rifle, along with a large crowd expecting the elephant to be killed and wanting the meat. The essayist now realizes that although he does not want or to need to shoot the elephant, he became a “hollow, posing dummy (…) [that] shall spend his life trying to impress the ‘natives’” and therefore

Throughout the duration of “The Poisonwood Bible” one truth remains increasing evident, the westerners, the christians, and even the United States of America have no business messing around in the affairs of the Congo, a people they know so little about. Nathan Price, so sure that he can save these uncivilized people, the Tribe of Ham, from God’s wrath, he sacrifices his own family. It turns out however, that he, like those before him, the Underdowns, and the US misunderstand the local customs, ultimately leading to their failure. “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling is a very famous poem that takes the opposite stance to that of Barbara Kingsolver. Kipling argues that it is the more civilized, more intellectual, more holy white man

Europeans contained the belief that their customs and religious values were the sole method in living. Missionaries from throughout Europe desired to journey to foreign lands in order to teach the civilized and Christian ways of living to the natives. Often missionaries were in competition for converts, and thus supplied imperialism with other drives (Patterson, par. 10). The Social Darwinist ideas were prevalent in this time. The Europeans believed in the survival of the fittest, and it was generally accepted that the Anglo-Saxons were the superior race. In the 1890’s Rudyard Kipling published “Whiteman’s Burden”. This poem defines the white man as responsible for civilizing the “others”. It is supportive of the imperialism of other countries

Rudyard Kipling’s attitude towards the British Empire was significantly negative. The novella essentially expressed Kipling’s feelings towards British Imperialism and his overall frustration with the British Empire. However, there are several positive qualities of the Empire pointed out by Kipling several times throughout his novella. Despite his mixed feelings, he is ultimately dissatisfied with the British Empire, claiming that it is “the White Man’s Burden”. Kipling was a steadfast imperialist, living in a time of British domination and oppression. He shared similar outlooks with the natives, that the majority of them were oppressed by the government and the wealthy. The upper class was greedy and wanted working men to do all of the work for them so that they could reap the profits. Kipling conveys his attitude towards British Imperialism through parallelism and figurative language.

With the use of the words ‘white man’ and ‘tyrant,’ it is obvious Orwell was referring to one of the sides of Imperialism, the side that has the power. They are becoming the puppets of the natives: “A sahib has got to act like a sahib” (Orwell, 410). With the use of this phrase Orwell uses the word “sahib” as a symbol of tyrant or master. This phrase shows not only how the people oppressed by the Imperialism suffer, but the tyrant itself by giving up his freedom. Through the way Orwell arrange this paragraph the audience can now truly understand Orwell’s argument about how Imperialism has negative effects on those in the power, and how ironically it is for Orwell to gain power and dominance over others, just to lose freedom and dominance over yourself.

However, some westerners actually genuinely thought that they should help and westernize the inferior countries of the world. The British went into Africa, thinking that it was their duty to spread their advances of medicine, law, western civilization, and the Christian religion. This was proved to be embraced in the "anthem of imperialism," called the White Man's Burden by Rudyard Kipling. He expressed in the poem that the duty of the "white man" was to teach and help the people who they cast the inferior rank to. However, it is hard to believe that this was Britain's most important goal in their imperialism.

     In one of his most famous poems, Rudyard Kipling said, "Take up the white man's burden!" (146). He was only one of many who believed in the virtues of imperialism in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. During that period, imperialism was on the rise, and Africa was being swallowed up by competing European nations. The imperialists had many arguments supporting imperialism. They said it was beneficial and, in some cases, essential. Their arguments did not satisfy everyone, but that did not bother them. The justifications ranged from economics to social services, while touching on everything else in between (Hayes 222-3).

Rudyard Kipling’s 1899 poem “The White Man’s Burden” epitomizes the European man’s view on imperialism, Euro-centrism and social Darwinism. Four centuries before 1899, such ideas were briefly hinted in the letter from Christopher Columbus to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, however by 1899 these attitudes strengthened and developed fully into their complete meaning. The U.S and Europe’s imperialism in the nineteenth century were the most influential ever in the history of human civilization. The immense motive for imperialism came from social factors including religion and Social Darwinism.

The Indian economy was primarily rural, but was filled with many skillful artisans that could produce in bulk. Although, Colonization played an important role in profiteering and commercial venturing in the Indian economy, the British was more concerned about increasing their own economic wealth (Niranjana 15). In the short story “The White Seal,” Kipling creates a story that symbolically represents the forceful nature of the British government upon the Indian people as well as the exploitation of their land and resources. “The White Seal” is about a young seal named Kotick who was born with different colored fur as the other seals. Kotick witnesses humans clubbing his friends to use them as materials to sell. The story says, “Then ten or twelve men, each with an iron-bound club, came up, and then Kerick pointed out one or two of them that were bitten by their companions or too hot, and the men kicked those aside with their heavy boots, and then the men clubbed the seals on the head as hard as they could” (Kipling 106). This part of the story can relate to the resources of the Indian land being used, but also the forceful nature the British had. The humans did not care about the seals, but only their self, comparatively to the way the British colonists treated the Indian land. Another part in the story describes the process to relocate the