From: Michael M. Butler (butler@comp-lib.org)
Date: Sun Jun 02 2002 - 13:44:58 MDT
Olga and Damian quoth:
> > What Kipling's imperialist poem *The White Man's Burden* (1899) said
> was...:
>
> That was a great example, Damien. That particular Kipling poem was one of
> the main literary examples featured in a tome of a book I read a few years
> ago entitled: "The Arrogance of Faith" by Forrest G. Wood. The lines that
> etched themselves into my brain were: "Half devil and half child." Wow,
> what an incredibly arrogant perspective. For those who may be interested,
> I've reproduced the entire poem below. Read it and weep.
I've thought about this poem (and Kipling's life) long and hard, and I am
satisfied that Kipling was conscious of "half devil and half child" as an
oversimplification, but employed it as an accurate reflection of the colonial
mindset. I am sure he at least half-believed it himself. But I can be accused
of reading too deep or projecting.
Olga, Damien:
Out of curiosity, what do you think of those who ascribe to other groups a
ratio of, say, (30% devil, 20% child, 50% "our kind of 'real' person"),
whatever that might mean?
Don't you think that there are a great many people who think that of most
other cultures?
Does that make all of those people incredibly arrogant? Or imperialist?
Or merely human?
> > I assumed that the heart of this honor was military service, which is
> > usually in the *service* of a *nation*--even if it's often a family
> > tradition and one creating its own internal bonds of `elective family'.
> > This sort of thing:
> >
> > Take up the White Man's burden!
> > Have done with childish days--
> > The lightly-proffered laurel,
> > The easy ungrudged praise:
> > Comes now, to search your manhood
> > Through all the thankless years,
> > Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
> > The judgment of your peers.
I don't see this as inherently military, Damien. Strongly suggestive, yes.
--
butler a t comp - lib . o r g
I am not here to have an argument. I am here as part of a civilization.
Sometimes I forget.
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