THE VOICE OF THE COMMON SOLDIER

THE VOICE OF THE COMMON spend THE VOICE OF THE COMMON pass: KIPLING AND SOLDIERS POETRY Kent Harrison 8 May 00 In contemporary times, ofttimes criticism has been placed upon Rudyard Kipling for his support of British Imperialism; George Orwell went so farthest as to call him the prophet of British Imperialism during its expansionist phase. To be sure, a considerable portion of Kiplings works were written in celebration and support of Imperial expansion, but it is short-sighted to simply speak him as an Imperial propagandist or apologist.

Two of his most oft-condemned poems, Recessional and The White Mans Bu rden, actually were used by both sides of the colonial issue at the time.1 A reading of Recessional, taken in the context of the prevailing attitudes of the time, seems to indicate that it is a win about hubris rather than a promotion of the Empire. And the burden that Kipling writes on, objet dart patronizing, was indeed a genuine burden.2 The fact that the British ...If you need to get a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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