THE VOICE OF THE COMMON SOLDIER
In contemporary times, much criticism has been placed upon Rudyard Kipling for his support of British Imperialism; George Orwell went so far as to call him the "prophet of British Imperialism during its expansionist phase." To be sure, a considerable portion of Kipling's works were written in celebration and support of Imperial expansion, but it is short-sighted to simply label him as an Imperial propagandist or apologist. Two of his most oft-condemned poems, Recessional and The White Man's Burden, 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 piece about hubris rather than a promotion of the Empire. And the "burden" that Kipling writes on, while patronizing, was indeed a genuine burden.2 The fact that the British Empire went far in alleviating famine and disease in the conquered territories should not be ignored. It is beyond a doubt, however, that Kipling was convinced of Britain's superiority in the world. In For All We Have and Are, for instance, the reader is convinced with the last two lin
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, 'An we've salted it down with our bones. Whitehead, John. "The 'Barrack-Room Ballads' as Treasure-Trove," Kipling Journal. March, 1995, pp. 21-5. For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck 'im out, the brute!"
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1561
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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