Historically, the western world has defined the direction that issues on the global geopolitical stage take. The West has introduced democratic governance to nations that are led by authoritarian rulers. The West has also intervened in nations whose situations are not consistent with the ideals and values that the Western world subscribes to. While diplomacy and negotiation are the key tools that Western governments employ in their efforts to promote their values, there have been instances where brute force has been used. The United States sought to impose its rule and way of life on the Philippines. This was the subject of The White Man’s Burden, a poem by Rudyard Kipling. He called on the United States to “take up the white man’s burden by bringing the benefits of Western civilization” to nations that had gained freedom (Hunt et al., 785). Kipling’s poem essentially highlights the generosity and the genuine desire by the United States to redeem oppressed people through Western civilization.
Hunt and his colleagues shed light on the agenda that the United States sought to pursue in their analysis of Kipling’s poem. They state that the poem was intended to nudge the US to deliver the “benefits of Western civilization” to the Philippines (Hunt et al., 785). Assuming that Hunt and his team are correct, it can be said that the invasion of the Philippines by American forces was a demonstration of generosity. This point is offered even more weight when one examines the actual poem. The following lines are from the poem:
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Send forth the best ye breed-
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need; (Kipling).
From the lines above, it is clear that Kipling wished to urge the US to display generosity by sending its finest men to serve “your captives’ need”. The fact that the US would be forced to send the best of its breed points to the immense sacrifice that the invasion of the Philippines was. The US would be forced to subject its own “sons to exile”. This is the very definition of generosity and it underscores the fact that the US was driven by a desire to see the Philippines enjoy the benefits of Western civilization.
Kipling must have understood that the US would need to brace itself for challenges in its quest to deliver western civilization to the Philippines. The following lines serve to support this statement:
“To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride
… To seek another’s profit (Kipling).
From the lines above, the argument that the US would face the threat of terror as it sought to civilize the Philippines can be made. This argument finds support in historical events. It is estimated that as many as 200,000 Filipinos died as they resisted the American occupation (Hunt et al., 785). It could be that the resistance that the American forces faced from the local communities was the threat of terror that Kipling referred to in his poem. While it is true that the Philippines bore the brunt of the devastation that resulted from the American invasion, the US must have suffered some losses. These losses make it clear that the US was driven by its generosity as it ignored the possible negative consequences of its effort to liberate the Philippines from a backward culture.
In his poem, Kipling outlines the gains that the Philippines would enjoy upon the American invasion. He states that the invasion would “fill full the mouth of famine” and “bid the sickness cease.” (Kipling). Only a generous nation would approach another with the aim of combating famine and alleviating sickness. The US is one such nation. In their book, Hunt and his team state that the US sought to “help the independence movements”. Before the American occupation, the Philippines was under the control of the Spanish government. It was following the defeat of Spain that the United States gained control over the Philippines and other territories such as Puerto Rico and Cuba which were previously administered by Spain (Hunt et al., 785). Hunt and his team describe Spain as an imperialist force that the Philippines wished to rid itself of. While the US was also an imperialist occupying force, it can be argued that it at least liberated the Philippines from the Spanish forces and sought to promote independence. This argument coupled with the desire by the US to tackle sickness and famine as stated by Kipling, makes the US a generous nation that set out to liberate Filipinos.
Other than shedding light on American generosity, Kipling’s poem offers insights on British culture and the perspectives of the Western world. Hunt and his colleagues mention that Kipling upheld the value of equality and believed that “wealth should not allow some to proclaim their grief above other people’s grief” (Hunt et al., 825). Kipling’s values and beliefs are reflected in the poem and they also shed light on the Western culture at the time he created the poem. As mentioned earlier, he used the poem to rally the US to take civilization to the Philippines. One of the defining elements of Western civilization is equality. Since he was calling on the US to introduce the Philippines to Western civilization by filling “full the mouth of famine” and bidding “the sickness cease”, an argument can be made that Kipling’s poem provides insight on the values that made up Western culture.
In conclusion, The White Man’s Burden allows readers to understand the forces that led the United States to invade the Philippines. Through this poem, Kipling urged the United States to extend the benefits of Western civilization to the Philippines. By invading the Philippines, the US placed itself in a position from where it could send its sons to tackle disease and improve the welfare of the Filipinos. It is true that the invasion led to the deaths of thousands of Filipinos. However, these deaths do not take away from the sacrifice made by the US and the generosity that it displayed. The case of the Philippines points to the need for the US to extend its influence and to deliver communities that are still grappling with struggles and lack civilization.
Bibliography
Hunt, Lynn, Thomas R, Martin, Barbara H. Rosenstein, R. Po-chia Hsia, and Bonnie G. Smith.
2009. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures . 3rd ed. 2 vols. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.
Kipling, Rudyard. 1899. The White Man’s Burden.
