Perspectives

In order to better understand the poem “The Real White Man's Burden” by Ernest Howard Crosby, it is always a good idea to put the text into perspective. Different perspectives can offer you a broader framework for analysis and help you engage in a meaningful dialogue about the text:

• periodical perspective
• relevance today
• societal perspective
• thematic and textual perspectives: "The White Man's Burden"

Periodical perspective

“The Real White Man’s Burden” was published in 1902, after the Spanish-American war and it is a satire of another poem by British author Rudyard Kipling - “The White Man’s Burden”. Kipling’s poem was an appeal addressed to the United States of America to intervene in the Philippines and make the islands a U.S. colony, during the Spanish-American War.

This is a rather common practice between authors. It is not something rare that an author attacks one of his peers’ ideas. 

After studying “The White Man’s Burden” (Wider Contexts, p. 261), what is your opinion of imperialism at...